Chapter Text
Kris held back a groan as he buried his face in his hands.
The shine of his laptop screen was the only light in the room, but even its dimness was giving him a headache.
Rumbles of thunder sounded from beyond the thin pane of his window, causing Kris to glance past it, viewing the oncoming rain before turning back to his computer. He couldn’t afford the time to appreciate it right now. Not with the assignments he had to do.
He scrubbed his hands over his face once more, before eyeing the document on his screen.
It was an essay, something that shouldn’t have been so hard for someone like him. He was a writer by choice after all.
Emphasis on “choice” though.
Kris was able to crack down and do what needed to be done most of the time, practically all the time, but today? Today his motivation was actively depleting from lack of energy.
It’d been a while since he and Loch had spent real time together, from both of them having to crack down for finals, and it was starting to get to him.
Kris could survive without Loch, obviously, but surviving wasn’t enough.
Surviving wasn’t the caress of Loch’s lips against his skin, or the gentle praise his boyfriend gave him after each, minuscule task that, sure, probably didn’t deserve praise, but was elevated by it. Surviving wasn’t good now that Kris knew how good truly living could be.
Kris let out a soft, pitiful noise of emotional discomfort, and glanced over at his phone.
He hated the idea of bugging Loch, especially when they both had things to do, but he had promised Loch to text him when things started to get overwhelming.
After another moment of deliberation, Kris grabbed the phone, opened it, and was on his and Loch’s chat in a moment.
‘Hey.’
‘I know now may be a bad time, but, I miss you.’
Kris wasn’t sure if Loch would even have time to respond tonight, and that fact, paired with the blinking cursor of his essay on the laptop, caused a slight tension of anxiety to add to his already tense shoulders.
He tried for a breath, but it was heavy, and he could already feel the beginning of a breakdown in his body.
Luckily, it only took less than a minute for Loch to respond.
‘How badly?’
It was teasing, Kris knew that, but it didn’t help as much as he’d like.
‘Very badly.’
Loch’s next texts were instantaneous.
‘I’ll be there in a minute’
‘Hold tight, Boyo’
True to his word, it didn’t take long at all before the King of St. Patrick’s Day appeared in Kris’ room, a couple of shamrocks now growing out of the carpet. His shirt was off, so Kris knew that he’d been painting. Well, that and the fact his hands were covered in the acrylics he used for his projects.
“Kris,” Loch started, but before he could even form a greeting, Kris was out of his seat and in his arms. “That bad, eh?”
Kris nodded, burying his face in Loch’s shoulder, inhaling the richness of his cologne.
Wordlessly, Loch’s hands massaged at the tension of Kris’ back. Kris exhaled deeply, heavier than he intended, and shut his eyes, savoring the feeling. The peaceful silence lasted for a moment longer before Loch spoke again. “You’re doing so well, Kris.”
Kris could feel pleasant heat warming at his face, and he couldn’t help but smile ever-so-slightly.
Loch pulled back slightly, his hands going to Kris’ face. “There ya are.” He smiled in return, resting his forehead on his lover’s.
“Thank you.” Kris uttered at last, shifting look into Loch’s grey eyes.
Loch’s smile widened. “My pleasure.”