Chapter Text
When you woke up the next morning, a man was in your bedroom, standing at the foot of your bed, and you shrieked.
Your heart jumped into your throat and you grabbed the nightstand for… you weren't sure what, just to have something to hold onto as a sharp pain developed in your chest, your heart pounding in your ears as you stared at your guest.
“Armitage!” You scolded, out of breath. “Don't do that!”
He dipped his head slightly, looking guilty for waking you up in such a horrible manner. At least he had the nerve to feel bad about it. What was he, some kid waking his mom up because he had a nightmare?
You looked up at the ceiling, gasping for air as you waited for your heart to settle.
“I didn't mean to… I was concerned you were sleeping too much,” he confessed.
“Well, I wasn't,” you snapped. “When I'm sleeping, it’s because I need to.”
“I'm s…”
“Sorry?”
“Yes.”
You sighed. You weren't really all that mad at him, you couldn't be. He had that sad chihuahua look about him half the time. You adjusted your grip on the nightstand and moved to sit up, only to stop when every part of your body protested. You laid back down, gasping in pain as your back and hips seized.
“What can I do?” He asked quickly, hovering awkwardly at your bedside.
“Nothing,” you groaned, closing your eyes and clenching your teeth. “Just need to wait it out.”
“Seriously? That's your plan?”
"It's the only plan,” you gasped, trying to loosen your muscles.
“Isn't there medicine you can take?”
“There is, but- ah, ow,” you groaned, rolling over once your back allowed it to rest on your side. “Can't take meds too early. Need my stomach to settle first or else we have a whole different problem.”
“Your body just makes everything difficult, doesn't it?” He scoffed.
“Bingo,” you whimpered, curling up on your left side.
You felt a warm hand settle on your back, and you opened an eye to see Armitage hovering over you.
“I don't know what to do or how to help,” he confessed quietly. “But I want to.”
Part of you was tempted to ask him to help massage out the tension in your muscles and joints, but that felt like much too much to ask. So you nodded and opened up your palm, holding it up to him.
“You can just hold my hand through it,” you mumbled, feeling his warm, strong hand immediately close over yours. He wasn't wearing his gloves anymore, and you could see how thin and nimble his fingers were, with little scars along his hands. You liked them.
Armitage let you hold his hand, letting you squeeze it every time you had a muscle spasm or another sharp pain in your chest while your heart still calmed down from the fright. It was a miracle you hadn't fainted, really. After a 15, 20 minutes you decided you were well enough to sit up, and Armitage insisted on giving you a hand as you did so, then he finally let go.
“I regret to leave you,” he started. “But I have business I have to attend to today.”
“Oh, you're fine,” you insisted, shaking your head. “I can't keep you forever, heh.”
“Will I be allowed to return?”
“Yea, of course. I'd love to have you over again.”
“Tonight, then.”
“Uh… sure,” you agreed hesitantly. That was so soon.
“And I will pick up dinner so you don't have to cook.”
“Oh, you don't have to-”
“I will.” He stood up straight, dusting himself off. “And you will like it.”
You snorted, hiding your grin behind your hand.
“Alright, then.”
—⭒☆⭒—⭑⋆⋆⋆⭑—⭒☆⭒—
You spent the first hour after Armitage left still hanging out in bed, waiting until you gathered enough strength to really get out. You ate a small breakfast and took your meds, then lounged on the couch some more while you waited for them to kick in. Another hour went by and then you busied yourself with cleaning up what was left from the night before, running the dishwasher, and just picking up the place so it looked a little bit nicer. This time, you would be prepared for a guest.
You took a brief shower, which was a feat in itself, and then went back to the couch to relax for the rest of the day. That’s what you normally did on the days you didn’t have work- recover your body enough to be able to make it to work the next time. It was a cycle.
You had no idea when Armitage was coming over, he was rather vague when he just said ‘tonight’ so you changed into something decent right after your shower and waited in the living room, putting on an old holoshow for background noise to pass the time. It was after your usual dinnertime, but not too late into the evening, when the doorbell finally buzzed.
You dusted yourself off just to make sure you didn’t have any crumbs on you from your breakfast (which ended up being more like lunch with how long you were in bed before) and then got up to answer the door. You don’t know why you were so nervous, he was just here the night before! Actually, it was a few hours ago!
Shaking your head to rid your nerves, you unlocked the door and pulled it open, looking up to welcome him inside.
Armitage was standing at attention just outside your door, his posture stiff as a board as he held something out to you. Ah, good old military training, you suppose. He was holding a takeout bag in one hand, which you expect, but what you didn’t was in his other hand. It was a… a plant? A type of succulent, you think.
“What’s that for?” you asked, tilting your head as you stepped aside to let him in.
“I was told women appreciate gifts of flora. This one only requires watering every 2 weeks, and therefore will require minimal effort to take care of, which I thought was appropriate with the limited amount of energy you seem to have,” he explained, looking proud of himself.
“I- yeah,” you snorted, charmed by how thoughtful it was. “Most people give flowers, though.”
He shot you a look and you realized he might think you were laughing at him.
“Oh! No, I love it,” you added, gently taking the plant from him and setting it on your kitchen counter. “Thank you, thank you for thinking of the, uh, care and all that, that’s really sweet.”
“If you don’t like it, I can-”
“No! I said I did.” You set your hand on his arm to get your point across. “And I meant it! It’s thoughtful.”
Armitage’s gaze locked down on your hand as it rested on his arm, and he seemed too focused to answer you. You moved your hand off his arm to cup his face, surprised when he let you tilt his chin so easily to look back at you. He looked so kissable right now, but it was not the time.
“I really do appreciate it,” you repeated, smiling up at him as bright as ever as you watched his face flush. “I really, really do.”
“Right, well, I, um, yeah…” he muttered, turning his face into your palm and closing his eyes as he took a deep breath.
“Yeah,” you whispered, brushing your thumb over his nose.
Armitage's eyes glanced around before they refocused on you.
“Home alone again?” He murmured.
“Yeah,” you confirmed. “Roommate's out for a few days.”
The moment was broken as your stomach growled loudly, the smell of the food he brought (and was still holding) too tempting. You broke out in a giggle, brushing your fingers against his cheek before you pulled your hand back, and you were delighted to catch him smiling as well.
“Poor timing,” he chuckled. “I suppose we better feed you then, hm?”
“Sorry.” You shook your head, grinning. “But yes, I would love to eat now.”
You found yourself an hour later sitting on your couch with Armitage, your legs resting in his lap. You had said you were fine, but the coffee table was occupied with food so you couldn’t prop your legs up on it like usual, so he offered his lap as a solution. He seemed like the kind of guy who wanted to find an answer for everything.
You shared the meal quietly between you two. Armitage had nailed your food preferences, and when you asked him how he had managed to do that, he admitted to looking through your fridge and freezer before he left that morning to see what kind of food you ate. You couldn’t decide if it was creepy or endearing. Maybe both.
You stretched out a little as you finished eating, feeling content. The food was good, the company was good, the holoshow playing as background noise still was good. You felt Armitage’s hand settle on your calf as a muscle spasm hit in when you stretched, working out the tension with his thumb before you even had to ask.
“Mm, thank you,” you sighed. “Good boy.”
Armitage froze.
You froze.
The plant on the counter froze (it wasn’t moving anyway).
You hesitantly opened one eye, peeking at Armitage to see the damage you had dealt with your little slip up. He was completely silent, staring down at where his hand was still on your calf, and…
Blushing bright red like a tomato.
Ohhh, you got him.
“You liked that, didn’t you?” You asked, sitting up immediately.
“What?!” he scoffed, offended, but he couldn’t hide how pink he was. “Nonsense.”
“You did!” you teased, curling your legs further in his lap as you inched closer, grabbing the couch just behind his back for stability as you leaned in.
“No,” he protested weakly, letting his hand slide up from your calf to your knee. “You’re ridiculous.”
“You’re adorable.”
“You’re impossible.”
“You’re cute.”
Armitage huffed and puffed, and you thought for a moment he might pass out (could you die from embarrassment, you wondered?).
Then, suddenly, he leaned forward and smashed his face into yours.
Just…
Pressed his face against yours.
You think it’s supposed to be a kiss. His lips are squished up against the corner of your mouth, but he wasn’t moving, just holding himself there.
“Um,” you mumbled against him, muffled by how close he was.
Armitage slowly leaned back, holding your knee still as he swallowed thickly and looked down at you, staring at your mouth.
“Did I… misread…?” he started to ask softly, but you were already cupping his face and pulling him back in, pressing a proper kiss to his lips.
You kissed him.
And kissed him.
And kissed him, and kissed him, and kissed him, and… well, you get the idea.
You wrapped your arms around Armitage’s neck and finally released all of the affection that has been bubbling up for this stranger over the past couple days. Stranger? Friend? Who knows now. All you know is that you were pulling him closer and kissing every inch of his beautiful face, even chasing his lips when he tried to pull away to breathe.
“You’re very enthusiastic,” he panted, holding you tight as you kissed along his cheek and jaw to let him get some air.
“Yes, yes I am,” you giggled, sliding your arms down to wrap them around his torso, pulling him in for a deep hug, which he reciprocated after a moment.
He held you like someone who never wanted to let you go, trembling as his hands held onto your back tightly. You felt Armitage tuck his face against your shoulder, resting his head near your collarbone as he held you. You leaned backwards on the couch and he went with you, adjusting over you.
“Is my weight too much?” he asked softly, but didn’t look like he was going to move anyway.
“No, I love it,” you whispered. “Like a weighted blanket.”
You wrapped your arms around him again and he readjusted so his head was on your chest now, over your heart, and his arms were wrapped tightly around your torso. You couldn’t move even if you wanted to.
“Handsome boy,” you whispered without thinking much of it, running your hands through his hair to brush it back.
He trembled at your touch and only held you tighter, and you wondered what this man must have been through to warrant such a reaction.
He’d be safe in your arms, you decided.
—⭒☆⭒—⭑⋆⋆⋆⭑—⭒☆⭒—
For the better part of the next 2 weeks, Armitage was at your apartment almost every day. If you had work? He'd meet you at the bus station after your shift. If he had business? He'd still come by after. When your roommate came back? Well, she mostly kept to herself in her room anyway.
Every time he came over, it was the same routine, too.
You'd share a meal that either he brought or you threw in the oven. Then, you'd sit on the couch to watch a holoshow (right now you were watching a romantic drama which Armitage swears he wasn't invested in, but you knew better). He would start out stiff as a board, and then something would happen to flip a switch in his demeanor. Maybe you would touch his arm, or tell a joke, or put your legs in his lap. But as soon as the barrier was broken, Armitage was warming up to you more and more every day, you wouldn't have it any other way.
You didn't kiss often, he still seemed shy about it, but you didn't mind because it turns out he was a huge cuddler. It started with your legs in his lap most nights, but it would end with you sitting sideways in his lap, his arms around you to keep you from falling off the couch and his chin on your head.
You were in heaven.
Tonight, Armitage seemed to be paying you extra attention. Almost immediately after dinner, his hands were already on you (in a respectful manner, of course). He had brought you dinner and, to your surprise, a small bouquet of colorful flowers. The flowers now sat forgotten as he pulled you into his lap, resting his hand on your thigh as he massaged the sore muscle. You had worked earlier today.
“You're so beautiful,” he whispered, sounding starstruck as he looked at you, supporting you in his lap.
“I- heh, wow, thank you,” you whispered back, wrapping your arms around his neck. “You're not so bad yourself, handsome.”
Armitage smiled, real and warm, and leaned down to kiss your lips gently. Mm, he was getting better at that.
“We should get married,” he mumbled against your lips.
You snorted instantly, breaking the kiss.
“Sure, sure. White picket fence and 3 dogs too?”
“ I don't like dogs.” He frowned. “And I wasn't joking.”
“Ah… what?”
Armitage sucked in a breath and then huffed it out through his nose, frustrated.
“I… my ship leaves…”
Oh.
Oh.
Your heart sank all the way down into your stomach, making you sick. You forgot about that part.
“In 3 days,” he finished. “I have to go with it.”
“I understand.” Your eyes were already watering.
He wiped your tears away with his thumbs, which were bare of his leather gloves for once.
“I can take you with me,” he added softly. “If you marry me, spouses are permitted to be on the ship.”
“I can't just-”
“I'll provide everything,” he continued. “You won't have to work another day in your life. You'll have the best medical care. I'll take you to see the whole galaxy, if that's what you want. I'll give you the whole galaxy.”
“Armitage, I- what about…” you searched for something. “My job?”
“They can replace you.”
“My roommate?”
“She has a full time career and will have no issues affording this place without you.”
“My, umm… plant?”
“We'll take it with us. That, and any belongings you want. I can have it packed and ready before my ship leaves.”
“I don't know if I can marry someone I just met.”
“I do,” he whispered, cupping your face delicately. “I know what I want, and I'm prepared to do what it takes to keep it.”
“I can be a real pain to take care of when I'm low, are you sure?”
“I already bought a ring.”
You stared at him, mouth agape, thinking that for sure he must be joking, but his expression was as serious as ever. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a smooth, black box, which he opened to reveal a ring set with a small, glittering gemstone that matched your eyes.
“Armitage..” you whispered, debating it over in your head. He promised wonderful things, and your life here was dull and monotonous… but how boring would a spaceship be?
“One condition,” you decided.
“Anything.”
“I want to bring a companion.”
“We are not bringing your roommate-”
“Not her. I have something better in mind.”
This is how Armitage found himself in the middle of a pet store, following you around as you looked at all the various creatures from around the galaxy in the exotic pet shop. Your eyes were immediately drawn to one specific cage.
“Look at these!” You pointed at furry little creatures who squeaked at you. “They're… cats!” You read the sign out loud. “Oh, I've heard of those!”
“Tiny predators,” he scoffed, bending down to peer in the cage next to you. “Don't you want something… quieter?”
“Armitage, look! This one's ginger like you!” You pointed at a little ball of fluff who was climbing over its siblings. “We have to get that one! It's destiny!”
“Ah, yes, that one is very rare,” the seller interjected. “A female ginger is hard to find in this part of the galaxy.”
“Did you hear that, Armitage? We need her!”
“A seller will say anything to sell their wares,” he scoffed under his breath.
“I'll let you name her,” you bribed.
“...fine. We'll take that one.”
You squealed in delight as the kitten was taken from the cage and handed to you, and you held her securely in one arm while still using your cane with the other hand, Armitage paid for the little beast and a few bags worth of stuff she would need (yes, Armitage, the toys were necessary).
You stepped out of the store, holding the kitten while Armitage carried the bags.
“So, what are you going to name her?”
“Millicent.”
“Millicent? Huh, that's pretty.” You looked down at the little ball of fluff. “Hi, Millicent. We're your new parents.”
Armitage scoffed, but when you looked over, he was grinning ear to ear.
Yeah.
Everything was going to be just fine.