Work Text:
“Are you okay?” Sebastian asked in a worried tone immediately after turning away from a workshop. He’s been working there for a while, making more bullets for his next mission. It’s been awfully quiet the entire time, so it didn’t even cross his mind that someone else may be in the room with him. But there was Stefano. Lying on his left side with his arm under his head on an open couch by the opposite to the workshop wall. His shoes were on the floor and legs half bent. He didn’t make a sound or a move, when Sebastian addressed him.
Sebastian could feel his stomach turn with unease as he crossed the rather small room in a few quick steps. Getting close he noticed that Stefano’s blue eye was only half closed as he was staring into nowhere breathing silently.
“Hey...” Sebastian started again in a soft calming voice. “Stefano. What’s wrong?”
No answer. But at least he blinked and slowly moved his head to look up at him, clearly struggling to recall what he had been asked about. Sebastian sat on the couch removing his shoes and tossing them aside.
“Are you on your Crimson Period again?” He asked trying another approach.
“Shut up.” Stefano chuckled weakly as he watched Sebastian lay down on his right side facing him. They spent a minute listening to each other’s breathing. Sebastian looked at the other man attempting to understand what led him to such a devastated condition. At the same time Stefano was trying to come up with words to explain his current state.
“I just... feel weird... Not right. There must be something wrong with me...” He said with a suddenly heavy accident. “I feel so powerless. Worthless. Petty! Disgusting!”
He spat out the last words, a single tear rolling down his cheek. “I hate it. I’m absolutely pathetic and-“
Sebastian’s palm covered his mouth pressing on it lightly. How are you supposed to react in such situations? Is it depression? It gotta be depression. But how? And why? Just an hour ago the artist looked and acted completely normal, whatever that means for someone like him. So why all of the sudden? Sebastian struggled to understand. His hand slid from artist’s mouth to his neck, where it started drawing gentle circles with its pads.
“Must be some error in STEM... I've been here so long it probably started to affect me or something” Stefano mumbled as if he heard his thoughts. “Or else I don’t understand where it came from. It just did. Out of nowhere. I was trying to take a picture of a technician woman I found hanging on the wires of her own computer but the angle was off. So I tried again. And then again. And again. And again! But neither of them turned out even close to what I was going for. It's terrible! What is wrong with me? I can’t even take a simple photo! That’s my specialty, for fuck's sake!” He felt Sebastian’s thumb stroke his jawline. Stefano could feel himself melting under this simple caress, so he closed his eye to fully experience it. Other four fingers were making lines on his neck. Then all of them lifted up to his ear tracing its edge, brushing behind it, carefully squeezing its lobe. Then these wonderfully rough but tender fingers travelled down to his cheek, and started caressing his lips, his chin, his lips again, his nose, his lips, his cheek and... Stefano jerked back as soon as one of them crawled under his bang.
"You don't want to see that thing." Stefano warned more tears dripping down his face.
“Please.” Sebastian’s soft whisper made him slowly return to the precious position, allowing Sebastian to slip his fingers under his bang with extra caution and brush it behind Stefano’s ear revealing his distorted eye socket.
Sebastian had never got the opportunity to look at it properly. It looked otherworldly and corrupt. Flesh and blood and glassy lens were the componets of his mutilated eye. Sebastian’s heart ached. Who could ever do something like this to a man? It looks so painful and twisted. But he is so beautiful. Even with this horrible lens mashed into slightly pulsating misshapen flesh. Even with tears that had just started flowing in a stream from his healthy but now red eye. Even with these tiny bloody drops that had formed in the supposed corner of his damaged eye. Even with this faint moaning sound that escaped artist’s throat and quickly turned into messy cry. Sebastian felt like he’s in an odd dream. His hands cupped Stefano’s face, wiping both watery and bloody tears from his face. He got closer and their lips touched, barely moving against each other.
“It looks so painful...” Sebastian whispered into his lips. “I’m so sorry.”
Stefano sobbed, his hot and uneven breath worrying sensitive skin of Sebastian’s mouth. Tears kept covering his grimaced face with blood and salt.
“It is.” Stefano whispered. “It is so painful sometimes, I want to rip it completely out... and it is so gross. Unbearably ugly... Disgusting... I... I am but a distasteful mass of spoilt flesh!” He cried out choking on air of his own gasps.
“Oh God, Stefano, no. No.” Sebastian whispered and his arm went around artist’s waist, pressing him into his chest as close as possible. “You are gorgeous. No matter how many scars... or wounds you have... it doesn’t spoil you. Not for a bit. You pull it off. Not everyone can. In fact, very few can! Believe me... I’ve seen a lot of gore even before this. Scarred and damaged and disfigured and broken. I’ve seen them all. But none of them managed to look so... astonishing.”
“You’re just saying that-“ Stefano started but his sobbing slowed down and he looked at Sebastian with noticeable interest. Sebastian kissed the bridge of his nose.
“I am just saying that you are a person of a unique beauty. So fucking magnifico!” Sebastian barked out the last phrase with such enthusiasm that Stefano couldn’t help but chuckle. Though his eye was still very wet and red and a couple of blood stripes now coloured his face, he smiled and huffed. His breath got more and more steady as he rested in his lover’s embrace feeling loved and truely needed.
“All it took is some flattery from some dirty commoner cop... What is wrong with me?” His smile widened and tongue run over his lips.
“That’s the magic of true love, sunshine!” Sebastian’s voice went sugary sweet as he reached for Stefano’s lips with his index finger and made the smuggest face possible.
“Sebastian, no-“
“What is wrong, baby? Do you need me to bring you a star from the sky, because I totally will-“ Sebastian grinned hand going down to stroke down Stefano’s side and then go up with light tickling taps.
“No!” Stefano tried to stop himself but still squeaked with laughter. “You philistine! Stop!”
“I will never stop, my love! For you I will-“ Sebastian almost sang as he tickled Stefano’s side with a mischievous smile.
“Stoooop!” Stefano howled before capturing detective’s arm with his hand and licking him in the lips. Sebastian kissed him almost instantly opening his mouth. Their tongues met as their kiss went deeper and more and more passionate. He pushed Stefano on the back and rested above him on his elbows without pausing the kiss. Stefano cupped his face with a thought that he would have to make him shave one day. Sebastian surely read his thoughts as he pulled away and took a moment to scratch against his cheek with his stubble. Stefano huffed in seeming annoyance but was immediately distracted by a new wave of kisses that came onto his face and neck.
After some time when their lips started to hurt and breathing became too hard to manage Sebastian pulled back and fell on his side next to Stefano again.
They spent in about a minutes wordless, happy and panting. Sebastian’s arm lazily brushed up and down Stefano’s chest.
“Seb-“ Stefano began but something stopped him.
“What?” His voice sounded a bit gruff so he had so clear his throat waiting for Stefano to speak up.
“Thank you.” He finally choked out of himself. “And... I’m sorry. I try my best not to give up to this, but I’m not always successful.”
“That’s okay. If you ever do again, please, don’t hesitate to come to me. I can’t bear to see you suffer like this.” Sebastian said quietly as Stefano moved closer to him to be pulled into another soft and comforting embrace.
Stefano huffed into his shoulder and shut his eye, feeling inspired to take a few photos of his lover later when their cuddle season would end.