My time at portia arlo x reader

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Pairing: Arlo x Reader

Words: 2,364

Prompt: Finding the other wearing their clothes

A/N: I’ve been playing nothing but My Time at Portia for weeks, so I’m using that to help me get back into my writing mojo now that I have more free time! Expect a few more Portia fics in the future (and the next chapter of my Shane fic lol oops) as well as a couple extra things I’ve been working on!

              It’s a spur of the moment decision that comes to you while getting dressed one morning. The sun hasn’t even begun to rise but you have a long day ahead of you and the sooner you get back to your workshop the sooner you can get to work. Arlo stirs behind you just as you get your shirt over your head. You turn to look at him as you slide your arms through the sleeves and pull your shirt the rest of the way down. He’s still asleep and you’d like to keep it that way; he’s been just as busy as you lately and deserves to have a full night’s rest. He rolls over, mumbling something softly into his pillow.

              You walk quietly over to him and lightly run your fingers through his hair, scratching gently at his scalp. He leans into your hand, still asleep but now with a small smile on his face. You press a soft kiss to his cheek before stepping back to look for your shoes. Normally, they’d be neatly set by the door but you two had been a bit… overzealous last night, throwing clothes haphazardly around the room.

              You find one boot beneath the bed and spot the other lying on its side next to the dresser. Picking it up from its spot on the chair, you look around the room in search of any clothing you may have missed. A patch of blue catches your eye draped over the headboard just above Arlo’s head.

              You’ve never seen Arlo without his scarf…well, you’ve never seen him without it while wearing other clothes. You’ve asked to wear it before, but Arlo knows you too well and with a few deflective jokes and breathtaking kisses the scarf becomes a long distant thought in your mind. But Arlo’s asleep now and he can’t distract you from the tempting blue cloth. You take a full step towards it before your conscience gets the better of you. Of course, you don’t think Arlo would get too mad at you for taking it, but he’s also never let you wear it before. Maybe it holds some form of sentimental value to him he hasn’t told you about? Or maybe it’s an irreplaceable family heirloom? You hesitate, pulling your bottom lip between your teeth. The scarf taunts you from its position and you can’t help but picture it tied around your neck.

              You pull it from the headboard without a second thought, swiftly tying it around your neck. Your entire body tenses as Arlo suddenly stirs. You stay still as a statue watching him closely until he rolls over and pulls your pillow closer. You can’t help but smile, placing another kiss on his cheek and hurriedly exiting his room. As you tiptoe through the main room of the Civil Corps building, you catch your reflection in a tall mirror leaning against the wall. You stop, taking a moment to adjust the scarf and decide that blue is definitely your color.

              You spend most of the morning finishing up Sonia’s crystal necklaces and reorganizing your workshop. You deliver the necklaces to Sonia, who thanks you with a pretty smile and compliments your new accessory. She gives you a sly wink before returning to her spot by The Round Table’s register. You head to the Commerce Guild next, making a beeline for the commission board. Higgins sneers at you, because of course he does, as he snatches a commission from the board and rushes out.

              When you turn to joke about it with Presley, he laughs but you see the way his eyes flicker constantly between yours and the scarf.

              “Taking trophies from your nightly conquests?” Antoine laughs. You smirk at him over your shoulder, plucking a commission from Django off the board. “Say hello to the Captain for me!” Antoine calls as you leave the Guild with a laugh.

              You stop by A&G to say hi to Gust and Albert, and to not-so sneakily give QQ a few slices of aroma apples. Gust blatantly looks at the scarf but says nothing about it, only offering a short hello before turning back to his latest design. When you turn to speak to Albert, he wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. You roll your eyes at them both, leaving with a casual wave once QQ finishes the apple slices.

              Looking over the commission from Django, and questioning why he needs three desk lamps, you accidentally bump into someone. You apologize instinctively, looking up at your sudden roadblock. You’re surprised to find Nora smiling apologetically back at you. It’s rare to see her without Minister Lee but you enjoy her company much more without him around. Her eyes immediately settle on Arlo’s scarf and you can’t help the blush that rises to your cheeks. You briefly see some emotion flash through her eyes before she composes herself and plasters a polite smile on her face. You know she’s still a bit heartbroken from her failed confession towards Arlo last year and for a long time after you and Arlo had gotten together, she refused to look in your direction and had even stopped meeting Arlo for their talks by the broken well. You had been the one to break the ice, initiating small conversations with her every so often and those conversations had slowly turned into a polite friendship.

              “Cute scarf,” she says kindly, and while you’re sure she means it, things still feel slightly awkward with her. You change the subject, opting to ask her how things are going at the church with a small smile.

              “Just fine,” she says and her eyes glance briefly behind you, “though I could do without the arguing between Minister Lee and the Research Center.” She lets out a long sigh, her eyes flicking over your shoulder again. “But it can’t be helped, I suppose. We can only hope that one day they’ll realize we all just want the best for humanity. Anyways, I shouldn’t keep you, I’m sure you’re very busy.” She’s walking away before you can respond, giving you an amused smile and a small wave as she heads towards the church.

              “Well, look who it is!” An arm is suddenly thrown around your shoulders and you quickly stumble in an attempt to steady yourself. “Didn’t think you’d be out and about today, little fellow. Or should it be little thief?” A gloved hand lightly tugs on the scarf and you’re released from the hold. You straighten yourself out, fixing the scarf, before turning to Remington and a much too smug looking Sam.

              “I wondered why Arlo looked different today,” Remington chuckles. Your cheeks heat up and you find yourself trying to hide your face in the scarf. It smells like Arlo, you note pleasantly.

              “Is he mad?” you ask, looking between the two Civil Corps members. Sam snorts loudly, waving your concerns away easily.

              “He probably didn’t even notice. He’s been too busy daydreaming with this dopey, love-struck smile on his face,” Sam teases, reaching out to pinch your cheek. You swat her away with a small pout. “Although, he might be a little mad once someone tells him about those bruises on his neck.”

              Oh no.

              Unfortunately, a giant hole doesn’t open up in the ground to swallow you whole so you’re stuck listening to Sam’s laughter with a burning face. Your heart hammers in your chest at the thought of Arlo discovering the marks you’d left on him. You hadn’t even considered that this morning. Of course, Arlo had never been the type to be embarrassed or ashamed of such things; he’d left his fair share of marks on you, but he also preferred to keep some separation between his work life and private life.

              “Don’t worry, little fellow,” Sam smiles toothily, “everyone knows about you two anyways. What do they call it, Remy?”

              “The worst kept secret in Portia, I believe,” Remington speaks with an amused smile. You groan, running your hands down your face. Sam gives you a light punch in the arm; her attempt at comfort.

              “Take it easy, we’re just teasing-” Sam winks at you, “-we won’t take up anymore of your day. You probably have a lot to do.” Sam walks away with Remington behind her, both departing with teasing smiles.

              You return to your workshop, chewing on the inside of your cheek. You spend most of the day distractedly working on Django’s desk lamps, but find your thoughts constantly drifting back to Arlo. You don’t think Arlo will be too mad at you for taking his scarf, but your nerves are slowly gathering into a small bundle of anxiousness in the pit of your stomach.

              It’s nearly evening by the time you get to the final desk lamp. Your hands are covered in small bandages from the multiple times your train of thought has derailed, and you’ve accidentally cut or burned one or your fingers. Letting out a long sigh, you begin your third attempt at a pair of copper wires. However, your attempt goes the same as the previous two as your head is slowly filled with thoughts of your red-haired Captain and soon your finger begins to sting. You yank it back, putting the finger in your mouth instinctively.

              “Something on your mind?” You jump, almost biting your finger in the process. A charming laugh comes from behind you as you swing around to smack Arlo’s shoulder.

              “Don’t sneak up on me like that!” you exclaim, genuinely angry until your eyes catch the small purple marks trailing along the left side of his neck.

              “I think you deserve a little scare,” Arlo laughs, as he reaches up towards the scarf around your neck. For a moment you think he’s going to take it back, but instead he shifts it a bit to the right and straightens it. His fingers slowly travel from the scarf, up your neck and his hand settles on your cheek. You shyly lean into his palm, trying to find something to look at other than his neck.

              “Sorry,” you sigh, “do you want it back?” You glance at him before your face heats up too much for you to handle and you quickly look away. Arlo’s silent and for a moment that ball of anxiety returns. Your worry is replaced by irritation as Arlo pinches your cheek between his fingers. He chuckles as you whine and push him away.

              “Keep it. It looks good on you,” he speaks softly, and you almost can’t take the sweet look on his face.

              “What about…” Your eyes flick down to his neck. Arlo raises an eyebrow, his hand moving down to lightly rest on your own neck.

              “A badge of honor,” he mutters, slowly leaning closer until he has you pressed up against the Grinder. Your breath hitches as he leans in, waiting until your eyes have barely closed. “From a vicious monster!” You let out a yelp as he pokes your neck, his fingers suddenly moving to glide across your ribs. You jerk away, laughter bubbling from your throat. He doesn’t relent, instead moving in closer to trap you between himself and the Grinder. You wriggle and writher, trying to escape his fiendish hands to no avail.

              “Alright, alright,” you laugh out, grasping his arms, “I give up.” Arlo stops, a smile that’s much too smug for your liking adorning his handsome face. He presses a few kisses to your cheek and steps back to rest his forehead against your own. You marvel at the way the glow of the setting sun haloes around him. You really could stare at him for hours which you just might do cause his face is incredibly enjoyable. Arlo seems to notice your lovingly focused gaze as his cheeks turn a light shade of pink. He clears his throat, pulling you out of your distracted haze.

              “Are you busy, right now?” he asks quietly, his hands coming to rest on your waist. You glance back at the Grinder, briefly thinking of the copper wires you still need to make…but Django doesn’t really need those desk lamps right away.

              “Nope,” you say, adding an extra pop to the p, “I’m all yours.”

              “Oh, good.” You barely have time to process as Arlo’s hands swiftly travel down and you’re lifted into the air. You wrap your legs around his waist, gripping tightly onto his shoulders. “-that means I have time to pay you back.” There’s a devilish smirk on his face and you have no objections as you’re carried into your home and to your bed.  

              You wake the next the morning to an unfortunately empty bed and a pleasantly sore feeling. It’s early to mid-morning as far as you can tell, mostly because Pinky hasn’t tried to push her way into your room to wake you up to feed her yet. You leisurely get ready for the day, not bothering to put on more than a t-shirt and jeans and boots. You fill Pinky’s food bowl, giving her a few extra pets as she purrs against your palm.

              You’re on your way out of the house when you pass by a small mirror you had found in the Collapsed Wasteland and kept for your home. You take a quick look to make sure you don’t look too disheveled before you head into town. You don’t even bother looking at the marks leading up from underneath your shirt all the way up to your jaw, Arlo made very sure you knew what he was doing to you last night. What does catch your attention is the familiar blue cloth draped neatly over the top of your mirror alongside a small piece of paper with a heart drawn on it tucked into one of the folds. You place the paper into your jeans pocket and tie the scarf around your neck.

              You look yourself over in the mirror, admiring your reflection and how well the scarf looks against your skin. In truth, it does nothing to hide a majority of the marks on your neck, but you have no plans to take it off anytime soon.

              After all, blue is definitely your color.