Work Text:
Wylan didn't want to go back to the Slat. He didn't want to see Kaz or Nina or even Jesper. Not in the state that he was in. He had had possibly the worst day ever. Testing out new ingredients for explosives was always a risk and it seemed this time the sample sizes were not small enough. He hadn't created too much of a mess in the workshop but it definitely did some damage. Not to mention a nasty burn on his arm that he had sat and cried over for what felt like hours. It wasn't just the pain that fuelled his tears (although it did hurt like a motherfucker). Wylan was embarrassed and angry. He felt like a child crying over a broken toy but it was his fault that it was broken. So many precious powders and chemicals had been destroyed and it will take him weeks and a lot of kruge to get them all back. He was honestly a little bit scared of what Kaz would say when he found out.
So instead he just sat on the bed that still in the corner of his workshop and moped over his sketchbook, drawing nothing in particular at first. But soon the lines came together to form limbs and a body and a face, and he was drawing Jesper. He sighed, crumpled up the piece of paper and threw it across the room, putting it with the other abandoned drawings of his boyfriend. It wasn't that he didn't like drawing Jesper; he loved it in fact. It was more that he could never get it quite right, and he would hate for Jesper to ever find any of them in case he got offended in any way. So he started again, this time drawing winding jurda blossoms across the page and thinking about how nice they would look inked onto Jesper's skin, especially since Wylan was the one who designed them.
A loud knock at the door of the workshop drew him from his drawing trance and his head shot up suddenly, eyes wide. No one ever really called at his workshop. If they needed something from him they went through Kaz and he just tended to... appear.
"Wylan? Wyyyyylan?"
His tensed muscles relaxed. It was Jesper. He supposed it made sense. It wasn't like he had a curfew or anything silly like that but he was almost always home by a certain time every night, and it was definitely well past that, and since Wylan had been refraining from contacting anyone, it made sense that Jesper would come looking. Wylan felt warm for a second, his mouth turning up in a slight smile, before he caught sight of himself in a mirror. His face was red and blotchy, his clothes were a rumpled and scorched mess and his eyes were still puffy. Good Ghezen he looked a wreck.
"I'm coming in Wylan." Jesper said with a determined air that meant he most definitely would be coming in, and nothing would stop him. Wylan rushed to his feet suddenly, his sketchbook and pencils clattering to the ground as he ran up the steps and to the door.
"Jesper!" Wylan gasped, a too big smile plastered on his face. "What're you doing here?" He leaned awkwardly against the door frame, blocking Jesper from entering. Jesper raised an eyebrow, then just pushed past Wylan and further into the workshop. Curse Jesper and his beautiful strong arms, Wylan thought as he scrambled after him.
"What do you think I'm doing here merchling? You've been gone all day, haven't given a word of communication to any of us. One would think you've blown up the... place..." Jesper slowed as he finished his sentence and caught sight of Wylan's workbenches.
Wylan had tried to clean it up, but it had resulted in him getting so frustrated that he ended up making it messier. There were papers scattered all about, smashed glass on and off the benches, powders on the floor and chemicals dripping from open vials on the shelves that lined the walls. He had immediately cleared away anything toxic that had spilt of course but anything else he decided could wait. Then there was the giant scorch mark in the middle of his centre workbench. Just one too many scoops of potassium chlorate and everything went to shit. Wylan groaned and put his head in his hands.
"Holy shit, what happened?" Jesper said, looking around the room with his jaw dropped slightly. He then turned to see Wylan's arm, barely wrapped up in a terrible makeshift bandage made out of ripped fabric from an old shirt, and still looking red raw. "Saints, Wylan, your arm!"
"Jesper really, it's noth-"
But Jesper had already started rummaging around all of Wylan's various shelves and cupboards. He knew them fairly well, having played the part of demolitions assistant a couple of times when he was bored and Wylan was working, so it wasn't long before he reappeared in front of Wylan with some rubbing alcohol and some cleaner looking fabric. Then, he sat Wylan down on the edge of the bed and kneeled down in front of him.
"This is gonna hurt." Jesper said with a slight grimace. Wylan nodded, taking a deep breath and shutting his eyes. Jesper pressed a kiss to Wylan's knuckles, then peeled the bandage off of his arm. Wylan tensed up immediately, groaning in pain as the fabric tore away from the open and sensitive skin. Jesper kissed his hand once more. "Sorry love."
"It's okay." Wylan whispered through gritted teeth. "Just be quick."
Jesper poured the rubbing alcohol over the wound and Wylan bit down on his hand to stop the frankly embarrassing noise from escaping his lips. Ghezen, that hurt. Jesper mouthed sorry once more and wiped away the alcohol gently, cleaning the burn, then wrapped it in another piece of fabric, tying it up tightly in a bow. He kissed the bandage and then leaned up to kiss Wylan tenderly on the lips. Wylan sighed and held Jesper's face in his hands. He felt a tear roll down his cheek and he curse every saint he could think of as he sniffed loudly. Jesper pulled away with a concerned look on his face.
"Hey... What's wrong?"
"Sorry, it's just-" Wylan sniffed again and wiped his cheeks dry with his sleeves. "I didn't want anyone to be around me but you came anyway and you're so perfect and I don't understand how I could ever-"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence Wylan Van Eck." Jesper said sternly. He held Wylan's shoulders tight and looked him in the eyes. Wylan tried to avoid the eye contact but couldn't stop himself being drawn in by his boyfriend's shining grey eyes. "You deserve anything you want. Okay? You've worked stupidly hard to get where you are in life. One silly explosion isn't going to change that. So the sample sizes weren't big enough. Who cares? You'll get them right next time and I will help you get back all the ingredients you've lost."
Wylan stared at Jesper with wide eyes. How on Earth did he manage to stumble across someone as amazing, beautiful, caring, loving, as Jesper Fahey. He laughed a little as he let himself be pulled into Jesper's hug.
"Anything I want?"
Jesper snorted.
"Not with that arm. But another time definitely. I promise." He whispered, kissing his neck sweetly. "For now, however, I would like to lie here and enjoy the night with you."
Wylan beamed and laid back on his mattress, Jesper following him down and opening up his arms. Wylan practically fell down on top of him, his head resting on his chest with Jesper's arms around him, his hand stroking up and down Wylan's own arm in a comforting gesture. Wylan could hear Jesper's heartbeat under his ear and he smiled as Jesper kissed the top of his head.
"I love you Jesper." Wylan whispered into the dim candlelight of the workshop. He'd never said these words before, but he'd never been more certain of anything in his life. Jesper's breath hitched for a second, before he replied softly,
"I love you too."