Chapter Text
Your phone was buzzing again .
You sighed to yourself, and denied the call. You'd already texted Red to tell him you wouldn't be able to meet up, you were busy studying. But he was insistent (and I mean insistent ) on getting you up and out the house.
"... kiiiiitteeeeeen?"
The sound of Red's dramatically sad voice following the sharp knock on your bedroom door made you roll your eyes... but you didn't stop your pencil. You didn't even question how he'd gotten in your house. Dumbass.
"What?"
"come ouuuttt." He was being particularly overly pathetic, even whining at the end. You knew he was making a pout and pulling puppydog eyes, just from his tone. "you haven't been outside in two days."
"No, Red. I've got to study." Those final exams weren't going to pass themselves.
He momentarily dropped the childish voice, sighing deeply and leaning against the door. "at least lemme in."
"No." You rolled your eyes.
"why nooooot!?" Yep, right back to the whining.
"Because you'll distract me!" You put down your pencil and put your head in your hands, groaning loudly. "We've been through this already! Just let me study!"
Your skeleton boyfriend had ALWAYS been the attention-seeking, needy type.
He'd do little things, like sitting next to you and asking questions about whatever you were doing so you'd talk to him about it instead of concentrating, or joining in your conversations with other people so smoothly that you wouldn't even notice he had walked in the room until he had an arm around your shoulders. He called you at least once a day to see how you were doing. He always needed to be hugging you or touching you in some way, maybe a hand on your hip or shoulder in your hair.
And you loved it.
You couldn't help it. But... you'd had a crush on Red for long time, waaay before the two of you ever got together.
You liked talking to him about whatever you were doing instead of doing it, you liked how (with his expertise on implanting himself into conversations) you could give him a look from across the room when someone was making you feel awkward and he'd skilfully slip in and save you. You waited eagerly for his calls, already planning a meet-up in your mind, and...
Oh man, the touching.
Had he been any other person, you would've up and un-friended his bony ass when you first met. Usually, that kind of casual touching without an established relationship made you nervous and want to leave, or bat their hand away defensively.
But with him, it was different.
At first he'd been incredibly defensive and tsundere about how huggy he was with you any time you brought it up, but eventually, as he got more comfortable and the two of you started dating, he dropped the gruff exterior and just enjoyed it. His handling of you made you feel warm, and fuzzy. The clawed hand on your hip as the two of you walked together, the one on your leg when you bounced it too much, the arm around you as you leant into his touch, too focused on him and his breathing to pay attention to whatever was on the TV, the gentle chuckle and ruffle of your hair...
The softness of his jacket as he carried you to bed after putting his foot down and making you stop and take care of yourself.
And...
The occasional peck on the cheek he gave when he thought you were asleep.
You flushed, banishing those thoughts.
Said love of touching was working incredibly out of favour for you, longing to give in to Red's incessant whining and join him for a relaxing cuddle!
But you needed. To get this done!!
---
Red sighed between his teeth, trying not to be salty over the fact that you still wouldn't hang out with him.
I mean, seriously. You'd been in there for 48 hours, and judging by the state of the house when he teleported in, you had barely left your room either.
"studying for two days straight isn't good for you, sweetheart." He said, adding a stern undertone when the whining didn't work. "ya need to let your brain rest."
"What I need, Red , is to pass!" You said, voice laced with a mix of aggravation and exhaustion.
He rolled his eyelights. "the only passing you're gonna do, angel, is passing out during the final exam."
"HAH! Shows what you know!" As much as he loved the pride and enthusiasm in your voice... "I stopped being tired hours ago!"
...
"...how long has it been since ya slept?"
"36 hours!"
He groaned, resting his forehead on the door.
There was nothing he hated more than when you didn't take care of yourself. When he'd first met you, it'd been a lot like this- teleporting to your house to find you squirrelled away on the sofa, living off cheeto dust and 3 hours of sleep, playing a game or binge-watching a show. In fact, you'd be so tired that you wouldn't even question how he got in your house in the first place.
Dammit. He hadn't planned on falling in love with a hermit.
It was on the third night of strong-arming you into getting into bed and having a healthy 8 hours, pretending to groan about how annoying and messy you were, that he realised he... liked taking care of you. He liked convincing you to put down the remote and have a shower, he liked cooking you your first proper balanced meal in weeks, he liked watching you eat it and then carrying you, passed out, to your bed, far more exhausted than you'd ever admit.
And then, once he noticed that, everything else started coming to light. How, despite the hatred of touching he thought he had, his hands always found themselves on your body. And not even in a sexual way! He just wanted to feel the skin of your arms, or the softness of your neck, or the silky texture of your hair. Before he knew it he was daydreaming about snuggling you into his arms, having that softness all to himself.
Was he creepy for liking that as much as he did? Did it make him creepy, or a bad boyfriend, for wanting you all to himself, for treasuring the moments where he got to sit with you and run his claws through your hair? Was it bad that he couldn't picture himself in any relationship other than one with you?
He sighed again, trying his best to focus on the moment at present. After all- right now, he needed to lure you out of your cave.
"sweeeeeeeetheeaaaarrrt...?"
He heard you sigh behind the door, probably rubbing the space between your eyes in frustration.
"Yes?"
"at least come study out here." He made his tone soft. "i promise i won't distract you."
Lies.
"... Liar."
Oof, you saw right through him.
... But still. On the other end, he could hear shuffling, a chair creaking and a mild swear, before the door finally opened.
...
He looked you up and down. Messy, uncombed hair, visible bags under your glazed-over eyes, bad posture, a smudge of some undisclosed foot item at the corner of your mouth. The smell clued him onto the fact that you hadn't changed out of your pyjamas, either. In your arms was a laptop and a bundle of notes, plus a flaky charger and a pen.
"... sweetheart." He said, raising his brows at you chidingly. "what did we talk about?"
"... If you're gonna stay up all night, at least change your clothes." You muttered, eyes casting downwards.
... Dammit. Fuck. Even when you were like this, you were still too goddamn adorable for your own good... The way you shuffled your feet together, the way you held your jumbly notes and laptop closer to your chest (pressing your breasts together, how the hell was he supposed to not stare when the front of your pyjama tank top was so low!?), how messy and cute your hair was. He couldn't help himself when a short breath left his chest and his hand reached out and cupped your cheek, skin tantalisingly soft on his bones, albeit not as soft from you not taking care of yourself.
"... Red?" You blinked, and he could feel the heat in your cheeks, feel the blood pumping, so close to the skin, so close to him ...
... Oh yeah. Right.
... He used his bony thumb to wipe the mysterious stain off the side of your mouth, grinning gently and removing his hand.
"you had a mark." He excused.
"... O-oh. Well, I'm gonna set up at the table." You moved past him, and he was just left hoping that you'd give in and cuddle with him soon ... He was craving it. Even as you hurried away, he could still feel the ghost of your softness on his hands...
"... yeah. okay."
---
Dammit dammit dammit dammit dammit dammit dammit dammit dammit dammit dammit dammit dammit
You knew what your boyfriend was trying to do. You knew . He thought he was sooooo slick with his comfy blanket on the couch and interesting-sounding show playing in the background. He thought he could lure you, he thought he could distract you like he always did! He'd managed to coax you into having a short shower and changing into a newer pair of pyjamas but you weren't going to let him push you around anymore! He thought he was sooooooo distracting you...
Well , You thought, not stopping writing. He...
...
He was totally distracting you.
You wanted to join him, to snuggle for a little while, actually shut your eyes and forget about the exams, but there was studying that needed to be done, note-taking, memorising... You could snuggle all you wanted after the exams, and after you'd gotten your results back!
It didn't matter if you'd felt your whole face light up and your heart start to pound when he'd so casually cupped your cheek, your reaction like a child with a crush, and you hadn't been able to help yourself from picturing him leaning in a little, pressed his teeth to your lips, wrapping you up in his big strong arms...
Ignoring your sound of surprise and holding you close, kissing softly, tangling one hand in the hair on the back of your head to press deeper, letting out a sigh of satisfaction when you kissed back...
"...kitten..."
Yeah, he'd whisper in your ear just like that, heavy and-
"kitten."
...
You probably jumped about 3ft into the air at the sound of his very real voice so close, just by your ear, breath on your cheek, a hand on the opposite shoulder's soft touch contrasting greatly to the way it violently jolted you out of your daydream.
"WHAT?!" You shrieked, turning to him, then immediately forcibly calming yourself when you saw the shock in his eyelights. "What? What. ...What?"
"..." He chuckled, gently, smile returning. It was so deep and silky that you turned back to your notes, ignoring the tight feeling in your chest and the hammering of your heart in your ears. You hoped to everything holy that your face wasn't red from your imaginative daydream.
He walked around the chair until he was directly behind you and leaned closer, chest resting on the back of your shoulders and skull directly next to your face.
"you wrote 'and' four times in a row." He purred.
... You couldn't focus. He was so close .
You took a tiny breath, continuing your writing, crossing out three of the 'and's and carrying on. But it was so hard to concentrate, when his warm breath touched your cheeks and his slowly rising and falling chest was on the back of your shoulders, hands sliding down to rest on your hips, a place they often liked to stop. You could smell his slightly smokey breath, and with every exhale, your mind drifted further.
"y'know..." Oh my stars, that purr . "there's a big, soft blanket on the couch i'd like you to meet... i'm sure the two of you would get along very well..."
"I-I'm concentrating!" You squeaked.
Red... chuckled, again.
"you sure?"
"Yes!"
"totally 100% focused on the work, and not me?"
"YES!"
"cus you're writing my name on the page."
...
There wasn't even any way you could hide your blush, at that point. Your whole face was a tomato and you dropped your pencil, hiding your head in your hands and making a boiling kettle sound. He was right- you'd stopped halfway through a sentence to write his name.
Twice.
"if you can't concentrate, you should come sit with me." He said, as if it were an obvious fact. "clearly, you're too tired to focus..."
"I! Am! Perfectly! Focused!" You squawked, defensively. "You're just distracting!"
"distracting, hm~...?"
"IN A BAD WAY!"
You got up from your chair furiously and stormed over to the kitchen, ignoring Red's sad noise as you left. Your frustration was only increased when you brought a glass down from the cupboard and turned on the tap, only to find you'd done so too vigorously, and water shot out, hitting the bottom of the sink and spraying upwards into your face and over your chest.
You slammed the glass back onto the counter and took deep breaths through your nose. Why couldn't Red just let you concentrate on your work!? Then, you'd go to the exams prepared, pass with at least a decent grade, and...
"sweetheart."
His voice had lost it's playful tone, and two hands appeared on either side of you on the counter, blocking you off. You sighed, fury slipping away very slightly.
"you need to take a break."
"No I don't."
"angel, you've been yawning constantly these past few hours. don't think i didn't notice." His arms moved from the counter up to your shoulders, where he began to press and massage gently. Dammit, that'd always been a strong suit of his... you couldn't help yourself from relaxing, a tiny moan leaving your mouth. "you could barely walk in a straight line. you're moody, easily upset-"
Your temper flared. "Excuse me!? No I'm no-"
... You stopped yourself, sighing when you realised your own hypocrisy. He made a little noise of affirmation behind you.
"... Yeah. Yeah, I guess I am."
"just take a break, alright?" His voice sounded so good, low and sugary, and his hands were working your shoulders in just the right way... you could already feel your eyelids closing. "i'm not saying stop working entirely. no more than a few hours relaxing, then you can go straight back. doesn't that sound nice?"
"... Y-yeah, but..." Dammit he was wearing you down.
"c'mon. take a break."
... He started humming a familiar tune under his breath, in that sweet, sweet baritone. Immediately, your ears perked up.
"Red. No."
"take a break, and get awaaaaaaayy..."
Uh oh.
Suddenly, he spun you around, entwining one hand with yours, another lightly resting on the small of your back as he made you face him. Well... it was resting 'lightly', but you knew that pulling away would be impossible.
You rolled your eyes, trying to mask the blush you felt at his proximity. His huge chest, his SOUL humming through the bones, his sharp smile, his gorgeous baritone voice...
"No, Red, you can't Hamilton m-"
"let's go upstate!" He started spinning you, moving around the room. "where we can staaaaaayy..."
Wow, you didn't know he could hit those notes. Since when was he a singer? You flushed further, hoping the light could disguise it. "Are you singing both parts at once?"
"look around, look around, at how lucky we are to be alive right now..."
"Just Eliza, then."
His voice took on a smoother, silkier tone, and the spinning began to slow, eyelights glowing like burning embers, sockets lidding very slightly.
"close your eyes and dream..."
You let out a tiny squeak when he actually dipped you, sliding the hand on the small of your back upwards as support and bringing his other up, still entwined with yours, so that he could make the back of your hand rest on his cheekbone.
"when the night gets dark..."
...
...
...
"Red?" You asked, voice small as you looked up at him.
"mhm?" Oh God that was like melted chocolate.
...
You took a little breath, steeling yourself and staring him dead in the eyelights. "I'm still not taking a break."
"yes, you are." He grinned.
"No, I'm not."
He raised both his brow bones. "what happened when alexander didn't take a break?"
"But that was over 200 years ag-"
"that's right, everything went to shit."
"I'm not taking a break!"
"okay. how about this?" He said, lifting you back up, but not removing his hands from their positions. "sit with me on the couch for fifteen minutes. if you don't fall asleep, you're right about not being exhausted. you can go back to work, and i'll leave you alone until after the exams."
... You narrowed your eyes.
"And if I fall asleep?"
"well," he shrugged, grinning more. "i think that speaks for itself."
"..." You pursed your lips.
15 minutes on the sofa didn't seem like that much. I mean, you'd been in a chair all day without blinking or feeling tired, what challenge could a simple couch cushion and a warm blanket provide? And if you succeeded, Red would stop distracting you, stop trying to get your attention, and just let you keep working. Overall, it seemed like he was offering the victory to you on a silver platter.
"... Alright. Challenge accepted." You raised your chin, proudly, and crossed your arms over your chest, not noticing the way his grin lifted. "And in fifteen minutes I'll finally get some peace and quiet."
"of course." He purred. Why did he look so smug?
You rolled your eyes and stepped away from him, leaving the kitchen and heading over to the couch. It was easy, right? 15 minutes. That's just 5 minutes, three times. You could do that without falling asleep.
... You sat down on the sofa, sinking into the cushions, your butt (aching from so long on hard wooden chairs) feeling so much better. It was super soft... You did a little wriggle to get comfortable...
Wait, no! You weren't supposed to get comfortable-
... PLeh.
Your vision was obscured for a second, but you pulled the offending item off your head. A... blanket?
"wrap up, kitty." Red said, softly.
... You looked up at him. The blanket was so soft... a light shade of blue. "But..."
"part of the deal." Red sat down next to you and wrapped an arm around your shoulders, pulling you in close. "now wrap up."
... You sighed again, but obeyed, snuggling into the blanket and allowing Red to cuddle you. He let one of his hands start playing with your hair, careful and gentle.
"I won't fall asleep." You insisted.
"sure you won't."
---
...
... You were out before the six minute mark.
There was no chance you'd last. Red'd got the comfiest blanket for you. He fluffed up the pillows before you sat down, he combed his phalanges through your hair, a move he knew relaxed you. He knew you wouldn't survive the onslaught of softness and relaxation, it was why he placed the 'bet' in the first place. How could you defeat him? He'd done this enough times to know exactly how to coax you to sleep.
He felt himself purring, and didn't try to stop. It felt good to finally have you not stressed and vibrating and seeing double and existing on another dimensional time frame to everyone else.
You moved, in your sleep, cuddling closer to him, and it made his Soul flutter. You'd probably be out for half a day, considering your destructive and completely random sleep schedule. That gave him enough time to clean up, because he loved you and respected you, but your room smelled like something died.
He sighed, kissing your forehead, and you smiled in your sleep.
As much as he grumbled, he liked this. He just wished he could skip the luring-you-down-from-a-tree-with-blankets-and-kisses part.
But either way, at the end, it was all worth it.
...
He just couldn't believe that in this relationship, he was the responsible one.