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nyanderenekoWord Count: 1,083
Summary: Nova and Saruhiko find themselves attending to their duties in the cold one afternoon, and there’s more than one way to try and stay warm.
Author’s Note: This is a little something I whipped up as part of celebrating the anniversary of my self insert blog! It doesn’t really have anything to do with that, thematically or otherwise, I just wanted to write something nice and this prompt has been on my list. So I figured why not knock it out, and I think it turned out really cute ;w; I’m happy with it, and that’s all that really matters; thank you for reading!
“Ugh, it’s freezing,” Nova lamented as she crossed her arms. She pinned her ears flat against her head and wound her tail around her legs in a paltry attempt to stave off the chill.
“Hey, I don’t want to hear you complaining. I thought you liked this type of weather?” Saruhiko rebutted, seeming less than affected by the nip in the air despite the matching uniforms they sported.
“Well, I’d rather shiver my bones off than sweat to death, but that doesn’t mean I don’t find the idea of moderately cool temperatures more appealing,” the young Strain defended, shooting him an indignant look. “Like, you know, the kind of weather where you can wear a sweater and it’s enough to keep you warm without suffocating you. Or I guess I do prefer it to be cooler, but not when I have to be out in it. Give me a fire or a heated blanket to curl up with--”
They had too much to do to bother wasting any more time humoring her disgruntled rambling. Out on a job in these less than pleasant temperatures, the longer she talked about the advantages of being indoors, the antsier her partner grew to finish up so that they could retreat back inside. As he approached her with the intent to steer her back on course, an idea to make things a bit more bearable popped into his head. Coaxing her hands out from their curled up position, he cupped them between his own like a clamshell, discreetly raising their temperature with the little trick he usually reserved for emergencies…or at least he used to.
His hands were so much bigger than hers, an observation she was preoccupied with every time it came up. Her spirited speech trailed off as she became the victim of his sudden and impulsive gesture. She wasn’t going to complain, or pull away, or try to make excuses…she actually didn’t mind when things turned out this way. Sometimes she even instigated similar scenarios herself; utilizing both overt and covert means. She knew it was a sensitive subject, this fortuitous power of his, and the burdens that came with it. But being with him, around him for as long as she had, she struggled to see it--or any part of him--as anything other than an integral part of who he was. She never really saw or judged him as anything but himself, and he’d been defining himself by the opinions and assumptions of others for as long as he could remember.
“We’re almost done with this assignment, so if you can put your discomfort aside long enough to wrap this up, we’ll be able to get back to HQ that much sooner.”
“Oh, am I getting on your nerves?” she teased, although there was an unmistakable glint of unease in her eyes. “I’m sorry, I’ll do better.”
“You know that’s not what I meant,” he huffed, his skin growing that much warmer with the heat of his words. “I want to get out of the cold just as much as you do. And as irritating as it is, flaking now would only mean more work for us in the long run. Probably outside, and for even longer than this assignment was projected to last, just to spite us for our poor performance.”
“Look at you, being such a diligent officer,” she continued playfully, not missing the subtle narrowing of his gaze. “You know I’m just teasing you, don’t take it to heart. I learned everything I know from you, after all. I wouldn’t be nearly as capable an officer if I didn’t have your training and example to go by.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere,” he remarked, although he knew she was right; he couldn’t stay mad at her for long, and he knew her provoking words were only said in jest. “No one wants to be finished with all this nonsense more than me--”
“Oh yes, there’s no disputing that--”
“So tolerate the unpleasantness long enough that we don’t have to suffer through it a second time.”
“You know, your argument is kind of invalid. It’ll be cold like this again, and there’s certainly more work to be done before the season’s over.”
“You know what I--”
“I know what you mean,” her voice softened as she agreed, lips curving into a sincere smile that made his heart skip out of sync. “Thanks for lending me some of your warmth. I look forward to sapping up even more of it when we get back.”
His face flushed at her bold words, and she couldn’t help following suit the moment she perceived his reaction. Transitioning from her hands to her rosy cheeks, he enveloped her face in a warmth that she was surprised didn’t send steam streaming out of her ears. Soft hands and even softer lips, overwhelming her with sensations and emotions that always felt unique regardless of how many times she experienced and embraced them. His lips brushed across her forehead, caressed the sides of her face like a gentle, comforting flame.
It’d taken him quite a while to master the technique of wielding his Aura this way, and even longer to realize he could manipulate it like this in the first place. In the past he’d resented it so wholeheartedly, interpreted its persistent existence as further proof that he didn’t really belong anywhere, and never truly would. There was no question that he belonged with her, though, and that she belonged with him. It didn’t matter how or why they’d managed to forge such an unwavering bond, only that it existed in the first place. Neither of them were interested in investigating the logistics, either. They were too busy cherishing the bond, and each other, to pay any mind to such unnecessary queries.
Taking time for such a trivial exchange in the middle of a job…it definitely wasn’t the first or last time they’d slack off in such a manner. As her ears and the fur that’d poofed up in response to his unexpected expression of affection finally began to relax, neither one of them wanted to be the one to break away. But they’d already decided it had to be done, and the sooner that it was, the sooner they would be able to initiate this all over again.
“Alright,” Nova interrupted reluctantly despite not making any real effort to step away. “Thanks for warming me up. I guess I’m ready to get back to work if you are.”
Summary: Nova and Saruhiko find themselves attending to their duties in the cold one afternoon, and there’s more than one way to try and stay warm.
Author’s Note: This is a little something I whipped up as part of celebrating the anniversary of my self insert blog! It doesn’t really have anything to do with that, thematically or otherwise, I just wanted to write something nice and this prompt has been on my list. So I figured why not knock it out, and I think it turned out really cute ;w; I’m happy with it, and that’s all that really matters; thank you for reading!
__________
“Ugh, it’s freezing,” Nova lamented as she crossed her arms. She pinned her ears flat against her head and wound her tail around her legs in a paltry attempt to stave off the chill.
“Hey, I don’t want to hear you complaining. I thought you liked this type of weather?” Saruhiko rebutted, seeming less than affected by the nip in the air despite the matching uniforms they sported.
“Well, I’d rather shiver my bones off than sweat to death, but that doesn’t mean I don’t find the idea of moderately cool temperatures more appealing,” the young Strain defended, shooting him an indignant look. “Like, you know, the kind of weather where you can wear a sweater and it’s enough to keep you warm without suffocating you. Or I guess I do prefer it to be cooler, but not when I have to be out in it. Give me a fire or a heated blanket to curl up with--”
They had too much to do to bother wasting any more time humoring her disgruntled rambling. Out on a job in these less than pleasant temperatures, the longer she talked about the advantages of being indoors, the antsier her partner grew to finish up so that they could retreat back inside. As he approached her with the intent to steer her back on course, an idea to make things a bit more bearable popped into his head. Coaxing her hands out from their curled up position, he cupped them between his own like a clamshell, discreetly raising their temperature with the little trick he usually reserved for emergencies…or at least he used to.
His hands were so much bigger than hers, an observation she was preoccupied with every time it came up. Her spirited speech trailed off as she became the victim of his sudden and impulsive gesture. She wasn’t going to complain, or pull away, or try to make excuses…she actually didn’t mind when things turned out this way. Sometimes she even instigated similar scenarios herself; utilizing both overt and covert means. She knew it was a sensitive subject, this fortuitous power of his, and the burdens that came with it. But being with him, around him for as long as she had, she struggled to see it--or any part of him--as anything other than an integral part of who he was. She never really saw or judged him as anything but himself, and he’d been defining himself by the opinions and assumptions of others for as long as he could remember.
“We’re almost done with this assignment, so if you can put your discomfort aside long enough to wrap this up, we’ll be able to get back to HQ that much sooner.”
“Oh, am I getting on your nerves?” she teased, although there was an unmistakable glint of unease in her eyes. “I’m sorry, I’ll do better.”
“You know that’s not what I meant,” he huffed, his skin growing that much warmer with the heat of his words. “I want to get out of the cold just as much as you do. And as irritating as it is, flaking now would only mean more work for us in the long run. Probably outside, and for even longer than this assignment was projected to last, just to spite us for our poor performance.”
“Look at you, being such a diligent officer,” she continued playfully, not missing the subtle narrowing of his gaze. “You know I’m just teasing you, don’t take it to heart. I learned everything I know from you, after all. I wouldn’t be nearly as capable an officer if I didn’t have your training and example to go by.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere,” he remarked, although he knew she was right; he couldn’t stay mad at her for long, and he knew her provoking words were only said in jest. “No one wants to be finished with all this nonsense more than me--”
“Oh yes, there’s no disputing that--”
“So tolerate the unpleasantness long enough that we don’t have to suffer through it a second time.”
“You know, your argument is kind of invalid. It’ll be cold like this again, and there’s certainly more work to be done before the season’s over.”
“You know what I--”
“I know what you mean,” her voice softened as she agreed, lips curving into a sincere smile that made his heart skip out of sync. “Thanks for lending me some of your warmth. I look forward to sapping up even more of it when we get back.”
His face flushed at her bold words, and she couldn’t help following suit the moment she perceived his reaction. Transitioning from her hands to her rosy cheeks, he enveloped her face in a warmth that she was surprised didn’t send steam streaming out of her ears. Soft hands and even softer lips, overwhelming her with sensations and emotions that always felt unique regardless of how many times she experienced and embraced them. His lips brushed across her forehead, caressed the sides of her face like a gentle, comforting flame.
It’d taken him quite a while to master the technique of wielding his Aura this way, and even longer to realize he could manipulate it like this in the first place. In the past he’d resented it so wholeheartedly, interpreted its persistent existence as further proof that he didn’t really belong anywhere, and never truly would. There was no question that he belonged with her, though, and that she belonged with him. It didn’t matter how or why they’d managed to forge such an unwavering bond, only that it existed in the first place. Neither of them were interested in investigating the logistics, either. They were too busy cherishing the bond, and each other, to pay any mind to such unnecessary queries.
Taking time for such a trivial exchange in the middle of a job…it definitely wasn’t the first or last time they’d slack off in such a manner. As her ears and the fur that’d poofed up in response to his unexpected expression of affection finally began to relax, neither one of them wanted to be the one to break away. But they’d already decided it had to be done, and the sooner that it was, the sooner they would be able to initiate this all over again.
“Alright,” Nova interrupted reluctantly despite not making any real effort to step away. “Thanks for warming me up. I guess I’m ready to get back to work if you are.”