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Umbrella leaned back in their chair, their hands coming up to massage away an incoming headache forming in their temples. Sleep tugged at their eyes, and the piles of paper on their desk was enough to instill a sense of dread every time they sat down to work. But it must get done.
They reached for their glass of water, tilling it as far back as they could but only getting a few measly drops.
They sighed. A break wouldn't hurt. Perhaps it may even help their productivity to let their restless body wake itself up again.
They straightened their back and lifted their head up as they made their way to the fridge, trying to appear more awake to nobody but themself. Fake it till you make it, right?
They pulled the water pitcher out of the fridge, pausing mid pour when Dom entered the kitchen, a haunted look on his face. It looked as though he had been shaken to his core by something that words couldn't express, and the only way to show it was through his face.
Umbrella spoke with caution, as if Dom were a balloon waiting to pop and the sound of their voice was a pin.
“Hey bud, can't sleep? Need something?”
If there was anything correct that could have been said that wasn't it.
Dom burst out into tears, unleashing the gates that held back an emotion far too big for someone so small.
Umbrella was taken aback for a moment, not expecting the sudden outburst from the usually quiet kid. They were quick to crouch down to his level, simply sitting on the floor with him. Their presence was only to remind him that he wasn't alone, that if he wanted, he could reach out.
Dom covered his face, as if removing them from his line of sight would make them disappear. But Umbrella wasn't going anywhere. When he opened his eyes his caretaker was still there, an offer of comfort still there as well. And he wanted it, more than his favorite toy and even more than his missing wing.
But he was scared. So, so scared.
It hadn't even been a year since the incident. The scars had barely even had time to heal, and the mental toll might as well have been an open wound. Firebrand had tried to help him, but it quickly became clear that it was an issue beyond his understanding. For a long time, Dom struggled to let any adults into his life. It was only a few weeks ago that Umbrella had been requested to look after the deity's grandson.
There'd been a lot of learning from both parties trying to figure out boundaries, and they were still figuring it out. It was a slow process, and one wrong move could set the relationship between the two several steps into the wrong direction, so perhaps doing nothing was their best option.
…
Five minutes later, Dom had curled up on the ground, becoming too tired to stand. He continued to sob, letting out hiccups and sniffles. Clearly Dom wasn't going to play the first move as Umbrella had hoped, so they would have to.
They stood up from where they had crouched, telling Dom that they would be right back, even though they didn't think he was really paying attention to them.
Umbrella b lined for the kid's shared room. Thankfully, Valk hadn't been awoken by the commotion. He adorned a peaceful expression, his blanket not yet tussled with, in place from Umbrella tucking them in. They let out a soft sigh at the sight and plucked Dom's comfort item from his bed, his blanket.
With haste, they made it back to Dom in no time at all. “Look,” their voice quiet, “I brought you something.” They said as they kneeled down with a pop in their knees to let the kid have a closer look.
He reached his hand out before pausing, a short mental debate clearly racking his mind as several hiccups left him. Umbrella stayed unmoving, already searching for what to try next if he didn't want it.
After another moment of debate and patience from Umbrella, Dom took the blanket and clutched it close to his chest. His fingers pet the soft texture, his sobs soon becoming soft cries.
Dom sat down once more, and Umbrella followed. The kid was clearly tired; it was really only a matter of time before he fell asleep…and before Umbrella could also go to bed.
He fought a losing battle to keep his eyes open and began to lean to the side, subconsciously trying to find something to lean his head on.
“Sorry Dom,” he startled awake for a moment, “you can't sleep on the floor bud.” Umbrella stood, “why don't we go to your room?”
To Umbrella's surprise, Dom motioned for them to pick him up. He usually didn't enjoy physical touch from Umbrella, but they figured he was too tired to think straight.
Umbrella gently grabbed their sides and lifted him up into his hold. Dom made quick work of shoving his face into his shoulder. Tears and snot—ew—coated their uniform. Gross, but that was why the dry cleaner existed. They supposed this is what they signed up for when they said yes to Firebrand.
Dom made quick work of getting comfortable, wriggling into his desired position and resting his head in a way that wouldn’t disturb his horns. Umbrella walked slowly so as to not jostle him, thankfully the kid's room wasn't far.
Dom became fond of his new spot, so when Umbrella tried to lay him down in his bed he refused, gripping onto their uniform with whatever strength his exhausted body had left.
There was no use fighting it, potentially upsetting him and ruining whatever progress they had made. They might as well get comfortable. They carried him out into Firebrand's expansive living room and settled themselves on a couch, an expensive one that was made more for looks than comfort, but it worked. Dom repositioned himself once more, moving his head down to rest against their chest and stretching his legs out some. He still clutched his blanket in his fist with an iron grip, but he allowed Umbrella to cover him some.
They began to rub the young inphernal's back slowly, being careful of their missing wing. Dom's eyes closed and Umbrella slightly swayed side to side, lulling him into sleep. They only had to wait a few minutes before Dom's breathing evened out and a pleasant dream occupied his mind.
They didn't realize that seeing him so content would give them such a sense of relief. The poor kid had been having trouble sleeping ever since trauma started to haunt him in his dreams. To see him finally be at peace was all they really wanted.
Firebrand's most trusted advisor leaned back and melted into the cushions with a sigh, not an annoyed one, but kind that came after a long exhausting day. Umbrella knew they were smart, but they recognized they were quite dumb in assuming this addition to their job wouldn't be difficult.
Their gaze drifted up to the clock on the wall, reading just a few minutes past two a.m. They made the mistake of letting their eyes slip close, their fate sealed. They would for sure wake up with a pain in their neck and drool on their suit, but perhaps it was worth it.