Rivers's Fandom Shorts (Latest update: Nightwing)

[RiversD]

Decided to make a new drabble thread as the old one has been skulking about since 2014 and is somewhat past its use-by date. here's hoping I can produce enough stuff to make this one worthwhile! For now I'm going to keep track of the fandom of the most recent offering in the title. Might make a list of fandoms included here if it gets to be a lot.

 

Title: Reunion
Character: Poe Dameron
Fandom: Star Wars sequel trilogy
Notes:  Call it wishful thinking for what might have been.

“General?”

Poe looked up sharply from the map he had been examining. His expression was stern, but it rapidly softened as he registered his guest’s identity.

“Finn! I wasn’t expecting you back for another rotation at least.”

“We made good time through the asteroid belt.” Finn set his pack down inside the door. It looked like he had come straight from the hangar bay. “What did I miss?”

“A lot of arguing and too much math.” Poe smiled weakly and swiped the map off his display. “It turns out winning a war means that a lot of people’s problems suddenly become our responsibility.”

He stepped back from the table, rubbing at a point of tension between his eyes, then smiled and leant into the hug Finn was offering.

“It’s good to see you, man.”

“You too,” Finn agreed. He seemed about to draw away but hesitated, pulling Poe a little closer for a moment before releasing him. His brow furrowed.

“Are you alright? You feel kind of warm.”

“Do I?” Poe gave an embarrassed almost-laugh and put the back of one hand to his own head. “It’s possible, I suppose. I’ve been struggling with these logistics tables, but I figured I was just tired. Didn’t get a lot of sleep last time I tried.”

“Maybe it’s time to take a break, then. We could go get something to eat?”

“That does sound good,” Poe admitted, rubbing the back of his neck and closing his eyes for a second.

“Come on, then. You can catch me up properly. I’ll- are you okay?”

Poe nodded, his expression collapsing from its distracted frown into a picture of ticklish need. He crushed an arm to his face and directed a wrenching sneeze into the crumpled fabric of his sleeve.

“hehh’chsSHHuhh!”

“Ugh, ‘scuse me.” Poe emerged blinking from behind his arm to find Finn watching him with eyebrows raised. “What?”

“You been doing that a lot as well?”

“I don’t-” Poe paused to give this some actual thought, then broke into a sheepish smile. “Now you come to mention it…”

“Wow.”

Poe was starting to blush in earnest now. “Stop making that face! I’ve had a lot on my mind.”

“Yeah, right. Admit it, you fall to pieces without me.”

“Will I get you to stay longer if I do?”

Finn laughed at that and held out his arm, inviting Poe into a loose hug at his side. “Can’t hurt to find out, right?”

Edited February 24 by RiversD

[elizachoo]

I melt! ❤️

[RiversD]

Ahahahahaha, remember when I thought I was actually going to update this thread regularly? Shinier times.

Anyway, here's a Nightwing (off duty) thing. I've never written him before and there's strong odds I won't again, so enjoy the good times while they last.

 

Title: Trust
Character: Dick Grayson
Fandom: DC Comics
Notes: allergies

 

All of Tim’s crimefighting gear was tightly packed into his rucksack before he approached the apartment block. Just an unremarkable young man, or trying to be, shabby trainers hiding under too-long jeans that were starting to shred at the hems. Exactly the sort of not-a-kid-anymore kid who might need to stay with his foster brother for a bit while he figured some stuff out.

Dick’s spare key was stiff in the lock- Tim guessed he didn’t give it out that often- but it worked okay. Tim shrugged the rucksack from his back and slipped into the relative security of the apartment.

“Hey, Tim.”

He hadn’t even closed the door. That meant he was almost certainly in trouble.

Dick was sitting at his desk by the window, facing away from Tim. It was 9pm and February, but the window was still open a crack. Tim could feel the draught nipping at his arms as he pulled off his jacket.

“Aren’t you cold?”

“Yes.”

Dick had picked up a pen and was turning it between the fingers of one hand.

“You remember when I said you could crash with me, and we sat down and went over some ground rules?”

Tim set down his bag, internally bracing for a fight. “Yeah.”

“And one of those rules was we couldn’t keep any pets? Not unless we both-” Dick paused, rubbing a hand over his face with a harsh sniff. “Unless we both agreed on changing that.”

So he knew. Which meant he’d failed Tim’s test, which sucked, because he’d been trying to convince himself all day that he was being too paranoid, that he could trust Dick to respect his boundaries. He pulled his arms protectively around himself, trying not to let it hurt him as much as it wanted to. He couldn’t keep the bitterness out of his voice, though.

“You also promised you wouldn’t go in my room. Because ‘privacy and trust are important,’ you said.”

“I haven’t been in your room.”

“Then wh-” Tim started to argue, but cut himself off as Dick turned the desk chair to face him. Dick’s eyes were pinked and watery, his cheeks looked dry and flushed, and the arch of each nostril had been rubbed to a shining rose.

“- Oh.”

Dick sighed. It was incredibly obvious that he was prioritising breathing through his mouth.

“I don’t know what you’ve got in there- because I do respect your privacy- but it can’t stay. And you’re going to have to vacuum in your room because even with the window open I am dying out here.”

He twisted against his upper arm to cough. Tim could feel a stubborn knot of guilt forming in his stomach. This was what he got for playing stupid games. He sighed.

“It’s a rabbit. I thought it would be quiet so you wouldn’t know unless you went and looked. It was stupid. I’m stupid. I’m sorry.”

Dick squinted at him, rubbing one finger back and forth against his septum. It didn’t look like it was helping.

“You’re not stupid, Tim. If you needed to test me that’s fine. I know trust is-” he sniffled again and switched to massaging his right nostril between finger and thumb. It looked uncomfortable- Tim could see the insistent twitch Dick was working to suppress.

“-trust is hard for both of us. Do what you need to do to feel secure here, but the rabbit can’t stay. Alright?”

“Alright.” Tim swallowed hard and bent to pick up his bag as an excuse to break eye contact. When he looked up again Dick’s expression had shifted to something that was much easier to read.

“Uh, bless you?”

“Don’t be a s- smartah- aCHH’iuhh! hiihh- ASCH’iuh!”

Dick dipped twice and bounced back, fist clutched tight to his nose. That twitch in his right nostril was working double-time.

“We’re good, okay? Ju-just..”

Dick’s face crumpled and he curled over his clenched fist, breath skipping. Tim wrapped both arms around his bag, nodding even though Dick wasn’t looking at him right now.

 “Yeah. Thank you. I’ll- right now. I’m-”

“aht’chiuhhh! ASCHHhiuh!”

Dick lost whatever internal battle he had been fighting and sneezed into his own lap. Giving up on holding the next one back, he swung an elbow across his face for damage control.

“huhh- ATSCHiuh!”

He kicked the chair a half-twist back towards the desk so he could reach what was left of the tissues he was hoarding there. The gurgling blows which followed made Tim cringe in disgusted sympathy.

“Yeesh.” He put his shoulder to his bedroom door and leaned on the handle. “Consider the rabbit gone.”