Tavros
"O-One moment!" You called out, scrambling to grab the sweater you had tossed away so carelessly earlier. You slid it on hastily, jumping over to the door and opening it.
"Hey." You sniffled, meeting eyes with your new visitor.
"Uhm, everything okay?" Tavros asked, tilting his head slightly to the side.
"Yeah, yeah." You smiled, moving your arms and biting the inside of your cheek as your raw skin rubbed against the wool of the top.
"This is your ah, sad mix, right?" Tavros asked, moving his head forward motioning to the music you had forgot to turn off.
"Oh, you don't gotta worry about that Tavros." You stammered, trying to get the bronze blood out of your house so you could go back to your punishment. You had had a crush on the troll for a while, this was the last thing he needed to know. God, just make yourself even more of a mess to him.
"But you only play this kinda stuff when, you know, um, you're sad. You don't deserve to be, uh, sad, y'know?" Tavros suggested, looking at you.
"Now just isn't a good time Tav." You said a little more hollow this time.
"Please? Let me stay for just a little while?" The boy looked at you with those large chocolate brown eyes and you couldn't help but nod. He stepped in anxiously, taking a seat on your sofa and patting the cushion next to him.
You watched him, your skin tensing up at he made the gesture for you to sit next to him. You followed, holding your stinging arms and wearing a smile. Whether it was from the stinging or a cover, you couldn't tell. "______?" You name sounded foreign and weird, and you heart skipped a beat as you looked over at the boy. "Why are you wearing your sweater backwards?"
You looked down, seeing quite clearly that you had indeed put your sweater back on backwards, to your idiocy. Shit!
"Ah, Just as a- Y'know- a- a joke!" You could feel your voice crack and head throb as you tried to cover your tracks.
"A joke?" Tavros questioned, looking closer at you. You kept your gaze away from meeting the troll, desperate to keep it together long enough for him to leave, and you to finish your punishment. After a few seconds of you scrambling and tripping over your words, you felt Tavros set a gentle hand on your wrist. The music was swelling inside your chest now, the proximity and care of Tavros sending you stumbling over the edge. Now the tears fell from your eyes, sending hot trails of tears down your cheeks and hiccups out of your mouth.
"______, please don't lie to me." Tavros whispered, pulling your wrist closer to him and wrapping his arms carefully around you. You felt yourself melt into the boy, letting your stress and emotions flow out as you clutched Tavros' shirt in your fists. He was warm, and smelling just enough of chocolate that you settled into a comfortable silence after a few minutes. "______," He whispered, pulling away slightly. You grabbed his shirt tighter. No. He was not going to leave you. Not now. You wouldn't allow yourself to be played and used like this. "Please," He whispered again, unlatching you from his shirt. You looked up at Tavros, eyes puffy and red. He looked down at you gently, eyes full of caring and a delicate sense of love.
It wasn't until he moved his hand to the sleeve of your sweater did you try and speak. It came out garbled and sad, a hiccup interrupting you. Tavros shooshed you, nestling his forehead against yours. Normally he wasn't this forward, and it was surprising, but comforting as you didn't have the energy to do anything.
He carefully pulled the fabric of your wolly sweater up and revealed the bandaged and partially bleeding forearm. "______," He whispered sadly, pulling your arm up to look at it closely. You flinched, wanting to pull away, wanting to hide the scars you had made, wanting to make sure Tavros would forget about it and not worry about you. "Why did you do this?" He asked, his own voice sweltering with his emotion.
You couldn't respond, feeling another sob ready to escape your lips. He was going to yell. Storm out. Stop seeing you. What you weren't expecting was the soft lips pressing against your own. Just like the rest of him, you were suddenly ensnared in the feeling of chocolate, and your eyes looked at the trolls face. His own eyes were scrunched shut, his own pale orange tears flowing. Why?
"Why?" You asked weakly as he pulled back.
"I want you to promise me, promise me you won't do this any more." Tavros said, resting your hand in his palm, his other hand pressed gently against your burning skin.
"I-I can't," You blubbered, you were so reliant, so heavily anchored to this, there was no way you could survive without it.
"Yes you can." Tavros said, voice determined. "You are stronger than this." He said, pulling one of his hands back and wiping his eyes. You just looked at him, unable to really say anything. "I want you to talk to me whenever you, uh, want to do this again. At, ah, anytime okay?" Tavros was stumbling over his words, really making sure you understood. "I don't want to see you hurt like this ever again." He whispered.
You just nodded your head at first, before letting okay a weak "Promise." Whether the care and the kiss were flushed or pale, you just let yourself melt back into the troll. You felt your tension slowly dissolve, as your head started to lighten and your extremities going all tingly. He responded with a hand on your back, pulling you into him. He was so warm. So safe. So loving. "I love you..." You muttered reflexively, feeling your eyes droop shut and mind going blank.
"Flushed for you too ______." You heard him reply, before you fell asleep in his arms.