Work Text:
After a gruelling training session consisting of Venomshanks lectures and Swords mishaps in his own judgement, all Sword wanted- and needed was some well earned rest in the presence of his boyfriend, Rocket.
The inphernal’s whole body ached terribly. His muscles were sore, his neck full of tension and his feathers ruffled up to hell. He was exhausted, and he looked like it too. Sword had always been especially good at hiding his physical and mental fatigue, so when it got to the point where his stress was affecting him this much… it was bad.
He begrudgingly lifted his heavy feet and made his way over to Rocket’s home, not even needing to think about where he had to go because he already knew the way by the back of his hand due to how much he visits.
Sword loved Venomshank as a fatherly figure and a great mentor, but it was good to get a break from the constant protectiveness of the deity.
Eventually he arrived at Rocket’s place, and without even knocking he walked in, greeting Zuka who was quietly sipping on a coffee, reading the paper as usual.
Noticing Sword's unusual dishevelled state, Zuka raised a brow and placed his mug down.
“Everything alright kid?” He pliqued gently.
Sword cleared his throat and waved his hand in dismissal. “Yeah- just here to see Rocket.” He forced a weak smile.
Zuka nodded and decided not to push on the topic any further, letting him go.
The bird-inphernal quickly headed up the staircase to Rocket's room and knocked, always respecting his boyfriend's privacy and personal space no matter how tired and needy he felt.
“Rooockeettt.. Can I come in?” He basically whined from the other side of the door, dragging the words out pathetically.
Rocket, slightly caught off guard in the midst of cleaning up and making adjustments to his gear, immediately de-summoned it and got up to let Sword in. He’d recognise that voice anywhere.
The moment the door opened, Sword basically fell into others arms, the rocketeer having to move quickly to catch him with a grunt. Trying to hold up the body of an inphernal taller and much stronger than you was proving to be extremely difficult. “Sword-” He started, struggling to support his weight.
Sword merely whined into his shoulder, basically squeezing him.
“Sword you’re- squishing me-” He heaved, attempting to gently push Sword off of him.
The latter grumbled, wanting to mindlessly soak up all of his boyfriend's warmth. Despite his need to nuzzle, he pulled back- allowing Rocket to actually breathe.
After the surprise wore off, Rocket chuckled and ran his hand through Sword's head of feathery hair.
“You good birdie?” He said with a small grin, finding his boyfriend to be ever so adorable when he got like this. It wasn’t often Rocket enjoyed physical touch, but when it was with Sword? He loved it. No matter how much he’d refuse to admit it.
Sword just sighed at the question, nodding. “Tired.” Was all he could muster as Rocket carefully pushed him back onto his own feet and led him over to the bed to sit. Noticing Swords state, Rocket frowned, leaning over to tuck a strand of hair behind his left head wing. Sword absentmindedly leaned his head into the touch of Rocket's palm, soaking up the comfort of his partner's touch.
Rocket's hand trailed from Sword’s hair down to his wings, gently taking a hold of one to inspect it. He didn’t fail to take notice of the ruffled and dirty feathers.
He noticed Sword’s exhaustion and led him over towards Rocket’s rather messy bed. It sort of resembled a nest... not nearly neat enough for Rocket’s standards but perfect for Sword’s bird-brain, as Rocket liked to call it.
He sat Sword down with a sigh and shifted to sit behind him, starting to lift his heavy helmet off of his head. No need to keep it on while they were alone like this.
Sword started to turn his head, curious as to what Rocket was doing only to be stopped by his hands turning his head back forward, planting a small kiss above his ear.
Rocket began to run his fingers through the shambled feathers, humming to himself in thought.
“When was the last time you preened these things?” He murmured softly, voice laced with concern as he began to straighten out the worst of the feathers.
Sword winced at the question and hung his head low, feeling ashamed of himself for not taking care of his own health. He hated it when people saw that he wasn’t doing okay. He had to be strong— not whatever this was.
The lack of an answer told Rocket everything he needed to know. He sighed and just continued to preen, a comfortable silence falling over the two. To be honest, Rocket loved to preen Swords feathers. He admired them almost every time he saw his boyfriend. They were a rich brown and white, akin to that of a sparrow. Rocket found they complimented him quite well.
Despite the comfort of Rocket’s touch, Sword was jittery and couldn't quite find it in himself to sit entirely still. His mind was still stuck in ‘training mode’— he found it hard to swap from being active to relaxed so quickly, however as the preening continued, Sword started to subconsciously relax. His muscles let go of their tension, his head wings drooped low and his eyelids grew heavy. Preening was a telltale sign of complete and utter trust and love, and Sword trusted Rocket wholeheartedly.
Rocket moved up towards the base of his wings, where pin feathers lay ready to be unraveled. The base was the most sensitive part of the wing for most avians, and Sword was no different. As Rocket's fingers brushed over the area he began to let out involuntary chirps and purrs, not even realizing he was doing it.
Rocket suppressed a smile, and his eyes drifted from Sword’s wings to his own hands, softly working through the soft feathers. Hands that had hurt so many people, hands that hurt himself, hands that were rough and broken now gentle as he took care of his love. Rocket never, ever would have imagined feeling this comfortable around somebody. It was not an option for him. Maybe he considered it once or twice but- not like this. Yet here he was, snuggled up against the bird-inphernal in front of him, and he was grateful.
Sword didn’t even notice that he had started to slip into the pull of sleep, his eyelids drooping heavily as he leant into Rocket’s warm embrace.
Rocket would not have noticed either— if it weren’t for the soft coos and purrs coming from in front of him starting to even out. He couldn’t help but admire Sword’s drowsy state, his head lolled over to the side, cheek pressed up against Rocket's chest. Cute.
As Rocket finished up with the last few unkempt feathers, he felt his eyes growing tired as well. Reluctantly moving his hands away from Sword’s warm, fluffy feathers. Honestly, the whole preening thing was soothing for Rocket himself. The feeling of running his fingers through Sword’s warm fluffy feathers was a whole sensory experience for him. It felt nice, having something to keep his hands busy and grounded.
Eventually Rocket settled down and threw the blankets over the two of them. Sword pulled him closer in his half asleep state- wrapping his arms around Rocket’s pudgy waist in an almost possessive manner.
Rocket sighed contently and rested his head atop of Swords, letting himself drift off into sleep in the arms of his partner.