Work Text:
Some days were longer than others. That day in particular had been especially tiring, just dragging on for no real reason. Busy work, tedious errands, and it had started pouring outside. Yup. Definitely a long day. That point was only driven home further when you walked in the door to find Taishiro cooking dinner already. He so rarely got home before you, given his status as a Pro Hero; maybe he’d just had an easy day. It’d be nice to think one of you had.
“Was wonderin’ when you’d get back, Chickadee,” he called from the kitchen, no doubt having heard you shut the door behind you, not that you’d slammed it. He was just good at listening.
You hadn’t even finished slipping your shoes off before you saw him come around the corner, tossing a dish towel behind him and onto the counter after having just cleaned his hands off on it. He didn’t need to ask, seeing the wearily relieved look on your face. Instead, he just offered a sympathetic smile. “Dinner’s almost done, so you can just relax for a bit, yeah?”
You nodded, taking a few steps forward. His arms had already been outstretched and waiting for you, strong and soft all at once as he tugged you into a warm, comforting embrace. It was like being hugged by a heated, memory foam mattress, and you never got tired of it. It was always exactly what you needed to soothe your tired muscles and frayed nerves.
“Thank you Toyo,” you hummed, nuzzling into the plushness of his belly as you struggled to return his hug. Being so much smaller than him (as most people were) came with a few setbacks, but even those setbacks weren’t all that unpleasant. It just made it easier to sink into him and appreciate his doughy comfort. “But I can help if you need me to. I don’t mind.”
He shook his head, effortlessly lifting you up and cradling you bridal style just to press a lingering kiss against your cheek. It was always easier for him to just pick you up than try to stoop down and force you to crane your neck or get on your tiptoes. “Nah, don’t worry about it,” he contradicted, carrying you to the kitchen like you weighed nothing. To him, you really didn’t. “You deserve a little pamperin’, I’d say.”
“But you work hard too,” you insisted gently, accepting his kiss and offering one of your own, cupping his round chin in your palm. “If not harder.”
“That doesn’t mean anythin’. Bein’ a Hero doesn’t make me any more important, so just sit yourself down and keep me company.” He grinned warmly, setting you down next to the table and pulling a chair out for you to sit in. “Sound like a fair trade? It’s my final offer,” he added with a cheeky grin.
You supposed you could abide by those terms; it wasn’t like it made any difference. If you didn’t, he’d just continuously put you back in time out until you gave up and just let him do his thing. He was just stubbornly sweet like that.
“Like a mother hen,” you teased softly, pressing yourself into him again in your best possible attempt at an embrace. Then you sighed, conceding to him and taking a seat. “Fine, fine… I guess I’ll be good.”
“Atta girl.” He ruffled your hair playfully now that you had given in, tucking some of it behind your ear and rubbing his thumb over your cheek. Then his energy softened a bit. “... Wanna talk about it?” he asked gently after a moment, straightening up as he started back towards his cooking. It was almost comical, the way he barely fit in the narrow kitchen space.
You shook your head softly, leaning back in your chair and rubbing the bridge of your nose between your fingers. “It’s nothing, really. Just tired,” you answered plainly, preferring not to worry him. Besides, there really wasn’t anything to worry about in the first place. One dismal day was nothing to get worked up over, and it was better to just enjoy being home with him. “Just glad to be back.”
“If you say so, doll.” He wouldn’t press, because he knew if it was worth talking about, you would. “M’glad you’re back too. I was getting antsy waiting too. Missed ya all day, y’know.”
You couldn’t help but snort a bit at the sentiment, despite sharing it yourself. “You’re such a sap,” you chuckled, rising from your seat and stepping into the kitchen, what little room was left in it anyway. All you wanted was to fit yourself against him again, even if his hands were too busy to hug you back at the moment. “... Missed you too.”
You stuck close the entire time he cooked dinner, and the two of you shared comfortable conversation while you ate. Since he cooked, you took it upon yourself to clean up after and do the dishes, but just like you had while he made dinner, he never strayed too far from you. His presence alone was consoling, so it was even better when you felt his palms rest on your shoulders. His touches were gentle and slow, his large, strong hands starting at the crook of your neck and rubbing up and down your back.
A pleasant hum rose in your throat as he put a bit of pressure at the meeting point of your neck and shoulders, leaning backwards into him while you scrubbed a plate clean and set it on the drying rack. It almost made your eyes slip contentedly closed, the way he softly worked away at the tension in your muscles.
“Yer all knotted up,” he remarked, his thumb pressing between your shoulder blades to roll and knead into the muscles there. “Think you’ve done enough work for one day, yeah?” He didn’t give you a chance to answer before picking you up by the waist, easily cradling you against his body with one hand and shutting the faucet off with the other. “C’mon, Chickadee. The rest can wait ‘til tomorrow.”
With that he carried you out to the living room to sit on the couch with you on his lap. Well, more on his belly than his lap, as it covered a majority of his thighs when he sat. Either way it was comfortable, and you couldn’t have argued with him even if you’d wanted to. Sometimes you had to wonder how you’d gotten so lucky; he was always there taking care of you. Really, you took care of each other, but there was a reason he was the Hero. It was what he did best.
Looping your arms around his neck (sort of), you nuzzled into his chest and let out a sigh that seemed to have been pent up all day, like you’d been holding your breath for hours. “You feel so nice,” you told him, as you often did; how could you not? He was just too perfect, and he deserved to know it. “Best thing I could possibly come home to.”
His voice rumbled in the back of his throat in a contented purr. “I couldn’t agree more,” he chuckled, deep and smooth as he nosed into your hair and peppered the crown of your head with kisses. “So, sweet pea. What’ll it be? Comedy or action movie?”
“I don’t see why we can’t do both,” you countered, an easy grin finding its way onto your lips. He always knew just what you needed. “Cheesy explosions and bad jokes sound like the perfect remedy to sucky day.”
He laughed a bit at that, leaning forward to grab the remote off the coffee table. “You got it.” He clicked on the TV and found Netflix, booting it up and starting to scroll through their options. “If anything pops out at’cha, just lemme know.”
Eventually you settled on a flick, but really it was just in your periphery. You were more focused on his plush warmth and the sound of his heart beating rhythmically in your ear, your cheek pressed to his chest. His calm, even breathing was easing too, every muscle in your body starting to go lax. It was easy to go limp when you were being held by him, like a doll in his arms; honestly, the size difference wasn’t too far off from that.
It barely felt like you’d blinked, but you could tell just from the sounds of the movie that you’d dozed off in his grasp. It was the final scene of the film, but you didn’t really mind missing it. And he clearly didn’t mind letting you get some nice rest while he cradled you. It made him feel good, being able to care of you. He’d even joked that his motives were “selfish,” but you both knew better. You just cared for each other in general.
“Have a nice nap, chickadee?” he chuckled, and you could not only hear, but feel the purr in his voice through his plush chest. “You really were tired.”
You smiled up at him sleepily, reaching up to cup and pat his handsome, rounded cheeks, running your knuckles under his chin. “You’re just so comfy, Toyo. You make it too easy to nod off when I’m this cozy.”
To your surprise, you noticed a soft, barely-there flush bridge across his nose as he blinked down at you. Maybe it was just from how sappy your words had been, but he almost seemed a bit flustered by them. It was unusual for him, normally so bold and boisterous. But after a short beat of silence, he returned your warm countenance, and gladly. He had a smile like the sun, the effect only amplified by the halo of his fluffy, golden hair.
“You’re just too cute, dollface,” he rumbled, leaning down to nose into your hair. His arms hugged a little bit tighter around you as he rocked you against his big, pillowy belly. “If you’re gettin’ so sleepy, why don’t we hit the hay? Then you can really get cozy. I’ll give you a proper rub down too, if you want.”
That sounded like a perfect idea. You nodded, maybe a bit too eagerly, and that was more than enough to prompt him to stand. (Really, the brightening of your eyes would’ve sufficed as an answer). You were such a lightweight to him that he didn’t struggle one bit to lift you up and start toting you off towards the bedroom. He only set you down so the two of you could change into some pajamas, either one stealing a few wanting touches. A brush of the hand here, a grip of soft flesh there. By the time you were both ready to lay down, you were desperate to just collapse on top of him and feel him all over.
Instead he had you lay on your stomach so he could make good on his promise. You crossed your arms underneath the pillow as you rested your cheek against it, letting yourself relax into the mattress. He didn’t waste time in filling the space beside you, making the bed dip and groan a bit under his added weight. It wasn’t a small bed by any means either; it was custom made for his impressive proportions, in fact.
“Where’s it hurt the most?” he asked, laying on his side and propping himself up with his elbow. His hand supported his head, and the other made quick work of running up and down the subtle curve of your back. Every once in a while he’d add a bit of pressure, gauging your reaction to find which places needed the most attention. “Between your shoulder blades?”
She nodded, letting your eyes close and humming pleasantly as he started rolling his palm into the spot. His hands were so large and powerful that he really only needed one to accomplish a proper massage. Two made it go a little more quickly, but speed wasn’t what either of you cared about. You’d both rather he took his time so you could enjoy the moment together and let it linger as long as possible.
“Right there’s good,” you mumbled sleepily, a little, pleased groan escaping you as the tension was rubbed away. “Not too hard though.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he chuckled, leaning in to pepper kisses over your cheek and down your jaw, still working his fingers against your back. “I know how tender you are.”
“Shut up,” you hummed, but in a good-humored kind of way. You couldn’t really argue with the sentiment, anyway.
He just traced a couple more kisses nearer to your neck, amusement purring in his throat. “Aw,” he began simply, never ceasing his massaging motions, “that’s mean, doll. And after I’ve taken such good care’a you tonight.”
After rolling your eyes a bit, you propped up on your elbows so you could meet his lips in a soft, languid kiss. After a moment of that, he tugged you closer, hardly having to try as he rolled onto his back and pulled you on top of him. One hand found its way into the hair at the back of your head, the other still braced against your back to keep rubbing soothing circles into it.
It felt good to sink into him like that, his body like a bed on its own. Being engulfed in his soft, pliant warmth was one of your favorite things. Feeling his mouth move in time with yours was another, soft and slow and sweet. When you finally pulled away, it was only to breathe and run your fingers through his blonde fringe.
“Thank you, Toyo,” you hummed pleasantly as you relaxed into him more and more.
“No need for thanks, doll,” he chuckled simply, one arm draping over you to hug you deeper into him, the other slipping under his pillow to support his head a bit. “Just doin’ right by you. Now get some real sleep, yeah?”
You nodded, your eyes already feeling heavy all over again. It didn’t take long at all for your consciousness to ebb into comfortable dreams, your breathing evening out along with his as you dozed off together. A perfect end to any day, good or bad. You were right where you wanted to be.