Work Text:
It has just passed 7 o’clock in the evening and you’re headed to Sylus’ place after a brisk walk. Sure, you could have driven but you needed to take a long walk after work to clear your head and think things through —except the time alone with no other distractions only amplified the thoughts in your head. He’s been acting strange lately, ever since you’ve been to the doctors with Sylus to treat the injuries from the last time you had to fight off wanderers. Thoughts rush through your mind, one after the other like the pages of a book trying to keep up with the wind.
It’s been almost two weeks, and we haven’t spent a full day together since —enough is enough!
You approach the door and knock on it, almost bruising your knuckles from how loud you attempted to be, partially because you were mad at his silent treatment.
After a good four minutes or so, you raise your hand to knock again when suddenly, Sylus opens the door, his eyes meeting yours with a face of shock – you were the last person he thought he’d be seeing that evening.
Your eyes, however, meet almost everything else of his that’s in front of you.
“Princess! What are you doing here?” Sylus concerns, holding the door open with one hand and the other arm propped up on the doorframe.
“Sylus, I—...” your mind wanders off to all sorts of corners as you find words to explain your presence, “—do you answer the door to everyone in just a towel?” you deflect the conversation briefly.
“I–I’m sorry,” taken off guard, Sylus chuckles quietly, “I won’t be a minute.”
Sylus shuts the door as you wait for him outside his apartment, your arms crossed against your chest, sighing and rolling your eyes.
I need to focus to talk to him. The last thing I need is him not dressed at this moment in time!
Sylus opens his front door again and ushers you to come in by stepping aside —this time, in nothing but some grey sweatpants, and his abs still on show.
Great(!) As if this fit on him is any different than him in only a towel! It’s literally the same thing; except it’s just shaped around his legs!
You take a deep breath and look down as you walk through the door and past him, trying to not catch another glimpse of his bare top half just radiating at you to catch your attention. Marching your way to his room without another word, Sylus follows behind you, perplexed.
“What’s wrong?” Sylus asks once you enter his bedroom shortly after he steps past the door threshold, and you turn around. You look at him and pause before answering.
“You’re asking me what’s wrong?” Your eyes soften as you wait for an answer. Sylus, standing there dumbfound, tries to piece words together at your questioning statement.
“It’s been eleven days, Sylus!” you breathe out, exasperated, “Eleven days since we even saw each other! Since that day at the doctors, you’ve barely even looked at me properly. When you talk to me, it’s like we barely know each other.”
Sylus’ face grows more and more guilty as you continue to list all that’s been eating away at you.
“I can count on one hand with how many hours we’ve spent together since that day! You call, but for work only. In front of others, you act like we’re great together, but alone, you barely acknowledge me. Is this all for fun to you? To use me for your entertainment around others by the great Onychinus leader, but dispose of me when it’s just us, and I’m no longer needed?”
Sylus winces at the harshness of your words and a lump so big forms in your throat to the point where it’s almost painful, but you don’t stop.
“Even when I try to approach you, you’re supposedly busy – so busy that you don’t even let me in on what you’re so-called busy with. I’m not even sure you care to realise what you’re doing anymore. And now you’re asking me what’s wrong?” Sylus is stood there silently as tears begin to well up on your waterline and threaten to fall, but you refuse to let them as you breathe deeply to keep your composure. The lively expression on Sylus’ face slowly fades - he does know what you’re talking about.
He walks past you and over to his desk as he looks down, picking up his paperwork.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart, I didn’t mean to,” he mumbles in a low tone. You wait for him to say more for a brief moment – but he doesn’t.
“Is that it?” You scoff in disbelief and slowly walk up to him, fearing to face what he means by just that one statement, while he can’t even look at you to say it.
Does he even care about us anymore? Did he ever even care about me?
Sylus continues to look down and fiddle with his paperwork, idly.
“Sylus!” You grip your hand on his bicep to confront him and he freezes at your touch as you look at him, expecting an answer.
Sylus puts down his paperwork and slowly turns to face you, still not looking up. Silence pierced through the air for a short moment that you could swear you heard ringing in your ears.
“I just think you needed to recover, so I let you be and give you space for a moment,” Sylus finally speaks.
“From what? The mere scratches from that day?”
“They were hardly scratches! Why do you think we had to get you to the hospital to have them treated and wrapped?” Sylus raises his voice in disbelief.
“Well, they felt as such for me!” you argue back in the same tone, a short pause lingers in the air for a moment before you continue, “For you.” Your voice softens once again.
Sylus feels defeated at your argument and looks like he barely has the courage to talk, looking down and around at anywhere but you. Not long after he breathes in deeply to talk again.
“You’d be in more danger if you were with me,”
“What?” you call out impulsively in disbelief, your mind trying to piece together the reasons for him to say such a thing.
“I’m Onychinus’ leader,” he continues in a low tone, “It can be dangerous for you to be around me,” he looks up, only for you to find eyes vulnerable with guilt.
“I know it can be dangerous, Sylus. I signed up for this. It can be dangerous anywhere—“ you refute.
“But it’s different with me— “
“How is it different?” The tone of your voice rises again in frustration.
“Because the doctor said—“ Sylus’ stumbles on his words just as the volume of his voice is about to compete with yours, not long before a short silence follows after him.
“The doctor?” you respond, still confused, “Zayne?” You breathe out in realisation as you remember catching Sylus and Zayne – your ex-boyfriend – together, briefly talking from a distance at the hospital car parking lot, before Sylus dropped you off home.
“I don’t know what he said to you, Sylus, but I— “
“He told me I’m not good for you,” Sylus finally lets out in a louder tone, cutting you off, almost as if he’s speaking an untold truth.
“What?” You exclaim with the little energy you have left in you, almost laughing at Sylus’ words before you continue, “What do you mean?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
You scoff at his cold response and the information that you struggle to piece together.
“You’re not good for me, or am I not good enough for you? I mean, since you don’t even think I’m worth explaining to,” your voice shakes as you push him with such a question.
Sylus shakes his head and mutters as he walks away, releasing himself from your grasp. You turn to Sylus and walk over to him just as he does so.
“No,” you demand from him, “tell me,”
“I’m not even sure you’d want—“
“You’re not sure but you want to speak on my behalf? I deserve answers, Sylus!”
“You shouldn’t want me!”
“That is my decision to make, not yours!”
“Sweetheart, please— “
“What? You have no right to take that from me and decide for me that I can’t choose to be with you—“
“But I’m not good for you—“
“You can’t decide that for me!”
“I just want what’s best for you sweetheart—“
“So do I! I want what’s best for me too. And I’m perfectly capable in deciding what that is for myself!”
“You’re only going to end up getting hurt by me— ”
“Don’t you dare make that the excuse when you’ve abandoned me this way, Sylus!”
Abandon. You hate that word - just as much as he does. You hate to use that word on him while the last few threads of your trust cling onto what you’ve already known about him. You knew and were always made known by him that the time you spend together means more than anything else to him, just as it means that much to you. But the patterns of your past resurface within you and your fears win this time, having those words tumble out of your mouth - all too fast to hold back.
“I can take a few cuts and scratches, hell, I can take a whole bullet for you, and I’d laugh knowing you’re okay. But this hurts more than any bullet ever would! And you think you’re doing what’s best for me?”
“I’m not abandoning you,” he clarifies quietly. You wait for him to elaborate on that but he doesn’t.
“No,” you scoff as you roll your eyes, “No, you’re right, you’re not. You’re pushing me away from you, all while you have Mephisto keeping an eye on me, trailing me, while it’s like I don’t even deserve to get a glimpse of you —what, you think I don’t know?”
“I’m not keeping an eye on you, I’m just ensuring you’re safe—“
“I’m safer with you!”
The pause of silence is ironically louder than your words.
“No, you’re not,” Sylus eventually mutters, hating to accept it.
You pause for a minute and scoff again at his argument tossed at you weakly. He’s not even being able to look you in the eye to mean what he says, like he usually would. Between all the time he said he’d be there for you and protect you and now, there was a stark difference in his tone.
“Why are you thinking this way?” you try again, and your voice softens once you notice his demeanour faltering.
“I-I don’t know what you mean—“ Sylus attempts to build his walls back up to cover up his feelings with his words.
“Why do you think that you’re not deserving of being with me?—”
Sylus scoffs, “I am not thinking—“
“Then let me love you!” You interrupt him in a louder tone before he has a chance to refute you. Sylus looks up at you from the abrupt demand as you begin to walk closer towards him. He struggles to argue back at you as you bring your hand over to his face to comfort him and his eyes soften as he swallows. How can he refuse the love that you’re offering after having a taste of the love he’s already received from you?
You rub his cheek with your thumb, and he places his hand over yours, closing his eyes to intensely feel your touch against his skin. Oh, how he’s missed your touch, your skin against his, the intimacy humming between you both. Your eyes soften at his response of you touching him this way and the doubts of him no longer wanting you begin to wither away. The pent-up feeling knotted up in your chest breaks loose and you begin to feel at ease. Sylus takes your hand from his face and kisses your fingers that are curled up around his. His brows furrowed, as he feels your soft skin against his lips.
You step closer to him and your bodies touch as you bring your other hand and place it on his other cheek softly. Sylus opens his eyes, slightly glossy, and gives you a look that tells you - pleads you - to not leave.
“I don’t care what anyone says,” you begin to speak again in a softer tone, “I choose you.”
Sylus shuts his eyes as he looks down and swallows the lump forming in his throat once again, relieved to hear those words from you.
“I see,” Sylus barely whispers.
“I chose you because I want you, Sylus. I love, Sylus,” just as you say that Sylus opens his eyes to look at you again, “Don’t you ever think I’ll give up on you, just because someone else tells you. They don’t make these decisions for me. Not them —not even you. Only I have that right. And right now, I have no other thought other than to be with only you. Okay?” A single tear rolls gently down your cheek, and Sylus brings both his hands to cup your face and wipes away that tear.
“I love you, Princess,” Sylus whispers as a warm smile creeps up on his lips.
“I love you!” you mirror back his words, and he brings his lips down on your forehead for a gentle kiss as the remainder of your tears welling up in your eyes stream down your face, almost as if they’re washing away the momentary pain of separation.
Sylus rests his forehead against yours to take in the moment of closeness and intimacy with you once again, breathing in each other’s presence, making up for lost time. You bring both your hands up to cup Sylus’ faces and lift his head up a little to look at you.
“We’re okay, right?” you clear with him in a soft voice, as you sniff up the tears and catch your breath.
“Yes, sweetheart. We are. We always have been,” Sylus clears with you as he caresses your face gently with both his hands, “I was just worried, my love. Being the reason of your pain terrified me. But I couldn’t not know you’re not okay, hence why you’d see Mephisto—”
“You have never caused me pain,” you reassure him as you stand him up straight to look at you, “Only my comfort, my safety, my source of peace. Not having that around, not having you you around for that short moment, not knowing if I’ll ever see you again, terrified me more than anything else I had to face!” you declare as you look into his eyes. Without any more hesitation Sylus pulls you into his embrace and you surrender immediately. His arms around you and the warmth of the skin of his chest against your face envelopes you with your hands tucked into his torso, and you could claim that you’re in heaven. All the heaviness from your shoulders drops and you sink into his arms, the remnants of anxiety gathered up on your shoulders melt off and it’s as if the world is at a standstill.
It has been a while with you both intwined into each other's embrace in nothing but soothing silence. Begrudgingly, you let go of him to look at him once again to find the sweetest face with a warm smile looking back at you. A short contemplative pause lingers between you as you bring your hand to caress his face once again.
“I’m glad we’ve gotten through this,” you whisper, and Sylus nods.
“As am I, sweetheart,” he responds in a soft and calm tone.
Your eyes capture the sweetness of his face before you loosen yourself from his arms.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” you announce to him as you turn away to make your way to the door as you sense Sylus following behind you to see you out.
Suddenly, you feel a hand clasp your wrist and whip you back around from the direction you’re coming from. Sylus catches you in his arms, just as his lips catches yours. He kisses you deeply and, almost by instinct, you bring your arms around his neck once you realise, as Sylus keeps you pulled in close by your waist.
As if it’s natural, you give in to him as your bodies melt and fuse together, like the perfect mold filling in the empty spaces, fitting into place for each other. Feeling familiar with each other, completing one another. He continues to kiss you gently yet passionately, before he pulls his lips away and rests his forehead on yours. You’re still pulled in close by your waist against him, secure.
“Stay,” Sylus whispers, “Please.”