Ruined, Or Not

Prompt: sleepy Captain Rex

That’s all. Short and sweet. Maybe a little Fives thrown in for fun. 😁

I have made vod fluff 🤷🏽‍♀️ Sorry if you wanted X Reader stuffs anon 😬

these were just some feels that came up... (I blame @lifeofclonewars for encouraging my clone cuddle pile headcanons)

Complete mental and physical exhaustion. There wasn't much else to it. After a long... rotation? (give or take a couple hours) of sorting through mission reports, requisitions... oh hells, when's the last time he ate something? Doesn't matter. He's got about an hour until Kix was heading to the barracks to... actually Rex didn't know if the medic even slept anymore... but he would be coming to the barracks. And maybe two hours before Echo and Fives stumble in from whatever place they're drinking at tonight. He removes most of his armour, placing it on the rack near the entrance to the small barracks room. His feet dragging along the floor as he tries to remember which bunk is his. That doesn't matter either, apparently, as he suddenly trips over something on the floor.

Kix entered the barracks, ready to spend the next couple hours going over patient reports, planning out treatments, and reviewing procedures. Placing his boots and helmet on the rack, he notices the sound of heavy breathing from... the middle of the room? He flicks on the light on his vambrace to see Rex flopped across some matresses that were on the floor for whatever reason. His mind tiredly jumping to how he, Rex, Jesse, and Hardcase used to sleep out in the field. (It always felt safer, leaning against a vod.) He rolls Rex off his stomach, only mildly surprised the when Captain doesn't wake at all. Sitting him up to where he could lean against Rex's back, Kix sat in the position they'd taken up countless times on missions. Fully expecting to sit awake, skimming his data pad until someone comes to help him move the dead-to-the-world captain.

Fives stumbles into the barracks, followed quickly by Echo who is (loudly) shushing him, telling him not to wake anyone. They both stop at the same time as they become aware of light snoring and a dim light in the middle of the room.

"You didn't put the mattresses back?" Fives hissed at his twin.

"I'm not the one who wanted to see how far he could jump off the bunks." Echo shoved Fives' shoulder.

Fives squints in the low light of Kix' data pad. Seeing the Captain and the medic sleeping against each other's backs, heads rolled back on the other's shoulder. He smacks Echo's chest with the back of his hand. "I told you we weren't the only squad to sleep like that."

"Di'kut, I'm not the one who disagreed with that." Echo slurred slightly, as he went to the right side of their sleeping vode. Leaning low so his head wasn't in Rex's face. Fives just shrugs, taking up the left side, making sure his hair wasn't going to brush against Kix if he shifts too much.

For the WIP ask, I want to know more about Fox shoots Rex. 😭

Thank you for asking about it 💗 Believe it or not, that one actually ends up being a fix-it, eventually. It's a canon divergence fic that takes place during the chip conspiracy arc, except that in this, Rex manages to break the Force Field Fives had set up to restrain him and Anakin just as the Coruscant Guards arrive. He puts himself in front of Fives, trying to deescalate the situation, but takes the hit for him instead.

The moment he realized that he shot Rex, and that his blaster wasn't on stun, Fox is devastated by what he's done. And it only gets worst, because when he sees Rex fall, Anakin just loses it and force-chokes Fox. The only reason he doesn't just kill him is Fives, who breaks his concentration, shouting about how they need to get help for Rex.

Thorn takes advantage of it to drag Fox away. Not being able to stay by Rex's side makes it even worse for him and he just breaks down. This time, Fives lives, because Anakin won't let anyone come near his trooper after what happened to Rex. It also leaves Fox fearing the repercussion the Coruscant Guard will ineluctably get for failing its mission. He's so shaken and scared that he doesn't even dare send in the report of how arc trooper Fives wasn't neutralized.

Thorn tries his best to comfort him, but it's not enough to counter how much he now hates himself. No one in the Guard has ever seen him being so miserable. And when Cody asks to see him, Fox is convinced it's to tell him Rex died because of him. However, things turn out better than he expected.

Since Rex wasn't the original target Fox was aiming at, the blaster shot wasn't fatal, even though it left him with a big injury. When Cody heard of Rex getting hurt, he came to see him, along with his General, and they found Fives waiting by the captain's side, who explained them all about the chips, and about Palpatine being the Sith Lord. Also, since Anakin's outburst had many witnesses, Obi-Wan now knows his padawan has gotten dangerously close to the Dark Side, as well as the rest of the Order, who then make sure he gets help, so Vader never comes to be.

So the war is over, and Fox gets to hug Rex and to apologize a thousand times for hurting him.

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: CC-5052 | Bly & CT-7567 | Rex Characters: CT-7567 | Rex, CC-5052 | Bly Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Kamino Is Terrible, bly is a good brother, rex is hurting, he misses his batchmates :( Summary:

Rex remembers one night back on Kamino when Bly was there.

Inspired by let the river in by saltsanford.

How to lose your beastly murder cyborg

Covid sucks. My symptoms are mild, a testament that my heart condition is currently in remission—it is psychosomatic, though no less potentially deadly. ANYWAY

My biggest comfort has been an AU with @spacingstars and @ninjigma were Vader crawled out of his eggie one day and found a tiny little blonde bebe on his floor. Took a moment, Sith-juice fried his brain, but he eventually recognized it as a Clone!

Anyway, because though we can think of a more serious plot and context for all this, the comfort stuff is totally crackish. It is Vader losing what's left of his damn marbles because...

Baby.

Tiny. Baby. Bouncing. Blonde. Ickle. Clone. Who looked UP at him, grinned a toothless smile, papped his oversized boots, and... giggled.

Vader was done. He is over. Sanity, all of it questionable and tainted, has completely flipped. It reset something in him, like it was hands that found his hidden reset button in his back. Might have been his mother's ghostly touch or Padme's. Eithe rway. DONE.

Our little comfort scenarios skip to Vader eventually realizing bebe was in danger, and hightailed out of there. How did he find Obi-Wan? Who knows. But, he did. Pretty much knocked in the door to his old master's sad-man cave.

Where can he put the crib?

Stop gawking at him! He needs a charging station for the Nanny Droid! Here, hold baby.

Little Rex (because, of course it is) just stared at Obi-Wan. He honestly hadn't seen a lot of PEOPLE with faces. He saw Vader with and without his helmet. He'd seen plenty of droids. He'd seen Kaminoan. But...

Little fingers reached up, gently edged the old man's—Obi-Wan's eyes are already wet—beard, curled his fingers deep into that greying tuft of thick fuzz, then...

YANKED real good!

"Ow!" Infant death grip made all efforts to extracat little fingers almost a lost cause.

The crackle of static heard out of Vader was laughter. Obi-Wan didn't recognize it, but bebe does—Rex just giggled more.

Rex, trying to give a motivational speech but then it evolved into him casualty talking about his really really fucked up cadethood:

“-I mean yeah all the other kids bullied me, hated me even, and no one liked me or even came near me. Come to think of it I did get shuffled around a lot, but that’s just because my entire original batch was decommissioned. And yeah I did have a lot of near death experiences, but I only needed to be resuscitated a handful of times. Ha, there was that one time a trainer threw me off a platform because they were sick of dealing with all my paperwork, but I pulled myself up by my bootstraps and hauled myself out of the ocean. You know what they say; you want something done you gotta do it yourself, because no one else is going to do it for you! I think I came out the other side just fine and I’m stronger because of it! :)”

The entire 501st: “…whAT THE FUUUUUCK!”

angstpril day 4: he’s not heavy, he’s my brother

oh dear, oh dear. have some Umbara (derogatory)

(tw: major character death)

“Sir!” Waxer skids to a stop, out of breath. “I’ve found the platoon leader. He’s still alive.” The forest shivers around them, imaginary enemies blinking red eyes in the distance. 

Cody hates it here. “Who is it?”

Waxer swallows and his face pales. “It’s—” he clutches the helmet in his hand tighter, duraplast creaking in his grip. “It’s Rex.”

Keep reading

Based off a little line in time travel fic where Elphie introduces Glinda to pecan pie! (and bc @c-rose2081 said Oz could possibly have invented epinephrine🤷🏻‍♀️)

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“Do you like it?” Elphaba asks, watching carefully to make sure Galinda is actually eating. She figured appealing to the girl’s sweet tooth would do the trick- Galinda nods happily and digs in for another bite. 

“It’s great!” she mumbles around a mouthful. Galinda blushes at her own excitement, and Elphaba can’t stop the fond grin from spreading across her face. Cute.

Galinda only eats about half her actual slice, but she keeps pulling the pecans out from the center to nibble on, so Elphaba will take it as a win. Nuts are relatively healthy, right? Even coated in sugar? 

“I’ve never tasted anything like this before,” Galinda says, licking her lips happily. She coughs lightly and clears her throat. “It’s tingly.”

Elphaba’s brow scrunches in confusion. “Tingly?” She’s eaten pecan pie for years and never once would she describe it as ‘tingly.’

Galinda coughs again, turning her head away to tuck her mouth in her elbow. She nods, waving her fork in the air as if trying to find the right words. “Yeah. It’s sorta…fizzy.”

What? 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Elphaba says, laughing lightly. Leave it to Galinda to totally stump her like that. The blonde had a habit of thinking so far outside the box that Elphaba could barely keep up with the logic. 

Galinda rolls her eyes, clearing her throat again and setting her fork down. She slides the plate toward Elphaba. “You try and describe it then. Tingly is the best I’ve got.”

Elphaba dutifully picks up the fork and takes a bite. She’s had pecan pie several times before, of course, but maybe the cooks at Shiz made it differently or added a special ingredient. Some spices like cinnamon or such could…almost be described as ‘tingly’ if you weren’t used to them. 

Galinda has to turn her head away to cough again, this time nearly doubling over from the effort. Elphaba frowns at her as she chews and swallows quickly. The pie tastes totally normal, but Galinda is starting to worry her. 

“Wrong pipe?” Elphaba asks cautiously. Galinda opens her mouth to say something but gets caught in another round of coughs that turns her face red with effort. She groans lightly, rubbing at her throat. 

“Sorry,” she croaks. “Yeah, probably just went down wrong.” She nods toward the pie on the plate in an effort to distract from the way she’s got tears pooling in the corner of her eyes. 

“What did it taste like to you?”

Elphaba shrugs, not really interested in the pie anymore. Galinda’s face is growing paler by the second and there’s sweat starting to bead on her temple. She clears her throat again and her next few breaths are slightly wheezy. 

“It just tasted like nuts to me,” Elphaba says dismissively. “Are you okay?”

Galinda freezes, staring at her with wide eyes. “Nuts?” she asks. 

“Um, yeah, the pecans. Seriously, Galinda, are you alright?”

Galinda takes in a few shaky gasps, hands starting to tremble as she rubs her throat again. She blinks several times in quick succession as her gaze falls to the pie. “Oh,” she whispers, swallowing hard. 

“I think I’m allergic to nuts.”

Okay, so my one-shot might not be a one-shot anymore

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The first time Obi-Wan Kenobi sees CT-7567, he's balanced on Commander Wolffe's hip like he belongs there, the cadet pointing to a holographic map and giving intel about certain sections of Tipoca City. It was still alarming to hear the voice of a soldier come from the body of a child, and this one was screaming loss hurt anger into the Force that made his heart ache. Wolffe is relaying such intel to his troopers down on Kamino, and it takes a moment to register the Jedi had joined them with his ever-present shadow behind him.

"General, Cody." He nods, and the cadet looks up in curiosity. Kenobi could feel Cody suddenly radiate an innate need to protect this child, and knows things are about to become interesting. "The kih'vod has been helping us with some of the last strongholds."

"Very well, please continue...?"

"CT-7567." The cadet responds, and Kenobi wonders what name he'll be given one day. Cody, who usually stuck to his Jedi's side like glue, instead moved to stand beside Wolffe, who hands the cadet over without a moment's hesitation. In turn, Cody adjusts so 7567 is on his hip now, and the cadet is eyeing his golden armor with a dozen awed questions. The older clone just gives him a soft look, and 7567 turns to keep explaining the weaknesses that could be accessed, as gathering up Lama Su and his remaining doctors was critical for a complete takeover. He apparently had been good at sneaking around with his batchmates, and true to fashion, Lama Su is dismayed to find his secure bunker was quite the opposite. The cheers of thousands of clones rise up when he's secured, and Kamino was theirs, theirs to do with what they wanted, what they should have been able to.

Make it a home, rather than a place to suffer and be stifled.

7567 has no more tears to shed, watching through footage as Lama Su and the others were placed in cells for interrogation. He rests his head on Cody's shoulder, and the commander just murmurs something in Mando'a before adjusting his hold. Kenobi excuses himself so he can return to the city, leaving Wolffe and Cody with the young clone, and for a moment they stare at each other.

"Gree and Ponds are already on their way, I told them to meet us in your quarters," Cody speaks first, and Wolffe grumbles. "It's either that, or fight your wolf pack for the kid, like I don't feel them staring at me."

"Wolf pack?" 7567 asks, and Wolffe puffs out his chest, and some of the clones working on the bridge let out a few whoops.

"It's what we all call ourselves here." Wolffe grinned, and 7567 giggled a bit at how proud they all were. Cody just rolled his eyes, but the smirk on his face betrayed his amusement. There's a beep on Wolffe's comm, and he groans after reading the message.

"Kriffing Neyo heard about it, and he's coming with Monnk. Just how many commanders did you let in on this?" Cody had the decency to look sheepish, and the datapad in his hand becomes a shield.

"Well, I told Fox first..."

"No you didn't." It was no wonder some of the harder-to-reach CC's were poking their heads in. "You do know Neyo is an adenn chakaar when it comes to kih'vod's right? Fox needs to learn how to keep his mouth shut."

"Right, you tell that to the man in the worst position." Cody scoffed, and it was not long before the two devolved into a bitching fest, with 7567 watching with wide eyes.

He was learning so many curse words.

"Is THIS the one I've heard so much chatter about!?" Commander Bly had the subtly of a raging bantha, and there was some laughter from various clones as he practically force jumps his way across the bridge. "Let me see let me see!" 7567 doesn't get a chance to say anything when he's scooped up from Cody's hold, gripping onto armored arms as he's spun around with an excited gasp. His voice has the twinge of some accent 7567 has never heard before, and he finds he enjoys it almost immediately. "He's a blonde!"

"Careful, you'll fling him through a wall if you're not careful," Wolffe grumbled, but chuckles when the cadet grins at the new CC.

"I'm keeping him, it's official," Bly stated quite proudly, before grunting when someone slaps his helmet from behind.

"You don't get to decide this early." 7567 noted the CC who had smacked the now spluttering commander holding him was decked out in green, and recognized that he serves under a Jedi he had seen about a year prior on a rare stop on Kamino.

"Fox would rip you a new one if you did that before he got to see the kih'vod for himself." The one in green berates Bly, and the accented clone grumbles before setting the cadet down for the first time in hours.

"Is the Fox you keep mentioning the Coruscant Guard commander?" He feels a little awkward asking, but the various CC's nod in answer, and 7567 grins. "I've heard he's really cool."

"Fox? Cool? In what universe?" Bly cackles, removing his helmet to grin at the cadet, and his fellow leaders do the same. Despite each of them sharing the same face, 7567 can already pick out differences in each of their faces, and it reminds him of his batchmates.

No, he's not going to cry in front of all of them, not right now.

"He serves the Chancellor, and according to some...data we found, he gets to see all the Senators all the time!" 7567 is beaming as he rambles off what he knows, and every CC is suddenly transported to the times they were younger and a little more carefree before the war sunk its claws into them. 7567 doesn't see the way they look at each other, and what Wolffe saw in him was made solid for all of them.

"Sorry I'm late, someone wasn't in their barracks like the comm said."

Not a single soul on The Triumphant had ever seen so many commanders in one place before, and work was abandoned to watch one of the rarer clones grace their presence. Not many of them got to see one of the men hand-trained by Jango Fett himself, so comms are beeping all across the ship as those on the bridge recorded what they could, as well as sending said news out to the nearby other cruisers.

"Sorry Ponds, Bly here decided to ignore that, and here we are." Gree greeted, the two knocking their forearms against each other before Ponds looks down at the small clone, whose wide eyes are looking up at the recon expert.

"Blonde?" Ponds knelt down so the two were eye to eye, removing his helmet and setting it on the floor by his knee. "Lama Su hates blondes."

7567 didn't realize just how wide his eyes could go.

"I forgot you were blonde, the shiny dome makes one forget," Cody smirks, and there are more than a few snickers, including one from 7567. The commander just shrugs, and seems to just analyze the younger clone in front of him for a moment, before giving a small smile.

"You're going to have the most annoying adoptive ori'vod this side of the known universe." It's a statement more than an observation, and Ponds was never wrong. "I have spoken."

"Sir, Commander Fox sent word he'll arrive within a rotation, and to quote, "not let the others steal the kih'vod, or he'll have all caff allotments pulled'." A communications clone reported to the group, and he was trying very hard not to laugh.

"Not fair!" Bly complained, and the various commanders start bickering and laughing at each other all at once. 7567 is picked up by Ponds when he stands to join the fray, and for the first time since he had left that horrible room, it's like his batchmates are the ones bickering and laughing with him.

He doesn't realize he's fallen asleep, face buried into Ponds' chest plating like it's the most comfortable pillow in the world.

"I think he'll fit in just fine." Gree hummed, standing beside his friend as they watch the others bicker.

"He'll have to, we're not letting him go."

Oh you NEED to continue the kid fic bc I’m obsessed! Not asking for a full fledged story (I mean hey, unless you want to) but just a small continuation at least please🙏 What do you hc their ages to be in it? What’s Morrible’s reaction to the bit at the end there? I need to know

ask and u shall receive, fair anon. their ages are roughly 5 & 8/9 9 think?

(direct continuation of this post btw - read that first! idk why this got so long, my bad)

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The woman seems taken aback by both the girls’ reactions, standing awkwardly above them. Elphie’s shaking hard, but she stands up with her arms spread and her knees locked as to prevent the woman from getting any closer. 

Galinda shouldn’t be such a crybaby, such a coward, but she can’t help feeling grateful for the older girl’s protection. The woman has stopped advancing, but she still looks angry.

She really should just stand up and accept it. Momsie hates when Galinda starts begging. She says it’s ‘unbecoming of a lady’ to wail like she does. It never makes it better. And running away? Why, that’s just asking for trouble.

With great effort, Galinda places a hand over her mouth to silence her cries, sniffling hard and swallowing down mucus and tears. She still feels sick to her stomach as she gathers her limbs. Just as she makes to stand, though- Elphie turns around, eyes wide as she shoves at Galinda. 

“Stay down!” she hisses. Her eyes flicks to the woman. “I won’t let her hurt you.”

The woman seems calmer now, more collected. Her previous fierce glare has shifted into something more curious than anything else. She raises a single eyebrow at Elphie’s statement. 

“I’m not planning on hurting anyone,” she says. “I…apologize for my outburst. I was merely concerned that something had happened.”

Galinda doesn’t believe her. She’d been yelling about blondes. Galinda’s the only blonde in the room; she had to have done something wrong.

Sometimes, when they’re in public, or she feels there’s a lesson to be learned, Momsie won’t punish her right away. She’ll make Galinda wait, knowing the inevitable is coming, letting it build in her belly until she’s so tied into knots she can barely even breathe. 

Perhaps this woman is the same. Or perhaps she’s waiting to see if Elphie does anything that will add to the punishment. Momsie does that as well at times. Counts indiscretions and waits until the end of the day to tell Galinda all the things she did wrong.  

The thought makes more tears leak down Galinda’s face. Gulping again, she stands up and resigns herself to her fate. She doesn’t want Elphie to be punished. Elphie is her friend. 

Galinda loves her. 

“Elphie,” Galinda whispers. At some point, she’d accidentally slid her thumb between her lips while blocking her mouth, and she’s quick to yank it out when she realizes. 

Only babies suck their thumbs, Galinda! 

Galinda hopes no one saw that. She reaches out to tug on the back of Elphie’s shirt. “I-it’s otay. I was b-bad.”

Elphie whips her head around, glaring. “No, you weren’t. You just had an accident; you’re not bad.” She turns her hard stare back to the woman, visibly trembling as she does. “She’s not.” 

“Of course, Elphaba,” the woman says smoothly, though she shoots Galinda a dirty look. Elphie flinches hard at the use of her name. 

“Do-do I know you? Or…do you know my father?”

There’s a pause. The woman tilts her head. “I do know your father,” she finally says. Slower than before. More calculating. Her gaze shifts to Galinda. “My name is Madame Morrible. I know who both of you are.”

Galinda whimpers. If this lady--Morrible--knows her momsie and popsicle, than she’ll probably tell them about Galinda’s accident, and then Galinda will be in even more trouble. She should just take her punishment now, no matter how scared she is.  

Galinda steps around Elphie on shaky legs. She glances up at Morrible briefly, too frightened to meet her eyes, then bows her head and clasps her hands.

“I-I’m sowwy, Miss Mowwible,” she whispers. “I made a mess and was bad. I’ll take m-my punishment now.”

Elphie tries to grab for her, but Galinda steps aside. She wipes an arm over her teary face. “Please don’ hurt Elphie. She’s my fwiend, and s-she’s been weally nice.”

Morrible bends down to be on Galinda’s face level, the little girl shrinking back in fear. Elphie comes up beside her in support. She has several inches on Galinda, and despite how clearly afraid she is, she’s also very clearly protective. 

“She’s just little,” Elphie argues. “You can’t punish her for being scared. No hits.”

Galinda gasps at Elphie’s boldness. You aren’t supposed to talk back to adults. She shudders as Morrible looms even closer, terrified her friend has just made things even worse. 

“Elphie, no,” Galinda whispers, stumbling on her heels when she leans back too far. The older girl steadies her, still glaring. You’ll make her mad, Galinda doesn’t say. 

Morrible’s eyes narrow, then she straightens to her full height, book dangling from her fingertips, and smiles. It’s not a very happy-looking smile. Nor a comforting one. 

“I’m not going to hit you, little ones,” she says. “It appears there has been some...confusion.”

Elphie grabs Galinda’s hand. “Are you going to send us home?” she asks. Galinda can’t tell by her tone if Elphie is hoping for a yes or a no. 

“Not yet,” Morrible answers. Her gaze flicks over their diminutive forms. “You see- there is magic at play here. Dangerous, powerful magic.”

Galinda feels Elphie wince, shrinking into herself. “Magic?” she questions, voice small. Galinda has always wanted magic- ever since her Nona told her about it. 

“Yes, dear. Magic. That’s why you are here. You may not remember, but it’s important you stay here and that you are on your best behavior as we sort everything out. Can you do that? Can you be good?”

Both girls nod tentatively. 

Galinda feels Elphie’s hand tighten. “Where is here?” she asks.

“Why, the Emerald City, of course.”

At that- Elphie finally looks up again, eyes bright. “The Emerald City?” she breathes. 

Morrible’s smile grows. “Yes. This is the palace of the wonderful Wizard of Oz himself.”

“The Wizard,” Elphie gasps. She seems delighted by the news. Meanwhile- Galinda is horrified. She peed on the Wizard’s floor! 

Galinda rocks back and forth, stomach knotting and tears resurging. She feels wrung out and overwhelmed, too small to comprehend everything that is happening. She’s away from home for the first-ever time, surrounded by strangers in a place she’s never been, and she still hasn’t been punished. 

The wait is agony. 

Elphie seems to pick up on her dip in mood, pulling Galinda a little closer and giving her hand another squeeze. “M-miss Morrible? If we’re not going home, where are we going to stay?”

Things move a little faster after that. More people enter the room, tall men in shiny armor whose eyes all widen in shock at the sight of the children. Galinda leans on Elphie’s arm, letting the taller girl hold her against her side and whisper to her soothingly as they follow the men down the hall. 

The palace is vast, and every now and then Galinda catches sight of large furred creatures with massive blue wings and terrifyingly large teeth. It seems to take ages to get to a bedroom, Morrible telling them under no uncertain terms that they are not allowed to leave without permission. 

Elphie stands in front of Galinda again as the lady gives her instructions, points out the attached bathroom, and tells them someone will be by with food in a little bit. She doesn’t offer any clothes, even though Galinda’s are soiled and gross. 

When the door finally slams shut, Galinda all but collapses against Elphie. She’s confused and her head hurts and her stomach hurts and her dress is ruined and her lungs are aching. She’s clutching Elphie hard enough to bruise, trying to draw strength from the older girl, even though Elphie is terrified too. Elphie is confused, too. 

But Elphie is a big sister, not that Galinda remembers it, and so Elphie is able to shove down her fear and confusion and gently turn to Galinda, wrapping her in a hug as she breaks down in heaving sobs. She’s tired, and she’s hungry, and she doesn’t feel good. 

She says all this to Elphie, whining in a way she knows she’s too old for, and Elphie just rubs her back and shushes her. Eventually, Galinda’s legs give way to the force of her cries, and Elphie carefully picks her up, grunting with effort until Galinda is high enough to wrap her legs around the green girl’s waist and hold on. 

“It’ll be okay, Galinda,” Elphie says. “I’ve got you.”

“I-I-I want to go home,” Galinda cries. Even if she’s terrified of what her parents may say about how she’s behaved, it’s at least a predictable, almost comfortable fear. This place is new and cold and entirely too confusing to want to stay. 

“I know,” Elphie sighs. “Me too.”

Galinda frowns, slipping her thumb back in her mouth now that there’s no adults around to see. Elphie won’t mind. Elphie won’t tattle on her. As the older girl carries Galinda to the bed and carefully places her down, climbing up beside her to hug her once more, Galinda clings to her desperately.

Galinda wants to go home…but she also wants Elphie. She can’t bear the thought of parting with the older girl. The very idea of being separated sends ten times as much fear through her little body, making her shiver and shake as her stomach twists so hard she’s scared she’ll make a mess.

“Don’ wan’ you to l-leave,” she stammers out. She buries her nose in the crook of Elphie’s neck, breathing in her faint scent. It’s familiar. Comforting. Elphie’s warm body against hers as their hearts start to settle just feels right. 

“I’m not going anywhere,” Elphie promises. She runs her fingers through blonde locks. “I would never leave you, Galinda.”

Galinda nibbles on her thumb, still worried and anxious. But the words soothe her a little, slowing the incessant flow of tears. She wonders if Elphie would want to come live with her when they escape. Elphie would be nice to her. Elphie wouldn’t hurt her. She wouldn’t yell at Galinda for being too dumb or too quiet or too emotional.

Elphie would love Galinda. Just like Galinda loves Elphie. 

Angstober Day 22

Grasp

Spoiler: This is an excerpt from Sea Shadow

Twisting upward, Rex fires at its eyes, but misses entirely. The creature snarls at him, knocking the blaster from his hand with its other enormous front leg as it trots across the island, towards a central… something, where the land slopes down sharply, dropping fast enough that it almost looks like it must go deep within the planet’s surface.

The creature bends low into the cavern, and then it’s tight grasp on him lightens, and it just… drops him. Rex scrambles to catch onto the grassy covered slope as he falls, finally rolling until hits a rock, which slows his fall. The land down here is slightly flatter at least – and he pushes himself upright, looking around.

The monster – which apparently can breath out of water and that’s even more disturbing – is gone now, leaving him down here alone.

The place surrounding him almost looks like a forest of sorts underground, with a strange glow surrounding him, a source of light that isn’t coming from the surface. But his… comm is broken, and he’s stranded on an island something in the middle of nowhere – what does that thing want with him anyway? – and he has no idea what to do now.