[  ASLEEP  ]:  sender, having climbed into bed to cuddle the receiver (who they believe to be asleep), tells them that they love them. - ( Jester ) @cupcaketrickster

        Caleb NEVER sleeps easily. It’s gotten a little better ever since meeting the Nein and not having to worry about being attacked due to the safety of the dome, and then the tower, and yet he’s still a light sleeper, so when Jester climbs into his bed ( he can EASILY tell by the familiar smell and the way her arms just wrap around him in a way that is just so recognizable he could never ever get it wrong ), he wakes quickly.

      Caleb has, however, no intention of making any noise, feeling the warmth of her touch seep into his bones as he stays still, keeping his breathing steady. What he doesn’t EXPECT is for Jester to speak.

        I love you.

     At first he thinks he must have misheard, because while they had been close, he’d long accepted that he’d be alone with his feelings from her, and content is loving her from afar. Things had been intense on their latest travels however, escaping death by an inch ever so often, and yet he’d never allowed himself to think her feelings could have SHIFTED.

      He considers staying silent, to let the moment pass, but there’s a part of himself that simply won’t let him. Caleb knows he still has a long way to go with healing, but he’s at the very least learned that he DESERVES happiness. He still doesn’t speak though, but instead rakes Jester’s hand and gently shifts it to his chest, pressing it against where his heart beats faster now, waiting with baited breath for her reaction.

@cupcaketrickster​

                      “It’d be easy to tell you that I CARE about you because I love you, but that wouldn’t do it justice, and you deserve more than that. You deserve to be cared about, because you are a wonderful person. You deserve to be cared about, because you are bright, and beautiful, and just...wonderful all together. You came into my life when I was...BROKEN, and even though you did not set out to fix me, you saved my life without even trying. I cared about you the moment you held your hand out to me, and I think...I didn’t take it because deep down, somewhere, I knew that if I did, it would be over for me. So...I guess you can say that I do care about you because I love you, but it’s not about ME, it’s me wanting to give you back what you deserve. Someone who knows your favorite pastry, and your favorite color. Who reads you your favorite stories and finds himself making golden dicks when really he thought he’d be rotting in a jailcell somewhere still. Someone who knows you don’t NEED someone to protect you, but want someone who stands by your side. Someone who can read you like a book, and read between the pages, and maybe it’s a little cliché, but books are my specialty. And maybe...so are YOU, and i can’t believe you’ve let me ramble on for this long, but...ja, that’s why I care about you, and I’m certain I always will.”

[ sleep ] sender is asleep and reaches for receiver in the middle of the night - ( Jester ) @cupcaketrickster​

   He’s ALWAYS been a bit of a light sleeper, and ever since escaping the sanatorium, that’s become even more evident, so when Jester turns in her sleep, muttering something under her breath, Caleb instantly feels himself being jolted awake, and it takes him a moment to realize that they’re safe inside the dome.

   Glancing down to where her hand is now holding on to his arm, he feels a warmth flutter in his chest that he knows shouldn’t be there, but he’s long stopped FIGHTING it. “Jester?” He finally mutters, voice quiet as if not to wake her if she’s truly still asleep.

       “Everything okay?”

[ knowing ] sender has been holding receiver's hand all this time without realizing it and hurries to let go. - ( Jester ) @cupcaketrickster​

       Her holding onto his hand comes so NATURALLY, that even Caleb notices only when the situation changes. He instantly feels the loss of her familiar touch, and tries his best to not let the disappointment show on his face. He’s good at that, so he doesn’t worry too much, but even the smallest of worries is forgotten when he watches Jester for a moment longer.

     “Everything okay?” He finally asks, head tilted to the side.

[ KISS ] for the sender to kiss the receiver on the back of the neck! @cupcaketrickster​

   Caleb could feel Jester’s lips on the back of his neck, warm and soft, and his own lips instantly curved into a SMILE. He had lost track of time, as far as he could anyway, and if he wasn’t wrong then he had been working for three hours straight.

   In fact he was quite surprised Jester had been able to wait THIS LONG. Reaching back to grab her hand, Caleb turned to look at her, her familiar face causing a spark of warmth to explode in his chest. However had he gotten this lucky? He continously asked himself that question, and yet he hadn’t found an answer.

   “I’m sorry, meine Liebste.” His lips curved into another smile as he leaned back into her. “I’m nearly DONE.”

[ TOUCH ] for the sender to incidentally touch a scarred part of the receiver @cupcaketrickster

He wants to pull away on an instinct as her fingers graze the scars on his arms, but he stops himself. He’s the one who’s REVEALED them after all, and he can’t blame her for being interested in them. It’s flattering, in a weird way, that she still cares enough about him to even ask, and even though he knows that it’s strange, Caleb can’t quite get himself to pull away.

“I...” He begins, shaking his head ever so slightly as he looks away, “Sometimes...I feel like a FAILURE.” All the time. The words hang on the tip of his tongue, but he keeps them there, instead forces himself to glance back at Jester for a brief moment. “Because...” He trails off again, a dry laugh falling from his lips. 

“Because...I went through ALL of that, and in the end I don’t even have anything to show for it but these scars. You know? It’s not...it’s not about being more powerful, but...sometimes it feels like I should have stuck it out until the end, at least.”

jumping into your lover's arms // breaking the kiss, instantly pressing your lips back together - ( Jester ) @cupcaketrickster

    Jester very nearly takes the AIR from his lungs as she launches herself into his arms and Caleb, despite all of it, laughs. He can barely hold her up, though he’s gotten stronger over time, and there’s not way he’s letting her go.

   “Hello blueberry,” He smiles as they pull apart, the familiar spark of warmth settling into his chest when he kisses her again, allowing himself to get lost in the warmth that is her body pressed against his own. He’d been meaning to say something else, but the words are lost in the kiss and he LAUGHS again, eyes slipping shut as the rest of the world around them fades away.

    “I’ve MISSED you.”

“ you can't lie to me, you know. “ - ( Jester ) @cupcaketrickster​

    Oh he KNOWS.

   Caleb’s always been extraordinarily BAD at hiding things from Jester. Or maybe she’s just always been good at reading him. It doesn’t matter, really. All that matters is that he’s lucky enough to have seemingly been able to hide his feelings for her, because he isn’t sure that he had the headspace to deal with that right now.

   He briefly thinks about the eyes on his body, and the way this whole mission can probably only end ONE WAY, and while he doesn’t care much about putting his own life on the line, he cares about HER and the rest of their friends.

   “I’m just...thinking, that’s all.” Caleb eventually replies, attempting a smile. “There’s a lot going on, this isn’t just going into a cave and fighting some gnolls anymore, you KNOW?”

❛  it’s not that i’m horny all the time. it’s just that you’re always sexy.  ❜ - ( Jester ) @cupcaketrickster​

   Caleb LAUGHED, his heart feeling incredibly light in that moment. Jester had a tendency of making him feel that way, and he found himself surprised every day, still. Surprised that she loved him, surprised that she wanted to be with him, and surprised that he had gotten so lucky.

   “You know, I think those TWO things go together,” He then nodded, reaching out to pull her in, one hand sliding down his back and resting on her ass, while the other grabbed her chin and pulled her in for a kiss. “But please, tell me what’s so sexy about me. I’m all ears.”

❛  what do you think ?  ❜ - ( Jester ) @cupcaketrickster​

    Caleb’s lips curve into a SMILE and he watches, has been for the last twenty minutes, from where he’s leaning against the door frame. Sometimes he still can’t quite believe that Jester is here with him, and maybe that’s partly the reason he’s come to watch her paint the walls of her room at the tower.

    He has to see them, of course, for them to stick, but there’s something about watching Jester actually PAINT them that makes a spark of warmth settle inside his chest.

   “It looks wonderful, Jester.” Caleb smiles as he pushed himself off the door frame, carefully approaching her and the painting. His fingers HOVER over the wall, not touching just...tracing.

     “That looks...FAMILIAR.”

❛  28 .   a  kiss  over  a  scar . @cupcaketrickster​

    He could feel Jester’s LIPS on him, his own curving into a smile as he glanced down to watch her for a moment. He had different scars all over his body, even excluding the ones on his forearms. Growing up Caleb had never thought he’d be out in the world, adventuring. Maybe a trip here and there to acquire some documents and artifacts, but he hadn’t quite calculated for monsters and almost dying on a regular basis.

    He had no REGRETS about that whatsoever though.

   “Remember when you tried to heal that wound without pulling the ARROW out first?” He chuckled, his hand running up and down her spine in a slow motion.