Chapter Text
Seam and Jevil both had things they rather wish not to speak about.
A normal thing, honestly. Lots of romantic partners would not talk about everything after all. But… for Seam and Jevil? They were cut from the same cloth so-to-speak; they just fit together. They shared everything.
Almost.
They still knew more of each other than anyone else did about either of them combined. Both of them had lived through hard times. Yet still, there were some things they did not know about each other.
Jevil thought about this fact again after his talk with Spades.
True, Rouxls was someone who carried something heavy on his soul too. Jevil had known of that back then but he was just… not really equipped to handle it then. So they had ignored the issue. And it never got any better.
Maybe it was not the exact reason for their break-up but was definitely one of the factors that paved the way for it.
Jevil had loved Rouxls and, in a way, still does. A lot. Though all of the fun he has with teasing both Rouxls and Spades aside, he really does think the two of them would be good for each other. Being with Spades would make Rouxls happy.
Making people happy was always something Jevil tried to do.
Yet the past still weighed heavily on both his own and Seam’s soul and occasionally would rear up.
They spoke with one another about almost everything except for Seam’s dreams.
It was hard not to think about while shaking Seam awake in the night, looking with worry into the panicked eyes of his partner, glowing orange with magic and filling the air with fear. Seam usually wouldn’t talk when things like this happened, not really, and Jevil had long since mastered the art of comforting his partner with hugs and mumbled words. Maybe a few scratches behind their ear.
“You are safe, you are safe. You are home. I am here, I am here.” It helped. It always did. “You are here, not there not there anymore.”
Seam had been through a lot, Jevil knew. They had been hurt terribly and were left alone for a long time. They had lost their whole world at once and was left only with ashes and broken dreams. Scars all over their body…
Of course, Jevil did not know the details. He did not know what it was which Seam dreamt about but he didn’t need to for this. Though he wished he did. Either way, he could still help Seam out of it on his own.
Seam made a small sound, finally coming down from the worst of it, slowly returning to the here-and-now while holding onto Jevil like a lifeline and Jevil wanted nothing more than to be here for his partner.
He kissed over the scars patterned against Seam’s button eye, then right above the hollow of the other. He kissed the patch on top of Seam’s head that never quite matched the rest of their fur, followed by kisses placed against Seam’s cheeks.
He loved Seam more than anything in this world.
Jevil let his little hands wander over Seam’s body, through the thick plum colored fur in search of the rougher feeling patches which did not quite match up with the rest. His tail began moving, wrapping around Seam’s middle and entwining with the cat’s own tail, careful not to touch that one scar which never seemed to stop hurting.
Seam slowly began relaxing, breathing deeply. In and out against Jevil’s smaller form.
There was silence between them for a long while.
They could have easily fallen back asleep. They often did but not today.
“Thank-you,” Seam’s voice carried softly.
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Jevil automatically replied without even thinking. “Anything for Seam for Seam.”
“You don’t have to, you know. I… I dealt with this for a long time now.”
“… You don’t have to have to anymore,” Jevil couldn’t help but to huff back, puffing out his cheeks against the fur. “Silly Seam, silly Seam. I want to help, I like to help. I love you love you!”
Jevil felt Seam wrapping his arms tightly around his body, squeezing him softly. “I know,” the cat whispered. “I love you too, Jevil.”
“Still the bad bad past? Are the dreams about it?”
Seam nodded causing Jevil’s ears to droop.
He really wished he could help Seam more. He wished he knew more!
About what happened…
About what to do…
He had given Spades advice because he would have given everything for someone to have told him what to do back when he had first woken up next to a panicked Seam who had been out of their mind with fear and despair… Still there was so much Jevil felt like he didn’t know.
“I’m sorry, Jevil… It’s painful talking about it.”
Jevil understood. He did!
How long had it taken for him not to force a smile around Seam when he wasn’t happy? How long had it taken him to cry in front of Seam? How long until he had truly believed that when Seam said they wouldn’t leave, they really wouldn’t?
It simply wasn’t fair to force Seam to open up about his own dreams when it had taken so long for these simple measures too… Right?
“The bad past bad past is gone,” Jevil mumbles slowly, petting Seam at the spot behind their ear which looked mangled as though burned and never fully healed. He was rewarded with a soft purr, a sound just barely there. “We are here… all safe and sound and sound.” He couldn’t help the yawn that escaped him though quickly tried to cover it up with words. “Together.”
“You are here,” whispered back Seam. “You won’t leave?”
“Never never!” Jevil quickly replied, tail uncurling in order to swish around. “I promise promise. I will never never leave Seam! And Seam will never leave Jevil. We are together together forever. So everything is better.”
Finally a smile broke on Seam’s face, the stitches around the corners of their mouth showing a bit. “Even with me looking like this?”
“Seam is beautiful,” Jevil stated as fact, leaning up to kiss them. “Also very very sexy.”
“Jevil!”
“HEE HEE. It’s not a joke not a joke. I like Seam. Your looks, your fur, the way you smile smile,” listed Jevil, tail waving, “your tail, your eye and even your soul! Everything everything about Seam is beautiful!”
“You flatter me.”
“I’m telling the truth the truth! My heart goes out to you. Look!” With this, Jevil allowed his magic to flow out, creating a galaxy of small hearts above them; Harmless constructs floating and glowing softly against the darkness. “See see? Each is a reason to love Seam. And still not enough not enough to show how much I love Seam!”
“Jevil…” Seam’s voice sounded soft with a bit too much breath in it, obviously embarrassed by the imp’s words but also in awe and with something fragile that the older Darkner only rarely showed. The soft light from the little hearts reflected within their one good eye.
“I was lonely lonely too,” whispered Jevil softly, taking Seam’s hand into his own. “I was always lonely… People looked but never saw never saw me. They only see silly little Jevil who always always smiles and never cries so they leave him behind behind…”
Seam shifted a bit, looking down to Jevil once more. Their paw moved to hold onto the tinier hand a bit better.
“But now I have Seam and Seam sees me sees me and not just the silly smile. With Seam, I am never alone,” continues Jevil. “So I’ll never never leave Seam because I see Seam too. All of Seam and I love all of Seam. Every part every part!”
Seam made another small sound.
Suddenly Jevil was lifted and on Seam’s chest, his body sinking slightly into the soft fur as Seam kissed him, full and lovely with that little spark of magic that made Jevil jittery and dizzy. His tail swished, wrapping itself around whatever part of Seam it could reach.
“I love every part of you too, Jevil,” whispered back Seam as they broke their kiss. “I love you so much. Thank-you for being here with me, my dear.”
“Always always, Seam,” Jevil replied with a loopy smile, butterflies fluttering in his stomach and head swimming.
Thus they fell asleep like this.
They seldom spoke of their pasts, they rarely talked about what exactly weighted down upon their souls but, after that night, something was different.
Jevil woke alone in the bed as the sun slowly rose, beaming brightly through their window. As he sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes, he saw Seam returning with two cups of tea in their hands.
The cat sat down on the bed next to him and in silence they shared their tea.
Though after a few minutes, Seam finally spoke, “I… want to tell you about my dreams.”
And Jevil knew from this moment that he did something right.
He might not have been able to help Rouxls but he could certainly be the one to help the Darkner he loved with all his soul.