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“…and that’s it! Hit 'em right where it hurt!”
You were playing video games…again. It was the weekend though, and you had a ton of free time on your hands. Apart from the evening, that is- you had to go support your boyfriend at his concert.
Contrary to you, Valk worked on the weekends. Hell, sometimes he was even busier on the weekends than he was on the weekdays!
However, you had a role to play in his job too.
You needed to clear out the mailbox every few days.
Sometimes, you’d open your mailbox…only to find it overstuffed with pretty pink letters, letters with decorative bows on them…and you knew it was yet another influx of fan mail. It always happened after another one of Valk’s concerts with his brother.
The days leading up to the concert were much worse, mainly because he barely got a wink of sleep on the nights before each concert. He woke up earlier than you and you only had time to give him a morning kiss before he left for work. Valk only came home by the time you were asleep, often with an empty coffee mug in your hand- a testament to the efforts you put in just to stay awake for him, to spend some time with him…
Occasionally, you’d stay awake for long enough to pepper his face with kisses and cuddle him to bed. But those moments were few and far between.
The concerts themselves were tiring, but what happened after that seemed much worse. Almost like torture to him.
You’ve even seen it firsthand on many, many occasions…and today was no exception.
The crowd cheered as the two idols waved to all their onlooking fans.
“That’s the last song for today! See you next month!”
You looked at your boyfriend. His shirt, his jacket…everything…they looked so cute on him. His usual bubbly, energetic personality was still evident by the enthusiastic smile on his face, but something was off. His face looked so…empty.
Deep down, he had no more energy. No more enthusiasm to keep up the performance.
He was exhausted.
And considering the all-nighters he pulled during the days leading up to the performance, you couldn’t blame him.
As soon as the crowd dispersed, you made a beeline for the double doors leading to the backstage. At the sight before your eyes, however, you froze.
An entire army of fangirls were there. They surrounded the brothers, clamouring for their photos with the duo. The fans’ squeals of joy were loud, but the crowd’s arguing was louder. All of them wanted a picture with Flipside, the most famous idol group in Crossroads…but photos and videos would never be able to convey how they felt, deep down.
Valk’s cheerful facade masked a tired and lethargic soul. He just wanted to go home, flop on the bed and snuggle into your embrace. He wanted you to caress his horns and comfort him after the long day as you used your free hand to give him his much-wanted headpats…
By then, you’ve learnt to read the expression of his brother too.
Dom’s stoic expression managed to disguise his exhausted self quite well. He wanted to take off that bulky Dominus as it was quite humid to wear for prolonged periods…
As your boyfriend glanced at you with that pleading look that begged you to get him out of there, you tried to push through the crowd. You were swiftly pushed back by the fans, however.
“Wait for your turn!”
“Hey, outta the way! Quit trying to cut your way through!”
Valk shot you an apologetic look as you got pushed further and further away…and a few seconds later, he was gone. Vanished into the sea of fans.
Three hours after all that, you lay on the bed with Valk in your arms. He insisted on taking a quick shower and changing into something more comfortable, but once he did all that he instantly snuggled up to you and found peace in your embrace.
You ran your fingers through his soft, messy hair. That was one of the many things you adored about him. You absolutely loved everything about him- from the groggy but cute little expression he’d always have when he just woke up to small moments like these.
Your mind wandered to the pile of fan mail from two days ago. A lot of effort had clearly been put into decorating each one. You even read some of them with him before, and some of the messages were quite heartening.
You recalled the occasional gifts that would pop up in his mailbox. They were specially designed for him, and when Valk unwrapped them you could see that some of them definitely weren’t cheap.
But what did you ever give him? Other than gifts on special occasions, you never really had the budget to get him anything too extravagant.
“Hey, Valk…?”
“Hm?”
His pastel-yellow eyes met your own, the sleepiness evident in his gaze.
“…why’d you date me? You have so many adoring fans who send you gifts, cards, and a ton of stuff…and you still picked me…why? They’re so much better, and yet…you still chose to be with me…”
Valk’s eyes widened, his once exhausted expression turning into one of concern.
“My dove…why do you question that? You’re always so sweet and caring…not just to me, but my brother, the other Phighters, everyone…it’s hard not to love you. I should be the one asking what I ever did to deserve someone like you. Someone who always takes care of me without expecting anything in return, someone who knows me for who I truly am…gifts and cards mean nothing compared to that. Besides, I’ve already found the best gift I could ever have.”
“What is it…?”
Valk planted a soft kiss on your lips.
“You.”