Cronus
Upon further reflection, it was probably just one of the trolls. They could go and hang out with someone else. Maybe it was even a ding-dong ditch, or a delivery or something. You turned off your desktop, and picked up a sweatshirt from the hallway floor, before pulling it on and falling into your bed. It was always nice to fall into unconsciousness for a few hours. Whoever was outside could go find someone better to hang out with, go find their own way to spend the night. You laid awake for a while, shedding a few tears into the pillow and holding it close before finally falling asleep.
You woke up briefly, startled back into conscienceness by a loud strike of lightning. Quickly though, the now thudding of rain on your roof settled you back into a restless sleep.
It was close to sunrise when you woke up. Not exactly though, the light was dim at best, around five thirty if you had to guess. Your stomach rumbled impatiently at you, as you hadn't eaten much in the past few days, and with shaky legs you got out of bed meandering to the kitchen. The bandages and antiseptic were still sitting next to your monitor, to which you could only push them back. Maybe later. No, definitely later.
You shuflled around in the kitchen for a few minutes, grabbing some half decent granola bar and taking a bite before going to the front door. Time to see if it was a delivery, you told yourself opening the door. To your shock, instead of a package, there was a cold shaking form on your doorstep that let out a sneeze. Quickly, you jumped out from the doorway and shielding the troll from the rain. He was wearing a leather jacket, and the familiar lightning bolt horns tipped you off immediately as to it being a certain Ampora. He was curled up, still upright but eyes hazy at best and body shaking. "Cronus, what the hell are you doing?!" You snapped.
"Heyyy kitten..." His voice took a few tries to make real words, and you realized the fool needed to be taken into your place before either he died, or the sun rose.
"Get up you soggy moron," You grumbled, kneeling down to slide one of Cronus' arms over your shoulders, helping him stand. You took him inside, dropping him on the couch, a cold wet fish troll with a nasty cough. He curled up on the couch, and you moved to get a blanket to wrap him in before you were going to have him change. "What were you doing outside Cronus?" You pulled a thin blanket from the closet, before returning and draping it on the Ampora.
His speech was interrupted a few times by sneezes, but you heard clear enough. "Roxy said you left girl's day early. You vwere actin' all wvierd and you looked real sad. Vwanted to try an' cheer you up."
"By sitting on my stoop all night in the rain?" You sat beside Cronus, folding your legs and gingerly rubbing your arms through the old sweatshirt. Was it really that obvious?
"'Yer nutrition block light vwas on all night. Wvasn't sure when you'd open the door. I knocked after all." As if on cue, the pieces clicked into place, and your stomach flopped uncomfortably in your stomach.
"You should have gone home Cronus. Then you wouldn't be all," you looked him up and down, normally slicked back hair falling forward on his face in a way that did things to you you could never tell him about, shivering, and presumably on the edge of some kind of fishtroll sickness. "This. You could be at home, healthy, happy."
"You knowv I mean vwhat I say all the time, right?" He almost seemed to miss what you were saying entirely, he was looking at you with some kind of loving gaze, but you knew better. "You're amazin' and you're so nice and ah-choo!" Cronus was talking, when a sneeze interrupted him.
"Go take a hot shower Cronus." You muttered, standing up. "It'll be morning soon, you can sleep in my bed. I have some stuff I need to do." It hurt you a bit to lie to him, you didn't have anything planned. But Cronus falls asleep, wakes up, goes home, and you'd be straight back to self-loathing and emptiness.
"Care to join me kitten?" Even with your back to him you could hear the suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows. You let out a stifled laugh, and returned to Cronus to pull him off of your couch. With more help than he would care to admit, Cronus got helped into your bathroom, and you took his leather jacket to go dry it.
You took it to your kitchen, carefully laying it out on a towel. Your brain took a few long minutes of hearing the shower running, before it finally clicked. What was Cronus supposed to change into? You heard the water stop, and you rushed to your bedroom. Not too many of your clothes would fit him, so you decided to grab a pair or your pants that were too big, and the biggest sweatershirt you had. The only downside was you were wearing it, but you took it off and folded it, being sure to have the inside of your arms facing up, so he couldn't see. You waited outside the bathroom door, and when it opened, Cronus' head briefly sticking out, you shoved the clothes at him before you could see anything else. With nothing else to say, you went back to the kitchen. He could come get you when he was ready. And he did.
The violet blood stepped into the kitchen, wearing a pair of your jeans--that seemed to fit him eeriely well--and the zip up hoodie which for some reason wasn't zipped. You stared briefly, before he spoke. "Too hot. Think I'm ovwerheatin'." You nodded.
"Hopefully feeling better?"
"A lot. Can I showv you something?" His voice almost seemed fearful, and you nodded. Cronus sat at the kitchen counter, you taking the stool next to him. You looked at him, examining the high cheekbones and dark freckles that made him just so attractive. His hair hadn't been styled, it hung loose and wet forward on his face. He moved, pulling a large part of it up and away from his face, the portion of his hair hanging around his fins more specifically. As he did, you looked closely, and saw scars around the edges. Some were large, others small, some thin violet streaks that looked somewhat recent, others thin silver lines that had all but disappeared. The edges especially looked like they had been attacked as if by scissors.
"What happened?" You asked quietly, slowly moving your hands up to his fins. He flinched, but let your fingers trace the edges and lines of his violet fins.
"I did it. For a wvhile people didn't believe my humankin." He seemed to be a bit anxious talking about it, but continued. "Thought that if I shovwed evweryone howv serious I vwas, they'd hawve to beliewve me. I didn't like myself, the man I am, and vwanted to fix myself. Punish myself for being different, for not being normal." He looked over in your direction, making you look away. You knew he was humankin, and tried to respect it, but this was entirely new. The feelings you had built up for the troll were blossoming incredibly, so much pity and want to protect Cronus.
"But I realized that there vwas no point in torturing myself for no reason. I may not look human like you, but wvho I am as a person is more important than those destructivwe thoughts. I needed to stay strong and proud of vwho I am."
Now you could tell he was talking to you, his slightly cold hands resting on your forearms. It really was like he was looking straight through you, and you let your arms fall down to rest in his hands. Your lip pouted out, you doing your best to hold back from crying as Cronus looked at you with those big violet rimmed eyes. You fell over though, tears spilling out from your eyes as you latched onto the troll. His arms wrapped around your back, and held you tightly. "I just really lowve ya ______, please tell me you'll stop."
You nodded into him, and held him in return. The two of you may be a bit worse for wear, but together you would never have to be alone.
"I love you too, Cronus..."