While venturing through the halls of Tumblr, searching for writing prompts, I happened upon a lovely writing challenge: Comfy-vember! It’s centered around platonic relationships and comfort prompts (especially after the pain of Whumptober…) and I have been very inspired to drabble for my own characters.

So, I have returned with a short story of one of my favorite pairings: Kasper! (a.k.a Katrina, the main character of my novel, and Jasper, the secondary main character of my novel) And even though they aren’t currently a canon ship right now… I still adore writing them little AU stories and fantastical imaginings. And hopefully y’all enjoy them too ^w^

This is Tea and Timing, told in Jasper’s POV. Kat hasn’t been doing so well lately… and he wants to help.

Word Count: 1.1k

Content Warnings: One character has scars from previous trauma, that she got from sci-fi government-induced torture. She also has a mild anxiety attack during the story.

It’d been so long.

Four years, now?

I linger at the door, the two mugs in my hand steaming spiced warm air. Hot chocolate, topped with plenty of whipped cream and a peppermint stick for her. Chamomile for me.

She’d been sitting there for an hour. Tucked into the couch cushions. Staring into space. Her fingers tracing patterns over the ragged scars on her arms. Tinted blue and brown and red…

My throat tightens. Just thinking about it. Everything she’d be through. Everything they did. Our government—the people who were supposed to protect her—subjected her to a ghost of who she’d been.

And I hadn’t been able to do anything to stop it.

I softly clear my throat, walking over. She flinches slightly, her gaze snapping to me, before a faint smile flits across her face. Though it doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Hey. Didn’t see you there.” She murmurs, crossing her arms tight around her stomach. I smile back, shrugging as I sink down into the cushions next to her.

“It’s okay. Wanted to let you rest.”

She nods, shrugging and glancing away.

“I brought your favorite.” I hold out the mug.

She takes it with another ghost of a smile, hands tightening around the mug like a lifeline.

I lean back into the couch cushions, taking a sip of my tea as I watch her out of the corner of my eye.

She seems so much smaller, in so many ways. So much thinner. Her eyes are so much dimmer. Surrounded by the dark signs of all her sleepless nights. Gazing into the distance—as if replaying everything, in her head, over and over and over again. Knowing her, that was exactly what she was doing.

Sometimes, I could catch a glimpse of that spark of hers—when we went back to her favorite chocolate shop. Or last week, after attending a classical violin concert. The spark had been there, for almost two hours, and she’d raved about the music and the composition and the light of it all.

But then we’d gotten back home, and the house was quiet, and the spark faded after I’d accidentally let a bit of the news play from my watch. She’d gone to bed, and I heard her later. Making hot chocolate in the kitchen like she always did after her nightmares.

“I was thinking… maybe we could try to find another concert to go to.” I say softly, glancing at her. “Or—I don’t know, is ballet too typical for you?”

She smirks faintly, her gaze flicking to mine. “Ballet is fine. As long as it’s not like—I don’t know, all pirouettes or something. A concert sounds nicer though.”

I nod, flicking my holowatch open and scrolling through a couple upcoming symphonies I’d saved. “I thought so. There’s a fantastical one coming through in a couple days—a kind of Saga of Stars feel, you know?”

She nods, glancing away again and taking a sip of her hot chocolate. “Sounds good.”

“Mmhm.” I flick my watch away.

The silence hangs heavy for a moment.

I glance at her. “Hey, you doing okay?”

“That’s a very generalized question.”

“Maybe.”

She shrugs, tilting her head. Gripping her mug again. “I’m fine. Y’know. It’s weird. But yeah.”

“Just fine?” I say softly.

She smiles, her gaze locked on the whipped cream in her cup, slowly melting into the chocolate. “Just fine.”

“Kat…”

“Really, Jasper, I’m fine. I’ll be fine. I’m just tired.” She shoots me a smile, setting her mug down on the coffee table and pushing to her feet. I frown, setting my mug aside and standing as well.

“You’ve been tired for months.”

She snorts, turning away. “No duh.”

I reach out, catching her arm and pulling her back towards me. “Kat, please. I wanna help you, you shouldn’t have to… live like this.”

She shrugs, her fingers fidgeting at her bracelet as she avoids my gaze. I stay quiet, gently holding her shoulders, just waiting.

“I’ll be okay. I just need time.” She whispers.

“Healing time. Not time to let your mind spiral.” I whisper.

She winces, starting to pull away. “I—”

“I’m not trying to make you feel bad.” I say, holding her still. “I just… maybe we can figure out someway to help more.” I gently squeeze her shoulders, tilting my head down to try and catch her gaze. “I want to help you, Kat. But I can’t if you won’t let me. And I know… it’s hard. But I just wanna see you better. See you happy again. And I promise I’ll do whatever I can to help that. Help you.”

She chews on her lip, hard. Gaze locked to the ground still.

“I don’t know.” She whispers, after a moment. I just…” She stops, fingers pulling at her bracelet. “I don’t know how to. I don’t know what to do—how to fix this, really. Like if there was something we could do I would’ve tried to do that already but I can’t figure out how—” Her voice cracks into a hiccuping gasp. “I tried—”

“It’s okay.” I pull her a little closer. Giving her space to pull away, if she wants to. “We’ll figure it out. I promise.”

She sucks in a shaky breath, her shoulders tightening, before she leans forward, hugging her arms around my waist and tucking her head against my chest. I hug her close, gently rubbing circles against her back.

“It’s okay.” I whisper against her hair. Slowly rocking her back and forth. “I know… it hurts. But it’ll get better.”

Kat’s breaths crumple into shaky, hiccuping gasps. But she stays quiet. We both do, for a long moment. Just resting in the moment.

Her breaths gradually slow—shallow, but calmer. A little steadier. I keep my breathing slow, and deep, and steady. Just holding her.

“Are… are you sure?” Kat whispers after a long moment, her voice muffled against my chest.

“What?” I glance down at her.

She sucks in another breath, her fingers tightening against the fabric of my shirt, before she glances up at me, her eyes faintly bloodshot with tears. “You’re sure it’ll get better?”

“Yeah. Little by little—and I’ll help you. With lots of hugs, and lots of talking under the stars, and lots and lots of chocolate.” A small smile tugs at her lips at the mention of chocolate. I smile slightly back, brushing her hair from her face. “But eventually—it’ll get better.”

She nods slightly, her gaze flickering down for a moment as she inhales. Slowly. Steadying. “Okay.”