Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Prompt One: Eye Contact

Penny doesn’t mean to stare, but she can’t help but to notice how beautiful Haley looks with her camera around her neck, clicking away as the moonlight jellies illuminate her figure. She is smiling as she watches her girlfriend work, and when their eyes meet, she can’t help but to grin a little before shyly averting her own gaze.

“What are you looking at so hard?” Haley asks in a light, playful tone. “Is my hair messed up?”

“No, not at all,” Penny assures, her smile turning shyer as she looks up at the woman who has stolen her heart so completely. “You just look magical with the glow of the jellies…Gorgeous.”

“You’re the gorgeous one, silly,” Haley replies fondly, leaning down to press a soft kiss to her lips before she suddenly gets an idea. “Wait, that would be such a cute picture! Here, babe, kiss me again!”

Penny isn’t sure how well the photo will turn out when the camera is facing away from the luminance of the nighttime creatures, but if that means they have to take  a take or two or three more, she certainly isn’t complaining.

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Prompt Two: Hand Holding

On their way back from town, Jas is entertaining herself by swinging herself from the arms of both himself and Alex. She giggles every time she does it, which makes even his cold, bitter heart feel warm, and Alex is smiling, too, so he knows his friend doesn’t mind. Eventually, though, she seems to get tired of it, and she lets go of their hands to race ahead and pick blackberries from a bush nearby the ranch.

“I bet Aunt Marnie and I can make a pie with this!” She exclaims happily as she gathers several into the pockets of his dress. “Uncle Alex, you’ll stay over for that, won’t you?”

“Sure thing, Tater Tot,” Alex replies fondly.

At some point, Shane is sure that his goddaughter rejoins his side, and he absently reaches to take her hand again. What he finds instead of her small fingers and smooth palm, though, is a large hand, calloused from working out and extremely warm to the touch. He’s so startled he nearly pulls away, but then he sees the smile on Alex’s face and hesitates.

“O-oh,” he manages. “You…is this…?”

“I like it,” Alex replies simply, a twinkle of something soft and fond in his eyes.

They two continue to hold hands the rest of the way to the ranch house.

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Prompt Three: Under the Rain

“Dad?”

Kent doesn’t respond to his son’s voice. He stares out across the churning waves, the endless curtain of gray, the salt and wind stinging occasionally at his face. He wasn’t able to sleep yet again, and something reminded him that he and Sam used to come here all the time. Back then, it was always when it was sunny and warm. Now it’s cold and raining on and off in sheets, and Kent couldn’t be bothered with an umbrella.

“You’re soaked…” Sam says, and before Kent can say anything, an umbrella has been opened up above both of them. “Look, I….I don’t know what’s going on in your head right now, but Sebastian gets like this sometimes too, y’know? And…it’s okay, I don’t have to totally get it, but I don’t want you to be alone right now. I’ll stick with you until you’re okay to come inside.”

It takes a long minute or two, but Kent finally manages to surface above the trauma that churns like waves inside him and say, “Thanks, bud.”

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Prompt Four: Indirect Kiss

Sebastian wouldn’t do this for anyone else, but since his upper torso and face are covered with the hoodies that they snaked the mannequin heads through, he does it for Abby. The two of them have been laughing the entire filming process, anyway, and working together to learn the dance for most of the afternoon. When they finally have it done and posted, he goes to help her get out of their ridiculous costumes, and as expected, she continues to joke around (like the nerd she is.)

“I think this is a great look for me!” She exclaims when the hood of the hoodie flops over her face. “I’ve never looked better!”

“You’ve never looked like something,” he retorts playfully. “C’mon, let’s get you out of th-”

As he is leaning over to readjust her outermost clothing, she unexpectedly lifts up her head, and the two of them have suddenly touched lips through the fabric of the hood. Sebastian immediately goes crimson red and backs up; Abigail seems similarly shocked. The two of them are silent for several long moments as she rightens her clothing properly before she finally breaks the silence.

“Well, that was….something,” she says awkwardly, then gives him a mischievous smile. “If you want to kiss me, though, you better do it right next time!”

Sebastian snorts and throws his own foam mannequin at her. “Oh, you wish, Taffe.”

As the two of them laugh and go about their time together, though, he can’t help but to think that somebody, maybe sooner than his anxiety and depression have had him believe in the past, he’ll be able to kiss her for real.

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Prompt Five: Coffee Shop

“Where are we going?” Haley asks as Elliott taps in a location into his phone’s GPS.

The two of them have been spending the day in Zuzu City, and as per usual, Haley has been enjoying every second of it. Elliott seems as though he’s been having just as much fun, which makes her happy; after all, he is her adoring boyfriend, and his comfortableness is a high priority for her. Being the romantic man that he is, he’s been surprising her with different shops and locations to take photos all day, and after all they’ve done, she can’t help but be surprised they’re doing another one rather than starting the two-hour drive back to Pelican Town.

“It’s a surprise, my love,” Elliott says with a wink. “You will see soon.”

She does indeed, and she is just as delighted as she has been all day when they pull up to her favorite coffee shop. It’s equally touching when he orders what he knows is her favorite for the wintertime, peppermint coffee, and she is happy to return the favor by interjecting over the drive-in speaker to order his favorite, a passion berry tea.

“You know me so well,” he notes affectionately as they drive around to the pay window.

“Almost as well as you know me!” She replies with a giggle. “And let me pay for this one! You’ve been spoiling me all day!”

He sighs lightheartedly and relinquishes his pocketbook back into his pocket. “As you wish, dear.”

Before long, they both have their respective drinks, and Haley keeps his hand that is free of the wheel warm with her own (in between his drinking his tea) on the way back home.

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Prompt Six: Love Letters

 In the bedroom, there is a special box that Penny keeps. It’s a box made of repurposed driftwood on top of a more stable wooden base, one that smells faintly of the sea every time it is opened. There are many paintings of things that represent her union to Elliott; plenty of hearts, writing quills and ink wells, seashells, the dates of their most important anniversaries, titles of their favorite shared novels, their initials hand-painted by themselves on the lid.

This box is full of love letters from her dearest husband, ranging from the first time that they began written correspondence until the most recent. Yes, even in their married years he continued to write to her, spilling prose across textured paper as naturally as birds sing. Writing letters came for less naturally to Penny, who was more a quality-time kind of sentimental person, but she tried her best, and her husband treasured them equally so.

As a matter of fact, Penny is delighted to find out on this evening that there is not one special box now, but two. His box for her letters is rose gold and has carvings stylistically put into it, no doubt from Robin, of things that she loves; poppy flowers, emeralds, melons, books, music notes, a largely featureless couple (aside from hair that matches the duo’s own) dancing on the lid.

Both boxes are spacious enough to keep each letter, which has preserved and saved carefully, as well as the countless ones to come; these pieces of paper that create a complete love story that will forever be their favorite tale.

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Prompt Seven: Sick Partner

Shane isn’t really the best person to care for someone when they’re sick, but since this is his partner, he does his best. He makes him tomato soup and grilled cheese, he brings it to him in his house, and he lets himself in with his key rather than expecting him to come to the front door in his state.

“Thank you…” Harvey murmurs blearily as Shane sets down the food on his bedside table.

Shane goes ahead and takes the initiative to brush off the used tissues and rearrange the stuff to be a little neater; it’s not something he’d usually do for himself, but for his boyfriend, it’s different. “Yeah, no problem. You need anything else?”

“…Can you stay?” Harvey asks lethargically, wiping at his eyes and looking up to him with his soulful brown eyes that go straight to Shane’s heart. “I…I w-would not ask if I thought I were contagious…b-but even though it’s…not really science…I…I feel better wh-when you’re here.”

The slightly younger man nods and sits down on the edge of the bed, even gently readjusting the sheets to be more comfortable around his poor man. “Course, babe. Anything for ya.”

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Prompt Eight: Slow Dancing

When Sam wakes up, the other side of the bed is cold. He yawns as he slides out from underneath the soft, warm covers, padding into hallway and into the living room in search of his husband. He goes through most of their home before he finally spots him outside, his classic hoodie on and his back turned toward the window. Sam immediately knows what must be troubling him as he slowly pushes open the screen door to join his spouse.

“Nightmares?” He asks, voice still deep and groggy from still being half asleep.

Sebastian wordlessly nods, sighing out a bloom of smoke from his cigarette. Sam comes up behind him and wraps his arms around him, leaning his head on the back of his shoulder and burying his face as he very slowly the both of them side to side. Before he can fully fall asleep standing up, his husband turns around, gently guiding him back toward the bedroom.

As they walk, Sam smiles a little and begins to turn the journey back into a dance, slowly waltzing with his spouse in a way very similar to how they did during their wedding. Much to his delight, Sebastian goes along with it, and by the time they’re both back in their bed, he’s even cracked a small smile.

“…Thanks,” he murmurs as they lay there, Sam’s eyes growing heavier by the second in the calm darkness.

“Anytime, my frog prince.”

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Prompt Nine: Forehead Kiss

When her wife gets out of bed, Haley grumbles unhappily and rolls closer to her immediately. This gets her a soft, sympathetic laugh and tucked back in, but unfortunately, Abigail does not lay back down.

She lays there pouting as she listens to the sound of her get ready; pulling on clean clothes, brushing her hair and teeth, lacing up her combat boots. She supposes she could go ahead and get a head start on the day, but that requires a lot of effort, and she’s warm and safe in their bed.

She is waiting for her wife to head out to grab breakfast and head to the mines, but before she does, she unexpectedly presses her lips to her forehead.

“I love you,” Abigail murmurs, and Haley half-opens her eyes to lean up and kiss her spouse on the lips.

“I love you, too. Be safe, okay?” She murmurs.

“I always am, don’t worry.” Another kiss, then a second forehead kiss, before she heads out into the world and Haley heads back into the land of nod.

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Prompt Ten: Drunk Confession

“I…I fuckin’ love you, man.”

Elliott is thoroughly surprised by this statement from Shane. He knows that his comrade is drunk, of course; he watched him drink himself to that point in his corner of the bar. Since the two of them have been hanging out increasingly often, it was only appropriate that he be the one to escort him back to his home to sleep it off.

“I do…” Shane leans heavily against him and grabs his face with a surprising amount of delicacy. “I do love ya…and I’m too scared to say it when ‘m sober…so there.”

He then laughs and lands like a rock on his bed, and a few moments later, he’s snoring. Elliott politely excuses himself from Miss Marnie, who looks like she knows something he doesn’t as he passes by, and begins the walk back to his own cabin.

There is a very decent chance that Shane is speaking out of his right mind and that he may not remember that little interaction in the morning. He is drunk after all; it wouldn’t be unlike him to make offhand comments similar to that, either. Elliott is almost able to completely talk himself out of the possibility that he could be sincere in his confession as he walks across the stone bridge leading from the south of town and into the beach.

But on the other hand, there is that chance that not only will Shane remember, but he was earnest and of genuine conviction in this confession, and he holds onto it tightly throughout the evening and into the morning light.

(Good thing, too, as it turns out the improbable was in fact reality.)

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Prompt Eleven: First Time (Not Adult Fun Time)

Leah holds her girlfriend’s hand as they make their way back to her cabin, her slightly calloused hand pressed against Haley’s soft palm and laced around her slightly less agile fingers. They remain like that as they kiss in the doorframe, and then Leah leans forward, her lips brushing lightly against Haley’s beautiful blonde hair as she whispers in her ear.

“I don’t want you to go.”

Haley’s big blue eyes widen, and then she giggles mischievously and follows her over the threshold. Though they don’t do more than kissing and cuddling throughout the night, it remains be their first sleepover, and they appropriately enjoy movies, popcorn, and swap skin care routines before falling asleep in the same bed for the first time, too.  

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Prompt Twelve: Promise Rings

Penny is standing in wait in the arcade, hugging the massive plush cat that her boyfriend won her earlier in the evening at one of those oversized crane-games. He will be done any second now with swapping all of the tickets they won together for prizes, but he wanted the last things he got to be a surprise, so she turned her back while he got them. When she hears his voice and turns around, she gives him a smile, which he returns more shyly but nevertheless genuinely.

“What did you end up getting?” She asks with a smile.

Sebastian produces two plastic rings; one that’s silver with blue lining and one that’s gold with light pink lining. “I thought…I thought maybe these could act as…as promise rings.”

She gasps and immediately kisses him, the action more passionate than she would have ever thought she would in public, then offers out her hand more shyly. “I’d love that.”

When he slides the golden one over her appropriate finger, she can’t help but imagine the future, and for what feels like the millionth time since she and her darling fell in love, she sees it as so, so bright.

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Prompt Thirteen: Bath Time

Haley relaxes back into the hot water and bubbles, her eyes lidded as she looks ahead dreamily. Her wife relaxed on the other side of the tub, the bubbles covering up her body for now, her own eyes closed. Ordering the bathtub big enough to share was definitely one of their best ideas for their new home.

“Hey,” she says softly as she reaches beneath the surface of the water and foam, finding her partner’s hand and lacing their fingers together. “I love you.”

Penny giggles, the sound a sweet melody, and the water sloshes as she adjusts to lean across Haley, their bodies warm and soft from the essential oils they added as their lips meet. “And I love you.”

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Prompt Fourteen: Comb the Hair

Leah can’t help but to close her eyes as the brush glides seamlessly through her hair. She may not be one for frivolous purchases and is very aligned with keeping things natural, but her relationship with Elliott has definitely influenced her heavily when it comes to taking care of her hair.

“Would you like me to braid it, my darling?” Elliott’s voice, soft and weighted like honey, says softly behind her.

“Yes,” she hums contently. “But only if I’m allowed to braid yours, too.”

Before long, she’s got a pair of French-braided plaits that make her giggle like a schoolgirl, and she’s combing through his own luxurious locks. The gold from the setting sun shines through the curtains of the cabin as she works, her brush smoothly gliding over each section of his hair that cascades down to the tops of his shoulder blades. The scene is tranquil enough to make her eyelids feel tempted by sleep, and by the time she’s fashioned his hair into a simple fishtail braid, she realizes with a swell of affection that he’s drifted off to sleep while sitting up in the vanity’s chair.

She settles on the nearby window seal to watch the sun settle into rest like her beloved partner.

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Prompt Fifteen: Soulmate

Sitting together on the swinging bench, Emily cannot help but to appreciate that she has a piece of Heaven. Shane is more than her best friend; he’s her rock, her top confidante, the love of her love. The two of them have been through so much together, from the turmoil of her parents trying to pretend that they were absentees in her and her sister’s life to his battling his alcoholism to everything in between and beyond. Even with all of these trials and tribulations, they’ve got their own place and their connection is only stronger and reinforced for the wear.

“Do you believe in soulmates?” She asks as she leans her head against his shoulder.

 There is a long pause, and then he looks down at her and says with a beautifully tender smile, “I do now.”

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Prompt Sixteen: Bedsharing 

When Shane wakes up in the middle of the night, he realizes slowly that he is not alone. Beneath one of his arms, curled up with two different stuffed animals in arms, is Jas. It’s not that he minds being there, but in his half-asleep state, he wonders why she wouldn’t go to one of her parents before he is abruptly hit with the reminder that they’re not here anymore. 
Jas must have been having nightmares; she’s been having them a lot since the accident. He adjusts a little and pulls his arm around her; he’ll just have to do his damndest to chase them away for her.  

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Prompt Seventeen: Birthday

Even though none of it has been intentionally mean-spirited, Sebastian has had to deal with a lot of bullshit today, particularly regarding his deadname. People he knows of but barely speak to have been wishing him ‘happy birthday’, and every time he hears that name, a little piece of him feels like it’s being hacked away. By the time he gets back to his partners from all of the shit formalities and dozens of questions that nosy people feel entitled to ask about, he’s damn near tears.

But then he is home, and he’s enveloped in kisses and positive affirmations and genuine affection that he’s certain isn’t forced or insincere. Abigail makes him sashimi and other sea food that she got from the local formers, and then she joins he and Sam to play video games until it’s time for some pumpkin pie, his mom’s recipe (which is the best way to have it.) He hears his real name over and over, and slowly, the parts of him that feel so shattered begin to fit back into place with his partners’ unconditional adoration. A

In the end, his birthday this year hasn’t been completely awful after all.

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Prompt Eighteen: Hug

It has been a hellacious day for Alexander. Not only did his workout go wrong in about every way possible- kept dropping his weights- overdid it, cramped during his cool-down stretches- but the day at the ice cream stand was unbearably hot, making him and pretty much all of his customers cranky. By the time he comes home, he’s dragging his feet, grumbling to himself, a headache beginning to form at his forehead.

When he walks through the front door and into the kitchen, though, Penny envelopes him as best as she can in a loving embrace. He scoops her up and sets her on the countertop to bring her more to his level, sinking into her in return. He can smell dinner in the oven and hear their daughter thumping down the stairs, and in his wife’s arms, all of the worlds troubles don’t seem quite so big.

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Prompt Nineteen: Shared Interests

They’re together on the bed. Elliott is sitting with his back against the headboard while his wife is toward the foot, propped up with plethora of pillows and with her legs draped partially over his own. Between them, they’ve got an entire series of books spread out between them, the two of sitting in silence aside from each of them occasionally sharing a quote or funny moments (spoiler free, naturally) with each other.

Some people would call this activity nerdy, or even lame. But to the two of them, this is a slice of Heaven, and Elliott cannot help but to think they ought to make this activity a regular.

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Prompt Twenty: Tulips

In old age, it can be more difficult for spouses to show their love. Evelyn finds that particularly true with George, who means well generally but is rather crass and grumpy on the outside. He is hardly the gentleman he was even twenty years ago, especially not compared to when he was courting her or early in the days of their marriage. After all, the accident changed him, and the loss of their only daughter changed both of them immensely, but that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t still wish he’d put some effort in occasionally, just to remind her how much he cares.

Once the farmer comes to town, though, she finds fresh tulips in her vase throughout the Spring, and she knows that definitively George when she catches him replacing them a few days in. He really does love her, and she loves him, too; some things are simply timeless like that.

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Prompt Twenty-One: Fight n Apologize

Abigail is laying in the bed, back turned to the door, when she hears her partner come in. Despite her cold exterior, she’s already begun to soften as she hears him shuffling, and then he lays in the bed and wraps his arms around her and the even more venom drains out of her soul.

“I’m sorry,” he says softly, breath tickling the back of her neck.

“I’m sorry, too, but I’m not going to stop going into the Mines,” she murmurs.

“I know.” When Harvey says this, Abigail fully turns around to face him, her eyes growing shiny as she looks at his soft, sincere expression. “I just…I really need you to be safer about it. It scares me a lot to see you carried into the clinic, looking pale and…lifeless.”

 As she thinks back on all the times she’s pushed herself past her limits and how she has stayed during horde attacks, she concedes he definitely has points; he did even during the argument, if she couldn’t admit it then. “I’ll take precautions, then. Maybe…maybe we can work on them together?”

He smiles now, too, and Abigail knows that everything is going to be definitively alright between them. “That sounds like a plan.”