Chapter Text
The kitchen tonight was full of warmth and good company, which was sadly becoming a rarity lately. Your roommates ran exceedingly busy lives.
You sliced vegetables and prepared a light, citrus sauce, while your friend, General, skillfully flipped and stirred the noodles. It was an impressive sight, absolutely massive gauntlets deftly handling meal prep like they were made for it.
He was distracted though, the cell on the countertop buzzed now and then, and he'd huff, and tap his reply with a scowl.
In his frustration, he tossed his phone somewhere on the bench, knocking over a bottle of uncapped cooking oil, the contents spilling out and dripping onto the floor.
He yelped and scrambled to right it, but there was a sizable mess on the floor. "AHH, DARN IT!"
You laughed and pat his back, you had to thump it for him to feel it through his nigh impenetrable, regal armour. He never took it off, even at home. He did, however, wear an apron over the top of it while he cleaned or cooked.
"It's okay, General! You keep an eye on that pan, i'll clean this up."
He frowned sheepishly while he followed your advice "I'M SORRY Y/N, I HATE TO MAKE MORE WORK FOR YOU, YOU'VE DONE ENOUGH AROUND THE HOUSE ALREADY!"
You waved him off easily, as you left to retrieve a mop and cleaner from the cupboard, it was no trouble. You'd always done your best to keep the boys' luxuriously renovated and decorated house clean, the least you could do in exchange for their hospitality.
Especially given that you were originally meant to end up a dissected experiment on Dr Baggs' operating table.
Well. Probably. Maybe. You actually had no idea. That's what you had thought at first, anyway.
All you knew was that the rules in the Underground were that humans that fell down here were to be taken straight to the Lab, and handed into the Royal Scientist's care. No one seemed to know what happened after that. You'd learned that some time before that rule had been decreed, humans were to be killed and their souls taken. It was said with such delight that you assumed that it was meant to be comforting.
Tools in hand, you appeared in the kitchen again, General greeting you with his usual grand smile.
It was this man, the General of the Royal Guard, Papyrus, who saved you from your uncertain fate.
You grinned back brightly, and set to work cleaning the oil thoroughly off the floor. Despite the complicated circumstances, you considered yourself lucky.
He had found you first, wandering a bitterly cold, frozen path. You'd been afraid, the warnings from Toriel fresh in your mind, and he was an intimidating sight. Donned in regal and impenetrable royal armour, his cape billowing in the freezing wind. But after a grandiose speech about his royally appointed duty to capture you, after which he bent down to chivalrously offer you an arm to 'personally escort you through the tundra', you realised that this man could not hurt a fly, he was a perfect gentleman.
His brother, on the other hand...
He was... Creepy. The second that General waved his arm out to formally introduce the 'Royal Scientist, Dr Baggs!', and you caught his unblinking, devious eyelights, and unmoving, perfectly white grin, shivers wracked down your spine. Alarm bells were ringing in full force. You did not trust this man. At all.
Sure, he was perfectly polite, well spoken, held himself tall (despite being quite a bit shorter than you and everyone else). He had shaken your hand in thick, rubbery black gloves, told you 'it's my pleasure'. You were sure it was, he grinned like the cat who got the cream.
After that, General had kept you close, he hardly let you out of his sight. You could tell he loved his brother a great deal, but there was also something strained about his smile, especially when he was close to you. Even that was enough to let you know to keep your distance.
You and General had continued through Snowdin, solving puzzles together and having the time of your lives. You even helped General reset his puzzles, and brainstormed new ones. You were perhaps a bit too honest about the flaws in his designs, and had expected him to be upset, even angry. But he was overjoyed! He asked you more about what he could improve, what you truly and honestly thought. You had thought then that he was a good sport, but knowing what you know now, he was likely just tired of everyone kissing his butt. It seemed like the only other person who didn't tell him what he wanted to hear was his best friend Undyne.
When it finally came time to hand you off into Baggs's care, he hesitated.
And then, he put his foot down, and refused. Baggs had looked shocked, that stupid grin finally wiped off his face. General had declared you his very good friend, told him you'd not be visiting the lab until you were ready, please and thank you. And then he had picked you up, and stomped away with you, leaving a gob smacked Baggs standing alone, and glaring daggers at you. You'd stuck your tongue out, just to twist the knife. Perhaps that'd been a bad idea, in retrospect.
You'd been effectively adopted by General, you'd expected some consequences to befall him for his actions of stealing you away, but oddly enough, nothing happened. It was as if General was above consequences. Undyne had given you some TERRIBLE stink eye, but she came around eventually, when you got to know each other.
Baggs, however, had apparently decided to make your life hell.
Sure, he'd begrudgingly allowed General to keep you in their shared home (you were still not over the whiplash of living with your best friend AND your worst enemy. At least you were able to sleep safely in General's room. He installed a bunk above his own bed. Double race car bunk bed. That's where you slept now.)
But you got the impression that it was only Baggs' endless love for his brother that let you live. But General couldn't always be around to keep Baggs on his best behaviour.
As soon as General had left your side, it was on. You had then learned EXACTLY why you couldn't trust him.
Baggs could use hypnosis. And he gleefully, frequently did.
He'd cornered you, ensnared your mind and soul, and told you in no uncertain terms that 'you were his, by right. He'd let General have fun with his new 'pet', but soon, very soon, he'd be seeing you down to his lab, and you would go willingly, and with a smile'.
The worst part was, you couldn't tell General. You physically couldn't tell anyone. As soon as you'd think to tell him, suddenly you wouldn't, your mind blank, pulsing magenta. Always that damn magenta.
And he would be there, smirking smugly at you, as you could do nothing but glower at him.
After that, he frequently tormented you. It started with what you're sure he considered pranks, installing triggers in your mind that made you bark like a dog at embarrassing moments (at first the Canine Unit thought you'd been insulting them, but oddly they seemed to like you after you'd been made to howl all night at Grillby's with them). You'd found yourself in town wearing nothing but your underwear, and with utter mortification you'd fly back home, dodging raised eyebrows and wolf whistles. Sometimes during dinner, a flash of Baggs' eye, and you suddenly had great difficulty getting the fork to your mouth, without flinging it over your shoulder, or sticking it in your ear. You could only laugh off General's concerns, and kick Baggs under the table. He would just grin, like a bastard.
No one could say you didn't give as good as you got, though. You'd laughed your ass off as he drenched his skull in the kitchen sink, desperately trying to cool the burn of explosively spicy chili that you'd happened to slip into his dinner. You 'accidently' ruined his pristinely white, professional lab coat with a rainbow of tie dyed colours. Unfortunately though, he only shrugged his shoulders and wore it without a fuss. (You balefully had to admit that he wore it well). Your favourite was to weaponise General against him, who eagerly recounted the most embarrassing stories he knew over dinner. He'd gather Baggs up into his arms like a child to rock him and sing him the same nursery rhymes Baggs would sing him to sleep with as a baby bones. Baggs would stutter and complain, his whole skull turning bright magenta. It was hilarious, but it was also terribly endearing, to think your brick house friend General was just a tiny little thing, and Baggs taking on a parental role to care for him. It was moments like those when you forgot why you hated him so much.
And then, one day... You'd thought it would be funny to make fun of Baggs by copying him, crowding him into the wall, uttering a low, thinly veiled threat that sounded dangerously close to flirting.
You'd expected him to snap back at you, push you away with a scoff. It would have been easy for him to flip the dynamic and hold you under his power and threaten you like usual.
You hadn't at ALL expected that blush, the way his eyelights dilated and breath quickened ever so slightly, struck speechless. And the way his eyes flicked to your lips, close enough to...
But he vanished, blipped away suddenly, and you were left staring at the wall, wide eyed and wondering what the hell that had been??
Things were awkward after that, he'd made himself suspiciously scarce. And when you did see him, he couldn't meet your eyes. But you'd been stalked and antagonised enough already to know the tell tale prickle at the back of your neck that let you know he was watching you.
And you knew you weren't imagining the crackle of tension between you whenever he was home. On a night like this, when miraculously he was home to have a meal with 'the family'. Your fingers would accidently brush as you simultaneously reached for a bottle of wine, something quick but warm passing between you, and he would shock back as if burned, and be unable to meet your eyes.
He'd join his brother and you afterwards, sat between the two of you on the couch. His leg would not stop bouncing, his expression carefully neutral, but his fingers would twitch.
Were you imagining it?
You exhaled a huff, it was easier when you hated him, when you didn't see the ways in which he cared so deeply about his brother, and the Kingdom, and you suspected... Perhaps even you, in some kind of way. Maybe. (a small part of you that was getting harder to silence hoped he did).
"WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO HAVE A STERN WORD WITH THE FLOOR, Y/N?"
You shook off your wandering thoughts and glanced up to General, an eyebrow lifted in confusion. He stood by the pan, which was turned off and apparently ready to serve up. He was holding in his amusement as best as he could. "I CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT IT MUST HAVE DONE TO DESERVE A GLOWER LIKE THAT!"
You chuckled sheepishly "Sorry, just got lost in the sauce."
"WELL, YOU SHOULD BE GETTING LOST IN THIS SAUCE, I PROMISE IT'LL TASTE MUCH BETTER THAN THE FLOOR!"
You agreed, you were pretty starving by now. You set aside the mop and searched for three dishes to plate up.
His cell buzzed again.
After a moment of reading the small device's screen, General scoffed, and pocketed the cell. "WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT." You lifted an eyebrow quizzically, you had left it alone, but you were curious now. He turned to you, tempering his frustration into an apologetic frown "I APOLOGISE, Y/N, BUT I'M AFRAID I WON'T BE ABLE TO STAY FOR DINNER." He removed his apron and stomped off towards the coat rack "IT APPEARS AS IF I WILL NEED TO PHYSICALLY DRAG MY BROTHER AWAY FROM HIS WORK, YET AGAIN."
You rolled your eyes, you were not surprised. Baggs was an absolute workaholic, and General often had to remind him not to miss meals. He was meant to come home for dinner tonight. Not that you cared for his company, of course not, but you felt for General, who so often missed his brother's presence. "Unbelievable. Do you want me to leave dinner in the microwave and wait for you two to get back?"
"OH NO NO, PLEASE DIG IN! I INSIST!" He swiped his scarlet cape from the rack and affixed it to his armour. "YOU MUST BE STARVING, I'D HATE FOR MY BROTHER TO RUIN YOUR NIGHT."
Baggs was more likely to ruin your night by actually turning up, but you held your tongue. "Okay General, thanks. Go kick his ass for me!" You grinned
He scoffed a NYEH and grinned with you "THIS TIME, I'M VERY TEMPTED TO." He swung open the front door "I'LL BE BACK VERY SOON!" you each waved goodbye, and with a slam of the door, you were alone. As usual.
You sighed, and searched the drawer for tupper ware to scoop dinner into. You placed three full containers into the fridge, adding to a sizable collection of missed meals already stacked high. You then dished some out into a small bowl, to tide you over. It would take no time at all for General to arrive in Hotland, and Baggs could 'shortcut' them back. You'd wait to have dinner with them proper. It was so very important to General, you wouldn't add to his disappointment.
-
You once more checked the clock on the wall from where you'd splayed out on the wide, comfortable leather couch. What was taking them so long? It had been over an hour since General had left. Perhaps there was a delay on the river, the River Person was usually very prompt? Had he needed to sprint all the way through Waterfall?
You had tried to distract yourself and fill the time with TV, a rather large wide screen mounted on the wall. You'd often indulge in some 'so bad, it's good' Mettaton programming, but you could only take so much MTT saturation. Plus, it wasn't as fun without General around.
And... The flashes of magenta you weren't sure you'd even seen on ad spots made you... Uneasy.
You couldn't help checking the clock again to distract yourself, was everything okay? Maybe you should call General...
The front door slammed open, and you jumped with a yelp "Y/N! I'M TERRIBLY SORRY WE'RE LATE!" General announced his return, and used his foot to kick the door closed. Your eyebrows furrowed as you noticed the form of Baggs slung over his broad shoulder.
"Oh my god, is he okay? What happened??" You were up and over to him in seconds, ready to be of assistance, was he hurt? No wonder they had taken so long!
General paused as he detected your alarm, but quickly laughed it off and pat your head "NOT TO WORRY MY DEAR. I SUPPOSE YOU HAVEN'T SEEN HIM LIKE THIS BEFORE." Your brow lifted and you squinted in confusion, about to enquire what was going on, when a low, slurred voice interrupted,
"I'm fffine."
Upon hearing his baritone voice, you were instantly less anxious, though no less confused.
General strode into the living room with him, and from this angle you could finally see the form of Baggs draped and limp down his back, swinging as he went. "NYEH! YOU ARE NOT FINE, YOU ARE A COMPLETE MESS. I TOLD YOU IF THIS HAPPENED AGAIN, I WOULD PERSONALLY DRAG YOU FROM THAT BLASTED LAB EVERY DAY ON THE DOT! IF I HAVE TO TREAT YOU LIKE A BABY BONES THAT NEEDS A STRICT BEDTIME, I WILL!!"
General swung him over his shoulder and dropped him unceremoniously on the couch, on which he bounced but made no other move, except to swing his arm over his eyes and slur petulantly "Noooooo... Mm-not a baby bonesss..."
You were quite speechless. "Is he drunk?" You'd never known Baggs to have more than a glass or two of wine at dinner. This was very out of character, to say the least.
General planted his hands on his hips and he glared daggers at his brother "NO, HE'S JUST TIRED." You turned to General quizzically, when wasn't Baggs tired? Those deep, dark circles under his sockets seemed permanently etched into his head "MORE THAN USUAL. THIS DUMMY HAS BEEN WORKING NON STOP FOR DAYS, AND HASN'T BEEN RESTING LIKE HE SAID HE WOULD!" You thought back to the previous few days, he hadn't been around at all. It wasn't unusual for him to skip coming home, but you assumed he must have a cot at the lab. Had he seriously not even been sleeping?? "AND NOW, LOOK AT YOU. WAS IT WORTH IT, BAGGS?" He demanded.
Baggs heavily pulled his arm back from his sockets, and... Began to snicker...? "Huhuhuhuhu... Hyeah~" He grinned lopsided like an idiot. With his face unobscured, you could take in just how awful he looked. Somehow, those circles under his eyes were even darker. He was coated in a thin sheen of sweat. His eyelights were fuzzy and unfocussed, and sockets heavily lidded. His lab coat was covered in various scuffs and stains from his work, and obviously well overdue for a wash. He was in a bad way.
General was very unamused, he sighed heavily as he turned to you. "Y/N, I'M TERRIBLY SORRY TO SUDDENLY THRUST THIS UPON YOU, BUT I NEED A HUGE FAVOUR." He looked apologetic, and concerned. You would do anything for General, without question, you nodded for him to continue. "I RECEIVED A CALL ON OUR WAY BACK, THERE HAS BEEN AN INCIDENT IN THE CITY WHICH REQUIRES MY PRESENCE." Your eyebrows shot up, that sounded serious. He seemed to realise this, and he lifted his hands in a placating motion "IT'S NOTHING TERRIBLY WRONG! JUST A REBELLIOUS GROUP OF TEENS UP TO NO GOOD. UNDYNE SAID THEY NEEDED MY EXPERTISE TO DEAL WITH THE DELICATE SITUATION!"
Ah, so they were bringing in the big guns. General Papyrus, the biggest softie in the Underground besides the King. You'd heard he was unparalleled in peaceful mediation. If you needed a situation dealt with in kindness and mercy, you brought in the General. You couldn't help but smile in pride. "What do you need of me, sir!" You stomped your heels together and saluted, which pleased General into a chortle. You noted, with a weird thrill, that Baggs was also giggling at your display.
"AT EASE, Y/N!" You spread your feet wide and stood tall with your arms locked behind your back, awaiting your 'orders'. "I NEED YOU TO LOOK AFTER BAGGS." Your grin fell slightly, and you blinked "HE NEEDS SOMEONE AROUND TO KEEP AN EYE ON HIM. HE IS NOT QUITE IN CONTROL OF HIS FACULTIES RIGHT NOW." He's interrupted with a loud PFFFFFT from the couch. He scowls at Baggs "YOUR ASSESSMENT OF INEBRIATION IS NOT FAR OFF. HE WILL NEED TO BE FED, BATHED AND PUT TO BED. I'M AFRAID HE CAN'T BE TRUSTED TO DO IT ALONE." His shoulders slumped and he frowned guiltily at you "I KNOW THIS IS A LOT TO ASK, BUT..."
You smiled reassuringly at him, and touched his arm. Yeah, it would be a bit weird, but General had done so much for you, taking care of his disaster of a brother was the least you could do "Of course I will. You can count on me!" Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
General brightened up instantly, reassured and grateful "THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I'LL OWE YOU ONE!!" He beamed. With that, he adjusted his cape and gauntlets, and bounded past you for the door "TEXT ME IF YOU NEED ANYTHING!! THANK YOU!!!" He yelled, and shot out the door, leaving you alone with his surly, couch bound burden.
You stared at the door a beat, and turned back to the burden in question, expecting him to be out like a light and snoring. But he was just staring at you, grinning dopily, slow blinking unevenly. "Sup."
This would be interesting, at least.
You took in a deep breath through your nose, and sighed it out heavily, preparing yourself for some bullshit. You clapped your hands together with finality "Well, you heard the General, fed, washed, and in bed."
Baggs slow blinked at you and murmured under his breath "fed... bed... shed... wed..." He stopped a second and started snickering, but you had no idea what was so funny.
Oh boy.
It was strange, hearing him laugh so openly. He was always so reserved, holding himself with poise, making it seem like every syllable was perfectly calculated, down to his condescending, dark chuckles. This was nothing like those. This was... Well it was real. Now, it seemed like he had no filter whatsoever, and no inhibitions for that matter.
It occurred to you that this night would give you endless material to taunt him with later, and you were suddenly VERY happy to relieve the General of his charge.
You smiled sickly sweet at him "So, you stay right here, and I'll go heat you up some dinner." You turn to head for the kitchen, but he slurs something at you "What was that, Baggsy?"
"Pizza pockets!!" He demands, and you blink. You thought that's what he had said.
"Er, we made Pad Thai for dinner, wouldn't you rather have some of that?" Baggs never ate junk food, that was one of the downsides of the household, the two ate very well. It was Undyne who snuck you out to 'dyne' on some deliciously greasy Grillby burgers.
He scrunched his face up in a pout "No!" You were in awe of this new positively juvenile attitude. You had to admit it was a little bit cute, but still very weird. He seemed to decide you were too slow, and started to pull himself out of his seat. You watched as he swayed in place, blinking rapidly as if the room were spinning, and then shamble past you into the kitchen. You followed him, and leant against the frame of the doorway, watching what he would do. He swayed a bit, unsteady on his feet, and lamely grasped the handle of the freezer wrenching it wide open. He rummaged around, leaning up on his toes and reaching for something at the back, till he apparently found his prize and stumbled back holding a box of... Hot pockets! Where did he find that?? You had searched the kitchen endlessly for snacks and there was nothing! You balked at him, and he seemed to notice and winked at you, before holding his finger up to his teeth and shushing a beat longer than was necessary. "-t'sa secret." You could only nod wordlessly to him, agreeing to the pact, you supposed.
He ripped open the cardboard box and spilled the frozen pastry onto the kitchen table, throwing the packaging over his shoulder somewhere close to the trash bin. He then gathered all of it up, opened the microwave door, and shoved them all inside. The door clicked closed and his finger hovered over the digits of the number pad, and he squinted as he paused... He turned away, his eyelights staring at nothing, apparently deep in thought... He spun around and strode towards the cardboard box he had carelessly tossed and picked it up, reading the instructions he had forgotten to reference. Satisfied, he dropped it properly in the can this time, and wobbled back over to the microwave. Beeps rang out, and soon the droning hum of the machine began to zap his meal.
He just kind of stood there, watching the pockets spin slowly on the dish, with a blank expression. You couldn't let this go on. You approached slowly and placed a hand on his shoulder "Why don't you go take a seat? I'll bring it out to you." He was warmer than you expected under his coat, you noted. He blinked owlishly at your hand, considering, and finally acquiesced. You helped him go, with a hand at his lower back, as he left the kitchen. You pulled out a chair at the dining table, and he collapsed into it. He crossed his arms and leant his cheek down to rest on them, turned to watch you with heavy lidded eyes.
You were used to this, the feeling of his eyes on you. Usually though, it was intense, intimidating. Often it felt like he was studying you, like every movement you made was logged and considered. He always seemed to be anticipating something. You didn't think it was related to that promise he made, that you'd 'come along with him willingly'. It almost seemed like he was on edge, like you were a threat. This had eased with time, he seemed to be letting go of that ridiculous idea. You weren't a threat to a Moldsmol, let alone someone as powerful as Baggs.
You ignored it as usual, and went about your task. You retrieved a plate and a glass and set them on the counter. You guessed his usual wine with dinner was a bad idea, so you filled his glass with chilled water from the fridge. You wondered if skeletons got dehydrated? You would bet anything that Baggs would have been filling up on nothing but coffee.
The microwave pinged and the droning ceased, and you tested one of the pastries with the back of your fingers. It was hot, but you knew better. You rummaged in the drawer for a fork and knife and sliced a small part of it open. You felt the knife's blade... Freezing cold. Good thing you intervened, Baggs would have almost certainly just eaten this. You poked holes into each pocket with a fork, rearranged them on the plate, and set the timer for another minute and a half. You heard a groaned complaint from the other room.
"Almost done!" You sung out, to which he grumbled unhappily. You took this opportunity to walk his glass of water and the rest of the jug out to the table, and placed the glass in front of him. "Drink."
His eyes slid lazily to the cup, and he scrunched up his face. "Make me a coffee."
"No, no coffee for you. Drink up, mister." You stood your ground, crossing your arms and leveling him with a stern look.
A ghost of his usual, self confident grin darkened his features, and he drew himself up in his chair, staring you down. A shiver wracked through you and your eyes widened, you knew what was coming. You mentally braced yourself as you awaited that awful, sickly sweet feeling, of his magic snaking into your soul, as easily as water trickling down well worn grooves in the earth, to pool in your mind and sink you into terrible bliss.
Predictably, his grin gained an edge as his left eye socket bulged with pulsing waves of magenta and cyan, that battered against your mind and... Slid right off, batted away like an annoying fly.
You blinked.
His featured scrunched up and he frowned, like he was really trying to concentrate everything he could... But it was no use, the attacks were as weak as a gentle breeze.
You couldn't resist rubbing it in his face a little, after everything he'd put you through. You put your hands on your hips and leaned down into his face "Are you done?"
His magic puttered out in his shock, his eyebrows shot up and sockets bulged. You could have sworn you saw something like fear flash across his features, followed by confusion, and settling predictably into glum petulant reservation. You didn't miss how his eye lights had briefly flickered to your lips again. This time, it looks like he didn't have the strength to shortcut away.
"Fine." He grumbled, and picked up the glass to take a sip, and then a gulp. He seemed to realise mid-drink how thirsty he actually was.
You slowly stood up to full height and towered over him "Well, well, well. Looks like for once, you have to do whatever I say." He flipped you the bird without pausing his sip, and you barked a laugh as you walked past him to retrieve his food. Testing it again, the insides were molten hot. Good enough. You plated up and strode back, balancing the plate on one hand, and the other hand propped on your hip, "What do we say?~" You drawled.
He slouched, defeated and glowering and a spot on the table. It was silent for a moment, but with a withered sigh, he mumbled "Thank you."
You smiled sweetly, sliding the meal in front of the sulking scientist. "You're very welcome, Baggsy."
As soon as the wafting smell of junk food hit him, he perked up, and enthusiastically grabbed for a pizza pocket. You supposed his rubber gloves protected his hands from the heat of the snack, but no such luck for his mouth. You took a seat across from him, watching as predictably, he took a huge bite, yelped and bounced, fanning his mouth to ease the burn of microwaved lava.
"Careful, it's hot." You supplied helpfully. He glared at you and took another sip of water.
The pockets seemed to have cooled down enough, and he began to snarf them down in earnest. You couldn't help but smile, as he genuinely enjoyed the processed snack. "I thought you didn't like junk food."
He chewed, considering his answer, though he didn't bother to swallow his mouthful "Ah ghuilty ptheasure."
Fair enough. He seemed to notice your staring, and offered you a pizza pocket off his plate. You thought about turning him down, but he had made himself a whole box, he wouldn't miss one. "Thanks." You bit into the treat, and groaned in delight as your mouth filled with savoury, tomato-y, unhealthy deliciousness. He had an odd look on his face at that, kind of a goofy, lidded smile, his cheeks tinged pink. It took you a second to realise why.
Really, dude? Whatever. You took another bite, this time, exaggeratedly moaning loud and ending on a lilting pitch, like a well practiced porn star.
Crumbs flew out of his mouth as he burst into giggles, his grin stretched wide and crinkling his sockets, his face flushed pink. You couldn't help but laugh with him, and marveled at how much more attractive the genuine delight looked on him.
The animosity in the room had all but disappeared it seemed, and your shoulders fell a fraction, feeling a lot more relaxed, certainly more than in recent memory when he was around.
He tried to school his laughter and held his finger up in a 'wait a second' motion. He took another big bite of a pocket, chewing with eyebrows pinched in exaggerated pleasure. Finally he swallowed, gripped the table-
And let out the sexiest whore moan you had ever heard. Glowing magenta tongue lolled from his mouth, his sockets heavily lidded and eyebrows pinched, eyes fuzzy, and that sultry stare leveled square at you.
You could only imagine the look on your face that made him slap the table and cackle triumphantly. Your face suddenly felt hot, and you gaped like a fish. You hid your mouth behind your hand and turned away, forcing a laugh, and trying to ignore the shot of arousal that had curled in your belly.
Bastard.
--
It wasn't long before he'd finished shoveling the junk into his face. He'd sighed and slumped back in his chair, honestly looking a little better, a little more colour in his face. When had the guy eaten a proper meal?
You'd loudly announced 'bath time!', and helped him from his seat. He complained, but let himself be handled. He was much too unsteady on his feet to ascend the stairs alone, so tossed his arm over your shoulder and supported his weight, which wasn't much, you were sure you could just pick him up and carry him bridal style.
Actually.
"Too slow." You remarked, and before he could question you, you did just that, bending down to gather him into your arms. He squawked indignantly and struggled, but you were stronger than him, even more than you had thought, he really was slight! It was actually a little concerning to be honest.
"Put me down! You can't just-"
"Not a chance, you're completely at my mercy tonight, remember?" You grinned down at him. He spluttered and blushed, and finally just looked away as he pouted. You laughed, why was he so damn endearing tonight?
You carried him up the stairs with ease, and crossed the hall, pausing to nudge the door to the bathroom open. You set him down on the edge of the tub, and turned around to switch on the light.
When you turned back, Baggs had begun sleepily unclasping his coat, and the heavy material sloughed from his shoulders and piled on the tile floor. You paused and eyed his body, you'd never seen him without his coat, he looked so small without it. He had a black graphic tee underneath, a tour for a band you'd vaguely heard of from 2012. You highly doubted he'd have actually been able to attend that, a treasure from the dump, then.
He seemed to be stuck on auto pilot, because he had no issue with removing that tee over his head and tossing it to the floor as well. Your eyes bulged as you stared openly at him, too surprised to question him. The boys were always covered head to toe in material, you'd never seen them without, obviously. You couldn't help but let your eyes wander over the thicker than human bones that made up his torso, tinged pink at the joints with what you assumed was his magic.
He was... Actually pretty attractive. For a skeleton.
And then he started undoing his pants.
You startled back into awareness of what was happening, and shouted louder than you meant to as you held your hands out in a stop motion "Woah! Woah woah hang on!"
He startled, eyes suddenly alert and more aware. His eyelights found yours, then he looked down at himself, torso bare and hands stilled on his pants zipper, and then whipped his head back up.
But he made no move to throw you out, like you had expected. You could just about see the gears turning in his head, as he studied you.
"I-i'll leave you to it." You stuttered in embarrassment, and you watched as something seemed to click into place for him, as a sly smile crept onto his face. Uh oh.
"Now hold on, pet." The nickname he called you when he was up to no good. "Thought y' were 'sposed to keep n' eye on me?" He slurred, in his usual self-satisfied way. "Gen'ral would never leave me in th' tub alone."
You gawped at him, was he serious?! Was your embarrassment worth sacrificing his own dignity for? He seemed to think so, grinning victoriously at you as you weighed his challenge.
You groaned a sigh, defeated. You couldn't risk it. He was likely telling the truth, General wouldn't have let him out of his sight, even here. But they were brothers! And you and Baggs were... Something. Baggs might have been able to bathe without accidentally drowning himself, but you couldn't be sure. Should you text General and ask what you should do??
The rip of a zipper being pulled down was loud and final, and the ceiling suddenly was of great interest.
"Okay okay! Just let me get the tub going." You avoided looking at him and his shit-eating grin, and reached past him to turn the hot water on, and plug the drain. Steaming water poured loudly on porcelaine, covering the sounds of fabric sliding off bone. You moved to the sink cupboard, searching for bath products. You enjoyed a lavender and epsom salts combination when you were stressed, you figured it might rejuvenate the little turd.
You had been hoping to find a bottle of bubble bath, at least to cover his shame, but no such luck. Damn.
You stood up and deliberately avoided looking at him (though through your peripheral vision, it looked like he had finished getting undressed, and was silently staring at you).
"What'ch got there?" You could hear his grin. You ignored him, and measured about a cup of epsom salt, and poured it into the rapidly filling bath. After that, you unscrewed the little vial of lavender oil, and carefully tipped about four drops. The scent wafted instantly through the air, as it mixed through the churning water.
Baggs had leant back and turned halfway to see what you were doing, he seemed pleased "Ahh~ How lucks.. Luggsur..." He distractedly struggled with the word 'luxurious', and began tipping precariously back further, and suddenly jolted in alarm as he felt himself fall. You gasped and rushed to grab him by the arms before he could knock his head.
You felt your face burn, you were practically on top of him, hovering too close while he was spread and very exposed. He only had the decency to look embarrassed for a moment, but he recovered fairly quickly into a lecherous grin, his brows wiggling "Eager, aren't we?"
He yelped as you dropped him, the water spilling over the sides and wetting your clothes. Worth it though. Baggs was always flirty, but always in a much more subtle, almost smooth way. This was surly and so obvious, he was completely unfiltered. Most of all, you were furious that it was working.
He spluttered as he re emerged, utterly indignant "I thought the point of this was to KEEP me from drowning!" Well, he certainly seemed more awake after a refreshing dunk.
You waved him off. "You're fine, you big baby." He huffed as he repositioned himself to sit upright. You reached over and turned off the water flow, and grabbed the nearby bottle of bone body soap while you were there. Settling back on your knees by the tub, you found a clean washcloth and dipped it in the delightfully hot water, then uncapped the bottle and squeezed a dollop out onto the cloth. Baggs was watching you nervously. You raised a brow at him as you rubbed the cloth together, producing suds. "What, you want me to rub you down too?"
Magenta creeped down his neck vertebra, as he seemed to imagine that scenario, you grinned knowingly at him. He avoided your eye and snatched the cloth from your hands, grumbling about being perfectly capable. You chuckled, and left him to it. Your knees on the tile wasn't very comfortable, you remembered the small bathroom stool off to the side, and dragged it over to sit on, your back to Baggs. You settled back, elbows perched on the side of the tub and your head leant back. Despite the mortifying circumstances, you couldn't help but relax as the heated steam filled the enclosed space, and the scent of lavender soothed your nerves.
It was peaceful, quiet save for the trickle and splash of water as Baggs cleaned himself.
.
"Thank you." You blinked your eyes open, you hadn't realised you'd closed them, and spun slightly to look at him. He had finished sponging himself and had settled back against the tub, his head lolled slightly towards you, features lax enough that he'd allowed himself a neutral sort of frown.
He really did seem a lot better. You were honestly glad.
"Why do you do this to yourself, Baggs?"
He smiled, but it was hollow and frail. "You needn't worry about me, darling."
That… was a rare pet name. You had thought it sarcastic before, but hearing it now... There was something meaningful to it, you couldn't place it though. "I do, though." You said simply, frowning.
His brow furrowed, as he seemed to search your eyes "Truly?" You shrugged, you weren't supposed to care, but you did.
His brows pinched, he looked pained. He heaved a deep, tired sigh, and closed his sockets. The shadows under his eyes looked deeper than ever, he looked so, impossibly exhausted.
You waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts, and after a minute or so, his lids pulled slowly open, it seemed like they were so heavy. "Every spec of dust of the magic in my soul is dedicated to getting us all out of here." He murmured seriously, gazing at a spot on the ceiling "The hopes of every monster rest on my shoulders. I will not truly rest until it is done."
You frowned at him "You've been down here this long, you might as well let yourself sleep in your own bed. Eight hours a night surely won't impact your master plan."
"I cannot sleep." You made to chastise him, but he stopped you "I..." He paused, turning back to you, seeming to wrestle with some kind of decision. He sighed, his brow bones pinched "I cannot sleep. Ever."
You stared wordlessly at him, as this hung in the air between you. You blinked "Like, at all?"
He was dead serious. "I have not slept in many, many years."
Your eyes bulged, as the gravity of that statement started to soak in "Jesus Christ, Baggs."
"You are not to tell General."
"Why??"
"Because I will not burden him with such a thing-"
You shook your head "No, no, why can't you sleep?? How is that even possible?"
He turned away to stare at the wall. "It was a trade made foolishly, and I will say no more than that."
You encouraged him on "And you've tried..."
"I have tried everything, my dear."
Water droplets echo in the silence.
"So then, it's not a few sleepless nights that got you so messed up like this." It wasn't a question, he nodded.
"I have to rest my body and brain in other ways. Meditation, stillness, even just lying in bed in the dark and pretending to sleep staves this off."
You guessed that a relaxing bath might be one of those self care methods, as he was starting to sound a lot more like himself.
"And you just... Didn't, this week?"
He frowned guiltily "It's just... I was so pitifully close to a breakthrough on my latest project, at least it felt that way. If I had just pushed a little more, I..." A frustrated sigh whistled from his nose. You waited for him to continue "Besides, rest is impossible in moments like those anyway."
"Why?" You asked quietly, you had turned around to face him fully, no longer caring about modesty.
"My mind simply refuses to sit still and rest. Some days it is easier to quieten the noise. Others, it's deafening, pulling me in all directions, impossible to ignore." His face scrunched in pain and he wiped a hand roughly down his face. "I'm so tired, Y/N. I'm so dreadfully tired."
Your heart ached for him. You had no idea... It really was all just a tough front, wasn't it?
You got the impression that he didn't care for sympathy, it was a fluke that he was telling you any of this in the first place. The way his shoulders drooped just a little after his confession, it was likely that he hadn't told ANYONE this. You couldn't help but feel a little honoured.
So you reached out, and very lightly held his cheek, in a gesture meant to be soothing. He startled and looked at you, searching your eyes once more... Before giving in, and leaning into your hand, lids heavy and eye lights growing fuzzy.
It was a charged moment, neither of you spoke, just basking in each other's company, with new found respect and understanding.
But eventually, you pulled your hand away (you didn't miss how he mournfully let the contact go), and stood up. "We better get you out and dry before the water runs too cold." You reached in and pulled the plug, and the water began to rush out.
He nodded wordlessly, and allowed you to wrap a soft, fuzzy towel around him and pick him up out of the tub without a fuss.
--
You'd had a little trouble with his bedroom door, which was locked as usual. Baggs had needed to extend a bit of magic to the other side to turn the lock.
You nudged the door open and carried him over the threshold, you bit your cheek to hide a smile at the image, he was even wearing white, in a fluffy towel dress.
You located his bed by the wall, pristinely made and very much not slept in for some time. You paced over and set him gently down, before seating yourself on the edge of the bed, for lack of idea what to do next. "I... I'll let you get some sl- uh, rest, then."
You made to stand up, but his hand shot out and grabbed your wrist "Wait! Don't, uh... Just..." You looked back at him quizzically, he had the heel of his other hand ground into his left socket. "I-I have no right to ask this, you've done enough, but just..." He looked anywhere but you "Would you stay? For a bit more?"
You considered for a moment. He was uncharacteristically meek, like this was difficult for him. You smiled "Sure." You settled back down, and he untensed, satisfied that you weren't going anywhere.
You looked around the room, you'd obviously never have been allowed in here before tonight, so it was a rare opportunity to see more of the reclusive scientist. You could hardly see the walls, packed with shelves and shelves of books. Most of them looked very old and large, they looked like medical and scientific textbooks, maybe. There was some fiction in there as well, some titles you knew, in a mish mash of genres. There was a sizable desk by the wall, covered in stacks of books and neatly written notes, and an ancient looking computer monitor.
You squinted as you thought you spotted a flash of deep, shiny red through the comfortable darkness of the room. It looked like a model sports car, of the exact kind that General told you he dreamed of driving on the surface. It looked like it needed another coat, and the finer details weren't yet finished.
"I must keep myself busy in the hours when General assumes I am sleeping." His voice broke through the silence once more, and you nodded, your smile met your eyes.
"General is gonna love that when it's finished."
He grinned back, puffing up just a bit in pride "I know."
You dully noticed that he hadn't let go of your wrist, and you'd absently started stroking his ulna with your thumb very lightly.
His eye lights were fuzzy, but a lot brighter than when he'd first landed on that couch in the living room. You wondered what that meant.
He cleared his throat awkwardly and pulled his hand back to grind both palms into his eye sockets, hissing a breath in. A ghost of his touch lingered on the thin skin of your wrist, you found you missed it. His cheeks were still tinted magenta. He grumbled "Ughh... Blast these... Overthinking again. Just..." He huffed the breath out in a frustrated sigh, massaging his lids with two fingers "I just don't want to think right now." He uttered quietly.
...Hm.
You had an idea of how to achieve that.
You sucked in your bottom lip and worried at it, as your eyes flickered down to his teeth, trailing across vertebrae and ribs, the tops of his hips peaking out teasingly from behind the flimsily draped towel.
Were you really considering doing this?
"A distraction." You murmured.
"Yes, please, anything just..." He pleaded, but stopped still when he opened his eyes again, and noticed your wandering stare. His breath was shaky and eyes bright as he watched you. Your eyes flicked back up to meet his, heavy lidded and meaningful. His eyes seemed to dilate in response.
"... Please." He whispered.
You were so used to your will being taken by his own, you were helpless to deny him when he commanded such power over your soul.
But in this moment, he was sharing with you a part of himself so vulnerable and soft, offering without taking, hoping...
...
You leant down into his space, and he immediately rose somewhat to meet you.
You softly pressed your lips to his teeth, lids falling closed and losing yourself in him. Magic tingled and slid across your lips, an approximation of lips moving with yours slowly, sweetly. You leaned closer, turning your head just so to deepen the kiss. Adjusting to crowd him in, hands on either side of his head.
He hummed pleasantly, it sent a little thrill through you. You held his face, angled him just so, pushing him back into his pillow. His boned hands snaked around your wrists, sliding up and down your forearms.
You remembered that tongue you'd seen before, and were suddenly anxious to taste it. You bit gently into his magic, and his breath shuddered out as he opened up for you. Your tongue darted out to gently lick into his mouth, his own tentatively slipping against yours. His magic buzzed like electricity, he tasted heady like lavender musk. A thrill of arousal curled low in your belly, he seemed to agree, emitting a low, rumbling purr in his chest, spurring you on.
Fuck, that was sexy.
At some point you had swung your leg over and knelt in an almost straddle over him. Your tongues slid together in earnest now, the silent air filling with the wet sounds of your kiss. The hand holding his cheek started a decent down, feeling over heated neck vertebrae collar bone, and massaging across his ribs.
A couple of fingers dipped into the gaps, and he jolted and gasped.
You seperated and rose slightly to apologise, until you saw how utterly blissed out he looked. Eye lights impossibly large and fuzzy, and so bright, breaths heavy and heated, the blush had crawled down his neck handsomely. He was breathtaking.
"Sorry... Huff... Bit of a sensitive area."
You sat back more as you studied him, and stroked another spot on his ribs, testing, dipping it slightly into the spaces again. His eyes pinched closed in pleasure and grunted. Wow, he really WAS sensitive. Testing the limits further, both hands trailed down his chest, feathery light, and then encircled his floating ribs in a light grasp.
The reaction was utterly delicious. His pelvis jerked high enough to meet yours hovering low above him and a moan wrenched from him like he wasn't expecting it. Your smirk gained a sultry edge, and you sat more fully atop him, on his hips.
His hands shot out to grasp your hips suddenly, and you stopped immediately. His eyes looked urgently apologetic. "I'm sorry, darling, I... I can't..." he took a second to catch his breath.
You were surprised how struck you were with disappointment, but you shoo'd it away "It's okay, Baggs. We don't have to." You smiled down at him comfortingly, and moved to hop off of him, but his hands stilled you.
He shook his head "No it's, I WANT to. God, I..." His gaze pooled down your body, lingering on the spot where you sat atop him. He grasped your hips a little tighter, his eye lights burning "God, I've wanted you..." Your eyes widened at the heat in that statement, and remembered the tension that had grown between you. So it was true.
"But..." He growled and tossed his head to the side "This blasted magic. I have so little to spare right now, I can't..."
Oh.
He was worried about giving you a good time.
That's adorable.
"Hey." You ground your hips into his pelvis and he gasped, looking back at you in shock. "I promised you a distraction, right?"
He huffed a laugh "Yes, I feel utterly driven to distraction."
"I think I can do better." You prowled back over him and he sputtered in confusion. You shushed him, and smiled lop-sided down at him "Let me take care of you."
He was silent as he stared up in awe at you, and you could have sworn on a blink, you had seen his eye lights flicker into hearts.
You wondered what it would take to make them stay.
He seemed to struggle with himself for a moment, the same look on his face from various times in the evening when he came to terms with letting himself be helped. Like not being in control was exceedingly difficult for him.
"...okay." he whispered. There was a tentative trust in the way he looked at you.
Your eyes roamed his body, deciding how to begin. You weren't a stranger to sex, but this was uncharted territory. He wriggled uncomfortably under your stare, and you leant in to capture his mouth again, coaxing him to relax. He hummed, and you felt him untense some. As lovely as kissing him was, though, you were eager to explore.
You ghosted feathery light kisses down his jaw, and tucked into his neck vertebrae, oh so lightly testing there. He sighed and tilted his head to allow you better access. So far, so good. Your fingers wandered, sliding up his sides, and dragging lightly down his ribs, and back up. You felt his chest rise and fall more deeply, but shakily, little noises he was trying to supress escaping every so often. Your tongue darted out to dip between the grooves of his cervical vertebrae, and a gasp shocked out of him.
Your lips traveled on, finding his collarbone and kissing across it. His arms came up to caress lightly between your shoulder blades
"Huff... You're not bad at this... Practised much?" You heard the grin in his voice.
Couldn't let that go unpunished, so you let your teeth graze in a light bite.
"uhn-f-fuck..." His head tossed to the side, and his phalanges dug into your back. His sockets were squeezed tight against the onslaught.
You chuckled and kissed the spot, and moved on to his sternum, licking a stripe down, down. Your hands had felt their way inside his rib cage, and you dragged your nails very carefully down.
His hips jerked and chest arched into your touch, his hands came up to grip his pillow for leverage. "Fuck-ahh... You tease..." He groaned. You caught his eyes, they seemed to glow fuzzier and brighter under heavy lids, and he panted heatedly.
You grinned "What, you want me lower?" Your hands drifted down along his inner spine, feeling sparks of buzzing energy as you went, and his face scrunched in pleasure.
"Please!" He gasped, you chuckled heatedly and acquiesced, scooting lower down his body.
It was then you noticed what it was you had felt as you looked down to pull away the rest of the towel, revealing his pelvis, and... There was magenta and cyan light, magic you guessed, dripping down from inside his ribs and trickling along his spine, to pool and churn inside his pelvis.
You took a moment to watch, fascinated, as it lit his bones in a gentle magenta glow, his ribs heaving and eye lights nervous as he waited.
God, he was so beautiful. You told him so, deciding he needed to hear it.
His sockets widened and he looked away, but his smile betrayed him, stretching and warbly. He tried to laugh it off "Sweet of you to say."
You smiled down at him, as you sat back on his femurs "I meant it." You followed a stream of magic with your fingers, down his lumber vertebrae, his bones clacked mutely as he shook.
"And you're being so good for me, Baggsy." Your hands parted ways before his sacrum and slid across his hips, grasping them a little tighter, a little possessively. You traced the lines of his illium as they met together at his pubis, your next target.
His sockets were wide as your gaze flicked back up to meet his, and you made sure he was watching as you slowly lowered yourself, closer and closer to that spot.
You paused, holding his gaze, letting your heated breath tickle there, enjoying the way his breath stuttered out faster.
Finally, you licked a stripe with the tip of your tongue, from the bottom to the tip of his pubic symphasis, the little disk that joined his pelvis. Your strong grip on his hips prevented the sharp jerk that threatened to bump your chin, and he gasped out the loudest moan yet, your name.
Your smirk stretched in satisfaction, oh yes, this was where you would shake this bag of bones apart. You hummed lowly "Good boy~" His hips jerked again, oh, he liked that. Good to know, for later. His brows pinched in vague concern at himself as he seemed just as surprised at that.
Nope, no more thinking. You set back upon him kissing and prodding at that spot, and his hands flew to tangle in your hair. Whatever sense of control seemed to leave him, delightfully wrecked noises filling the air with abandon. He swore in between keens and moans, and coherency went out the window, choked off sentences and half formed thoughts dying on high pitched groans.
You adjusted, lifting off his femurs and settling between them, pushing his legs to splay wide around you. You found one hand was enough to keep him steady, and the other traveled to play with him further, exploring his pubic arch and feeling down his ischium, hooking a finger there and pulling just for fun. He hissed in pleasure, huffing out a borderline hysterical chuckle. You were glad he was having fun, you couldn't help but hum a laugh as well, and the vibration must have made him feel very nice, the chuckle immediately dying into a keen.
You wanted better access to his sacrum and whatever else he had to play with back there. His legs had begun to squeeze you, and it was easy to shimmy them to rest around your shoulders proper.
He yelped as you lifted up and surged forward, holding his hips firmly as you doubled him over in two. He was as exposed as he could possibly be, and his sockets buldged and grin strained in aroused shock, uttering a matra of 'fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck' as he seemed to realise how vulnerable he really was.
Your lips were on him again, sucking on his pubis in earnest, your eyes wild as you watched him come apart in your arms. You thumbed your way from his coccyx to dip and press into the holes in his sacrum. His head threw back, sockets like saucers as he positively squealed in delight. He was a LOUDLY appreciative lover, you were glad General wasn't home, though you weren't positive the entire town wouldn't hear him in the throws of passion at this point.
His legs locked at your neck, and with his hips prone in the air and unable to buck much, your other hand was free to slide down and grip his spine strongly. You watched as globs of magic poured from his ribs, you'd put two and two together that this was similar to the curl of arousal you'd feel in your core. It seemed to churn and splash like a stormy sea in the hollow of his pelvis, you'd felt bursts of it attempt to manifest at your lips, seen something try to form below his pubic arch, but they fell apart as quickly as they gathered. You'd guessed this was what Baggs meant when he implied he couldn't do anything with you.
Not that it mattered, this was better than anything you could have imagined.
You dipped a hand in under his pubic arch anyway, to play and feel that bright, turbulent magic. It reacted instantly and rippled along your hand, as he jerked violently and sobbed "FUCK!!"
As he gasped and tossed his head, wriggling under intense pleasure, you noticed something begin to glow brighter in his rib cage, pulsing quicker like a strobe. It seemed incredibly important, and you couldn't take your eyes off it. It pulsed magenta and cyan, it reminded you of the magic that would pour from his eyes into your mind, but more intense. You felt strongly that you were in no danger, though. Unless perhaps, you stopped wringing pleasure from his marrow for even a second.
Your fingers swirled in that strange magic, gently alternating and testing the rhythm of your softly curling fingers. Enjoying the feeling of it playing and sliding against you, seeming to suck you in.
His cries grew more urgent, as did the pulsing light in his chest.
"PLEASE, Y/N, FUCK I, OH GOD, OH GOD-"
His eyelights were blown like high beams.
They were hearts, white and magenta.
You firmly flattened your tongue against that stripe of bone and rhythmically stroked, and bent him even further as your hands shot out to grip his lumbar vertebrae with both fists.
And that did it.
A strangled yelp burst from his teeth as his head wrenched back in an (almost) silent scream, as the strobing light in his chest flashed even brighter, his body taut and shaking violently, his hands tugged your hair wonderfully. You watched in awe as that magic in his pelvis bubbled over like a shaken up soda, and literal waves of pleasure pulsed through his marrow, you could actually SEE his orgasm, just how good he felt.
You continued to work your tongue, changing pattern and speed of your prods, prolonging his orgasm as long as he were capable of.
As soon as you felt his legs lax and his death grip on your hair loosen a little, you slowed down, switching to something more gentle with the tip of your tongue, easing him down. The waves slowed and dimmed, the light in his chest fading. You scooted back as you literally eased his heaving body back to the mattress, and finally, left one more chaste kiss at the tip of his pubis.
The magic in his pelvis had stilled from a stormy sea into a still and calm pool, and had begun to fade away.
He struggled to catch his breath, his eyes screwed shut and the waves of his orgasm ebbed. You gingerly extracted yourself from between his legs, and reached for a nearby blanket, neatly folded on the end of the bed, and shook it out to drape over the two of you.
You shuffled your way up the bed to lay by his side. You figured his cranium was safe to touch in this state, and you slowly pet him, smiling affectionately as his breaths began to slow.
You grinned mischievously "Betcha General doesn't go THAT extra mile of care."
He cringed, but burst into snickers anyway. "For heaven's sake, no!" You laughed with him, and it died down naturally as his head fell lazily to the side to regard you. He smiled sleepily at you, but his brows pinched and he frowned as he remembered something "Are you sure you don't..."
"I don't need a hand, no." You cut him off. Sure, you were FUCKING aroused after that display. But it wasn't about you right now. You could handle it. You'd actually forgotten about it in the moment, he was a LOT more interesting to play with.
He smiled apologetically, but appreciatively, and found your hand to squeeze, you squeezed back.
His features darkened into his more familiar, cunning smile "We'll call it an I.O.U." He turned on his side to face you fully. His grin gained a promising edge, and his voice was gravelly and fucked from sex "Once I am back to full form, I will ruin you for any human or monster that has ever or will ever touch you." His left eye pulsed magenta, a taste of what was to come.
It did not help but sharpen the pit of arousal in your belly. Your mouth watered. He smirked knowingly, ever the bastard.
You tried to laugh it off "Noted. But for now, you're a limp, noodly, sweaty mess by MY doing." You smirked in retaliation. "Now c'mere, its time for a cuddle."
He squawked indignantly as you man handled his hips again, pulling him to you to tuck him under your chin. You felt him sigh dramatically "If we must." You definitely heard his smile though.
Despite his mock affront, he snaked his arms around you, and you in turn slid your arms around to his shoulder blades. Your legs tangled with his, he was so, oddly warm.
More warm and cuddly than you'd have thought a skeleton ought to have been.
It was silent for a long time, save for your shared breaths in the close space. You lids were drifting closed, sleepy, despite the ever present demand of your libido. You'd begun to drift, and weren't sure if you'd dreampt his voice or not, so you listened closely, fighting to stay awake.
"How does it feel so... quiet, with you...?" He whispered.
Your eyebrows furrowed, the meaning sliding off your half asleep consciousness. Soon you blinked as you realised, he must have meant his mind. You smiled sleepily, your apparent distraction had indeed helped clear his mind. How nice.
He very carefully shuffled closer into you, resting his head against your chest. He was warm, and you sighed in comfort.
His fingers drummed a slow, rhythmic pattern on your back, that seemed to lull you further into sleep.
In the last of your consciousness, you realised that it was your heart beat.