Critical Role Oneshots : Campaign 2

Great Minds : Caleb x Reader (Fluff)

Y/n's POV

I sat on my work desk enjoying the warm orange light which spilled into my office, wrapping it in a soft comfortable feeling. As a tinkerer, I spent many of my evenings like this. Working and looking for any viable reason why I shouldn't be. I loved making new things and seeing my creations come alive but it got tiring sometimes. Especially with how little I feel like anyone really appreciates my work. Of course Nott enjoyed when I made small trinkets of sorts or little devices with no true purpose and Jester was pleased with anything she could easily deface into her own sparkly dick-covered creation but my real work went for the most part uncared for.
I looked out the window and sighed. The sun would be set soon and the room would fill with darkness, just like the current emptiness in my head.

A knock on the door pulled my attention away from my very important task of nothingness. I tried to atleast look busy.

"Come in."

The door opened, revealing Caleb holding one of the small useless gadgets I had given to Nott. I sighed.

"Another one?"

He shrugged.

"It's not horribly broken. Just a little.. stepped on is all."

I hopped off my desk. He walked over to me and set the devices down. A small device that carries around a singular small object, such as a coin or button. It's little arms hung by wires and the little legs were crushed. I suppose other projects could wait.

"This will probably take me an hour, possibly less. I'll fix it now."

I sat back down, expecting him to leave but he didn't. He just stood there for a moment. When I looked up at him in confusion, he seemed a bit surprised.

"Do you think I could watch you work? I'm very interested in your process."

This caught me off guard. He wanted to watch me? No one's wanted to watch me before. Why? I assumed my work bored most people too much for them to want to hang around. I suppose Caleb would be be the one to be intrigued though. The way he yearns to understand things fascinates me as much as his great skill in the arcane.

"If you'd like to I don't see why not. Though I have to warn you, it's not very interesting."

I laughed lightly, because it was true. He shrugged again, this time with a small smile on his face. I gestured to a chair sitting by the window.

"Pull up a seat then."

He pulled the chair over as I began to see just how much damage they did to my little device. As I began to pull out the tools I would need an odd feeling came to sit in my stomach. It was an odd one, unfamiliar and a bit uncomfortable. The feeling was most likely due to Caleb being here with me. I've admired his amazing mind and intelligence for quiet some time, his work always being precise and well thought out. My work was the exact opposite. My little workshop was more often than not in a setting of near chaos and my work was odd to say the least. Ranging from things that shouldn't but do explode to things the should but don't explode. So to head he wanted tia we me work.. It struck an odd chord in my chest.

"What are those for?"

I blinked out of my all too nervous mind to look at him. He had gestured lightly to the tool in my hand. I would refer to them as wire cutters but I wouldn't blame him for not knowing. They were odd looking, as we're most of my tools. They were home made after all.

"They're for cutting the cords the arms are- well we're connected to. I mean they're still half connected but it won't be dangerous to just rip them out so.. Oh sorry I'm rambling."

I felt my face grow warm as I turned my attention back to my work. Caleb chuckled, only causing my face to grow hotter.

"It's alright. You seem very passionate about your work."

A small smile curled onto my lips as I let a soft sigh.

"I am. It means a lot to me."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw the smile on his face. He wasn't looking at the little metal thing in my hand, he was looking at me, my face specifically. I  swallowed hard, focusing on my work. I found myself talked before I could think. There was a nervous waved in my voice.

"I don't see why you'd want to sit in and watch me mess with this thing. It's not all that fun to watch."

He scooted the chair closer, leaning on the far corner of the desk. I attempted to ignore the growing warm feeling in the room.

"You're quiet intelligent, I supposed I just find you intriguing in that way."

I nevously laughed to cover the odd swelling feeling in my chest.

"I'm not sure what that really means if I'm being honest with you, Caleb."

"I suppose what I'm trying to say is that I'd like to... Learn from you in a way. Perhaps spend some time together studying or something along those lines."

I looked over to him fully now. A lovely pink had taken to his cheeks as he examined my face for some sort of visual response. I scratched the side of my face lightly, flustered. I did like spending time with him, despite the nerves that would arise whenever I was around him.

"I think I'd like that. It could be.. educational."

I smiled a bit awkwardly, though it made his shoulders relax and his tense expression drop to a smile. The best way I could describe his expression was love drunk, though the thought made my heart beat audible in my head for a moment. I let myself relax and his eyes shifted away. I could only assume I was looking back at him with the same sort of expression he had. I laughed. I think this could become something really nice

Word Count : 1032

Some Fluff-Light if you will. ~ 💜