đŠđŠđđâ¨qualityâ¨
hi welcome back to ladybug hell
"You're the only one I have left..."
Wonderbat by Artcraawl
Sketch is done â¨
single layer doodles
Reblog and put in the tags why you wouldn't survive in a horror movie
Donât let me go, go, go, goâŚâŚâŚ
TAGS / WARNINGS: gender neutral reader, modern au,    minor pining, background marcille/falin WC: 1,000 NOTE: divorced father of 3 save me... save me    divorced father of 3...
â MINORS / AGELESS / BLANK BLOGS DNI.
âMove over.â
Chilchuckâs voice startles you. The bowl in his hands is steaming: a hearty stew made with Falin and Marcilleâs collective effortâ(âSenshiâs tried and true recipe!â). A thick slice of bread perches on its rim. It smells just as heavenly as it did at dinner.
âHere?â you ask, stupefied. The armchair youâve claimed is wide; thereâs easily enough space to fit a Chilchuck-sized person, but your mind jumpsâunbiddenâto the reason heâd been late in the first place.
âWhere else?â He nudges you with his knee. âAs if Iâm gonna sit near that love-fest over there.â
âYouâre not welcome anyways,â Marcille tuts, midway through dipping the maraschino cherry from her sundae into Falinâs mouth.
âThis is my apartment!â
You concede with a laugh: itâs just your bruised heart working overtime. The moment his body settles, shoulders touching, you stop being able to taste the ice cream Laios had scooped into your bowl. Existence narrowing to that point of contact with a familiar little rush.
Itâs Laiosâ turn to choose tonightâs movie, much to Marcilleâs dismayâ(âA documentary classifies! This is a really interesting one!â)âand he scrolls to find it as Chilchuck digs into his food.
Midway through, you engage him in a thrilling mock-battle of fencing spoons. Falin dozes, lulled from the careful stroke of Marcilleâs fingers through her hair. By the time the credits roll, theyâre folded onto each other, soft snores drowned out by music.
âThey fell asleep again,â Chilchuck drawls, chin cushioned against his hand.
âMust be crashing after all that sugar,â Laios suggests, drapes a blanket over them.
âThey were pretty high energy tonight. Eager to hear about how Chilchuckâs date went, I guess,â you tease, taking up the mantle with Marcille fast asleep. âYou didnât even tell us her name.â Keeping the tone casual despite the haunting little pit in your stomach.
(Itâd been a shock to hear about it: for as long as youâve known him, Chilchuck has been eager to keep his life privateâeven from long-time friends. And thereâd been no signs of anyoneâexcept you and your little groupâcoveting his time and attention; no extra, unexplained toothbrushes, no brands you donât recognize in his pantry, no missed get-togethers.)
âHuh?â He gives you a look, confusion twisted in his features. The TVâs light illuminates a silver hair. âI wasnât with any girl.â
Your brow furrows. ââŚHis name? Their name?â
Chilchuck stares. This closeâwhere the minuscule twitches in his expression are noticeableâitâs strangely evaluating.
âYou know Marcille was joking when she said it was a date, right?â Heat sears along your cheekbones; embarrassment flushing hot under his gazeâthe realization of your mistake.
âOf course I knew,â you say stupidly. Chilchuckâs eyebrow quirks. âShut up. Donât look at me like that.â
âI didnât say anything.â
âWell, then if it wasnât a date, who were you with?â
âSenshi,â he says. âHe wasâwe, uh,â his eyes slide off to the side, âI asked him for a favor.â
âOh?â you hum, relief and mirth creating a warm hum behind your ribs. âLooking to get a side hustle as a cook?â
âNot even close,â he grunts, looking away.
âShould we start calling you our little master chef?â You nudge him with a grin.
âChilchuck is already quite good at cooking,â Laios pipes up without taking his eyes off the screen. âMaybe heâll learn to make something else after mastering ramen.â
âHeyââ
âRamen?â you ask, head tilting. âLike, the instant kind?â
Chilchuck splutters. âNo!â
âFrom scratch!â Laios beams. âSenshiâs said heâs been making really good progress since his first day.â
âOh?â you grin. âOur little master chef is gonna open a ramen shop?â
âShut up. No way. Not ever,â Chilchuck grumbles, the high curve of his ear a soft pink.
âI hope youâll make it for us one dayâI love ramen,â you say. âVery tedious, though, so Iâve never done it myself.â
His face scrunches, mouth pursing together like he wants to speak, but doesnât. His cheeks puff with air, releasing as a long, quiet sigh.
âOh, hey, so after ramenââyou lean a hand on the chairâs opposite arm, boxing him in with a cheeky little smileââyou should look into French onion soup. Itâs probably easier than ramen but caramelizing the onions takes so longââ
âYouâ!â he leans back, shoulders tense and eyes wide. âDonât go making requests before Iâve even cooked anything decent.â
âWhy not? I bet itâll be great! Youâre good with your hands, so soup is probably a piece of cake for you.â You watchâwith no small amount of pleasureâas Chilchuckâs face flushes with vivid color.
âGet away from me,â he mumbles, but his tone is so insincere all you do is laugh. He knocks a loose fist against the inside of your elbow. A surprised noise jumps out; you retreat back against the chair, rubbing the spot.
âMmh?â Marcille rouses with a sleepy hum. âWhatâre you requestinâ?â
âChilchuck is making us ramen,â you joke, relishing the way he knocks an admonishing leg against yours. âHeâs our little master chef.â
âOh, yeah. Did Laios end up spilling the beans?â Marcille yawns. Falin stirs, eyes fluttering. âCongratulations, you two.â
Chilchuck goes stiff beside you. âWhat do you mean?â you ask.
Marcille pauses, head tilting with a drowsy look of confusion. âHuh? Didnât you ask why heâs learning to make it?â she asks. Falin tugs her sleeve.
You blink. âNo. Should I have?â Marcille doesnât respond right away, head bent to put an ear by Falinâs mouth, expression pinched as they whisper. Then, with a sigh, she reaches up to stretch.
âNo. Never mind. Forget I said anything.â Laios is quick to grab her attention.
âHey, so are you actually opening a ramen shop?â you whisper to Chilchuck.
âYouâre such an airhead,â he grunts against his palm.
âIâm great,â you reply. His eyes meet yours, holding your gaze. When next he speaks, his voice is softâacquiescing easily to your jest.
âGuess you are.â
Zoozve, my beloved
çŹăăăă㎠čŞĺˇąç ç˛
so that [everyone] can smile self-sacrifice
.*â˘.â˘~â¨~.â˘.*.
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