Warren Worthington iii x reader
Prompt: “Scar’s are proof of where life’s failed us.”
Requested? Nope.
Warren looked at his wings every morning, every afternoon, every night, and basically every time he passed a mirror.
And he couldn’t help but feel slightly nauseated at the sight of them.
Ever since his soft, feathery, white wings were taken from him he felt a pang in his heart when he saw the metal knives protruding from his back.
Part of him knew that it was his fault yet part of him wanted to believe it wasn’t. Apocalypse had caught him at a time where he hated his life, if Apocalypse had found him after he had met you it would have been a different story.
You had softened the parts of him that were angry at the world, although it had taken a lot. You made him feel better about his past, made him feel more human after years of feeling like a bird in a cage. You made him feel something more than a bottle of vodka and a shitty late night hook up with some stranger could ever. He was happy, for the most part, because of you.
Every time he finds himself looking in a mirror, hating what he saw, he remembers you. How much you love him and how he loves you.
He remembers the one time you had caught him looking and actually said something.
-/-
“Warren? Are you okay?”
He jerked his head away from the mirror, his wings clanging behind him as he did.
“I’m fine, darlin.” He had said, his shoulders rolling in as he did.
“No you’re not, what’s wrong?” You had walked over to him, reaching up to press your hands gently to the side of his face.
“Nothing, I swear it.” He said, his hands coming to rest on your cheeks.
“You’re lying, angel.” You had said, looking into his eyes and rubbing your thumb along the tattoos on his face “Please tell me.”
He had sighed, looking at his feet. “I miss my wings. My soft wings, not these cold metal things, but my pretty white ones.”
“Oh, baby.” You said, pulling him in for a hug “You’ll get them back, life finds a way for things to go well in the end.”
“But until I get them back, I’m stuck with a constant reminder of helping a monster try to destroy the world.” He grumbled, burying his face into your neck. “It’s like a really bad, obnoxious scar of when things all went wrong.”
“It’s just for now, angel.” You had whispered, running your fingers through his curls and holding him close. “Besides, scar’s are proof of where life’s failed us. Things are better now, and they’ll be better forever. You’ll never go back to being that person again.”
He pulled away, pressing a kiss to your forehead “What would I do without you?”
You had smiling, planting a kiss on his mouth “I dunno, you’d probably be fucking around somewhere dangerous with Peter or Scott.”
He laughed, pulling you in close, “Oh I still do that, I just do it when you’re fucking around with Jean.”
“You’re lucky I love you.” You had said, nuzzling into neck.
“Yeah I am.” He said, smiling widely “I love you with all my heart.”
Can I get the soulmate au where you both have matching marks that glow whenever you are around each other. With Warren Worthington/Angel, please and thank you!
so you said matching marks and idk why i automatically went to a band on the wrist that everyone shares but the redness is specifically like when you hold a light up to your pinkie finger and it shines through, like there’s an actual light in your wrist and i didn’t mention it but when you touch the band turns white white.
You stared at your wrist, the band glowing faintly.
An hour at Xaviers School for the Gifted and already your
life is looking up. Of course, part of which is because you’ve finally become
one of the weekly boarders in the school. Previously, your parents had ruled that
you needed to come home, on the two-hour bus each night and go to school on the
same bus in the mornings, because you were “just a kid”.
Now, after everything the school and your kind have been
through with the Apocalypse, your parents have allowed you to spend your
weekdays there and return every second weekend.
And it looks like this is gonna be a good semester if your
wrist is anything to go by.
“No way!” Jubilee gasps, staring at your glowing wrist when
you proffer it to her. Her fingers are delicate as she traces the eerily red
band. She giggles softly before meeting your gaze again and your chest aches to
see the sheen on her eyes. “I’m really happy for you.”
“I know,” you say, a laugh escaping you as you pull her into
a hug. “You’re just very jealous and angry, I would be too.”
She sniffles, then laughs, then pulls from your arms and
fixes with you a big smile. “So it’s one of the new kids!”
“Totally!” You nod, your excitement resurging and she starts
rattling off names, then crossing them from her list.
“James Beck, too young, Nikki Elan, too female, Pedro… He
might be it. Then there’s Kurt, you left before he got here, and Warren- ew, I
hope it’s not him. He’s a nightmare. Oh,
and Ororo, she’s a girl but sometimes people get those glitches,” she says, her
brows furrowed and you swallow the laughter in your belly. Glitches. “So in
total, you have five options. Pedro, Warren, Kurt, Ororo and Benji K.”
“Benji K?”
“Well Benji, Benji J and Benji T are all called Benji.”
“Right! I love Benji.” You beam, remembering the crazy
haired older boy. You had the wildest crush on him last year, only diminished
when he dunked Brandons face in the custard pie and kissed Brandons girlfriend.
Last year was wild.
“Hi Kurt!” Jubilee chirps, her steps faltering as the two of
you pass him, his smile bright. Your footsteps don’t slow, your gaze subtly on
your wrist where it’s pressed to your waist. Jubilee guides you around a
corner, her arm linked through yours and her laugh is a sweet sound that has
you looking up.
What must be Benji K and Pedro are talking together just
down the hall.
“It’s not them,” you whisper to her as the two of you near
and she frowns, disappointed.
That only leaves you with Bad Egg Warren and ‘Glitch’ Ororo.
“Maybe you’re a glitch?” She says hopefully and you force a
smile. What she’s said about this guy, honestly, he seems awful.
Stepping out onto the lawn, she scans the grass and you feel
your heart quicken as your wrist glows a bit brighter.
“Well, there’s-”
“Warren,” you croak, your gaze glued to the blonde boy who
stares at his wrist. The joint looks burned by how unnaturally red it is. “I
can’t go over there.”
“What?” Jubilee gasps, releasing your arm to stand in front
of you, blocking your visual of your soulmate.
“You said he was bad! You said… He’s bad and evil and did
awful things to people who deserved better and what if he does awful things to
me?” The words are thick and you can feel your face going red, a lump rising in
your throat.
“Y/N, I’m sorry,” she whispers, her palms on your biceps
comfortingly, “I said those things when I shouldn’t have- well, maybe I should
have since you’d need a heads up… Anyway! You’re a mutant, Y/N, you can affect
your matter to literally become intangible. There’s no situation where a jerk-
your soulmate or anyone else- could actually lay a hand on you without your
permission and even if it did happen, you wouldn’t let it stand. And even if all that failed and he’d
hurt you and you hadn’t dealt with him or told anyone, I would help you. We’ve got this covered. Go meet him.”
“Meet me?”
The voice behind Jubilee startles you both and she yelps,
leaping behind you with a few sparkles popping above her hair and you’re left
staring at sky blue eyes and sunshine hair.
He looks like a fallen angel. A Christian cherub all grown
up.
“Y-yeah, meet you,” you manage, not thinking as you hold up
your palm for a high five and he stares at it. His gaze doesn’t move for long enough
that you panic and start to lower your hand, only for his hand to smack against
it and his fingers to interlace with yours.
“Hello, then, I’m Warren and I’m not like what they say I am,”
he says, stepping closer to you and you feel Jubilee move back, but your feet
are glued to the ground. “I’m worse and I’m so sorry that you’re my soulmate but
I can already tell I’m going to be so in love with you and I hope you’ll love
me too.”
Someone whispers a curse behind you but you can’t focus on
that, can’t focus on anything but the natural disaster right in front of you.
“You’re going to be a nightmare, aren’t you?”
He nods once, his other hand rising to gently cup the side
of your throat.
“And you have lots of issues?”
Another nod.
“But you’re good now. Right?”
He hesitates, his eyes darting over your features before he
nods once more and you sigh, letting your eyes fall closed for a moment.
“Please,” he whispers and the words cracks your chest open.
Blinking your eyes back open, you tangle your free hand in
the material of his shirt and pull, the tiny distance between the two of you
eaten up when his lips press to yours.
Soft Warren Headcanons (Pls excuse the mobile formatting my laptop is trashed atm) @v-writings my gift to you
•He gets sleepy so so easily from like the simplest things. You could be leaning against his side while watching tv and absentmindedly stroking his hair and he’s yawning in like seconds flat
•He’s incredibly clingy when he’s sleepy, to the point at which it’s almost an inconvenience. If you try and get up when he’s sleeping on or near you then he’ll instinctively reach out, winding his arms around you and pulling you in close so you can’t slip away
•He’s also incredibly clingy when he’s cold, and thanks to his low body temperature, he’s almost always cold. He’ll insist on holding your hands all the time because “Baby my fingers are cold. You need to help warm them up” and at night in the winters he basically drapes himself over you entirely, wrapping you up in his arms and his wings so you’re pressed tightly against him
•That being said, for someone who complains about being cold so often, he lives for snowy days where you both get to stay home. He’ll set up a little nest of blankets and pillows in the living room and make hot chocolate or something for you both and then you’ll cuddle up together for basically the whole day, watching reruns of old sitcoms or bad movies. You’ll also usually end up getting takeout so that you don’t need to leave your warm haven of blankets and pillows and cuddles.
•He’s not an amazing cook, but he loves keeping you company while you’re in the kitchen. He likes the intent look of focus on your face as you scan the recipe or try and calculate measurements and he definitely enjoys taste testing if you’re baking something sweet because he has a raging sweet tooth lbr
•He’s always looking for reasons to be near you. Every time there’s a quick errand to run, no matter if it’ll take like five minutes or less, he insists on coming with you. This is in part because he just loves to be around you and also because his attachment issues and anxieties about people he depends on leaving means it stresses him out to be away from you for even short periods of time
•He behaves in a manner not entirely dissimilar to a happy cat when you play with his hair, humming in contentment and leaning into your touch. He loves to lie with his head in your lap because you’ll always absentmindedly run a hand through his curls (which often leads to him falling asleep like that but you don’t exactly mind when that happens)
•He insists on a proper, formal date night at least once every few weeks, taking you out to a nice restaurant, holding doors for you, pulling out chairs etc because you are the most important thing in his life he just wants to make sure you feel sufficiently appreciated and loved, and after all the things you do for him, it makes him happy to be able to give something in return
giving Warren a present for Christmas and he gets really emotional because no one has ever cared so much about him to do that”
Warnings: Kinda sad, but fluffy
You ran through the back door to Xavier’s mansion, a blustery winter breeze pushing at your back as you crossed the threshold into the mansion. You knocked the snow off your boots, brushing snow off of you coat. You made sure the package you held in your hands was alright, keeping it away from any snow.
You headed down the hallway, hearing loud laughs and voices coming from the end. Jean and Jubilee were standing at the counter, Peter leaning against it lazily.
“Hey, Y/N! Where did you go all afternoon?” Jean greeted cheerfully.
“I was finding something for Warren,” you said, lifting up the newspaper-wrapped present you were holding.
“What did you find?” Jubilee asked, eyeing the package.
“It’s a secret,” you said, grinning.
Jubilee blew a strand of hair out of her eyes, taking a sip from the bottle of Coke in front of her. “Alright then,” she said with a sniff.
“You’ll see, “ you promised. You glanced around the room, frowning when you didn’t see your winged boyfriend. “Where is Warren? I thought he’d been down here with all of you.”
Peter shrugged. “Probably in his room. We asked him to stay, but he refused.”
You felt a little bit of worry at Peter’s words. You hoped Warren was feeling okay, but you knew that the holidays were very hard on him.
“Thank you,” you said, turning to leave the kitchen.
“Of course,” Peter called as you left. You made your way up to Warren’s room, striding down the empty, shadowed halls. Most of the students were down in the library or in the dining room celebrating with each other.
You reached Warren’s door, knocking softly before entering. Warren was sitting on his bed, dressed in old jeans and a dark gray shirt. He looked up when he saw you, his expression almost immediately brightening.
“Hey,” you said, going over to his bed.
“Hey,” Warren said, shifting to sit on the edge next to you.
“I um- I wanted to make sure you were doing alright,” you said carefully, watching Warren’s face fall slightly.
“I’m okay,” he said, giving you a tight smile. “I’m just not used to having someone to celebrate Christmas with.”
“Well,” you began, pulling the wrapped present from under your coat. “I got you something.”
Warren gave you a wide eyed look before taking the gift carefully. You bit your lip, waiting for him to unwrap in anxiously. He tore the newspaper carefully, letting the contents fall into his hand. It was a couple cassette tapes of his favorite bands, ones you knew he had wanted for a while but had no money to buy.
“Y/N…” he breathed, turning the cassettes over in his hands. He looked up at you, his eyes shining. “Thank you so much.”
“It’s no problem,” you said, smiling. Warren pulled you into a tight hug, cradling your head in his hand.
“I’ve never had someone give me a Christmas present before,” he said, his voice cracking. You thought you could feel something wet on your cheek, realizing it was a tear after a moment. “I’ve never had someone care for me before.”
“I do,” you said, tangling a hand into his curly blonde hair as you tucked your head into his shoulder. “Merry Christmas, Warren.”
Warren stumbled through the hallways, looking for some sort of privacy. No one could see him like this. He wasn’t supposed to be like this. He’s supposed to be strong. He’s supposed to be stubborn. This is weakness.
“Traitor!” One of the students screamed out. The sound seemed to swirl around in his brain and taunt him. Why wouldn’t they leave him alone? He just wanted to be alone.
“Rat!” Another student joined in on the fun. He was getting close to his dorm. He felt tears prick his eyes and quickly wiped them away. Not here. Not in front of them. He isn’t going to lose like that.
“You’re scum!” His hands were shaking while he was trying to open his door. Fuck. He’s so close. He can’t break down here.
After what seemed like hours, he managed to open his door and slam it behind him. Warren made his way over to his bed and sat in silence for a few minutes. He finally let a few tears stream down his cheeks. He couldn’t handle this anymore. He had to leave.
A sudden, quiet knock at the door made him jump.
He wiped his face and tried to regain himself as much as he could. “Who is it?” Damn it, his voice cracked.
“It’s Y/N,” A soft voice replied. Relief flooded over Warren. “I was just wondering if you’re okay.. They had no right to say any of that to you.”
Y/N was the first student to welcome Warren. She was very gentle with him, always willing to help him find a classroom or with a homework problem. He wouldn’t admit it, but Warren had developed a bit of a crush on the girl. She was one of the only people that accepted him and looked over his mistakes. She trusted him.
Warren trudged over to the door and slowly unlocked it, allowing Y/N to enter his room. The door creaked open as she stepped in. Warren turned around to shut it when she stopped him.
“They made you cry.”
He forgot his eyes were still bloodshot.
In a swift move, Y/N wrapped her arms around Warren’s neck and pulled him in for a hug. He froze. She was small, standing on her tiptoes to be able to hug him. Her hair smelled like apple shampoo and gave a great sense of comfort. He slowly enclosed around her, all of his walls falling down, like they normally did when she appeared. It seemed like this was where he needed to be.
Y/N pulled away after a few minutes, breaking the hug and sending a pang of disappointment in Warren’s chest. “Warren, you’re better than that.”
“.. better than what?” Confusion was laced in his words. Y/N sighed and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ears.
“No matter what anyone tells you,” She began. “you will never be a villain.”
Warren scoffed and all of the walls that had fallen were raised again within a second. “Yeah, sure. Whatever you say Y/N.”
“I mean it,” Y/N continued. Her gentle gaze made Warren want to melt. “you are not a villain, Warren Worthington. You will never be a villain.”
Warren fell silent.
“I really mean that Warren. You are not a villain. I know you’re a good person. I’ve been next to you almost 24/7 for the past few months and you do not have bad intentions. What’s happened is that good person has been bashed back into a dark corner because of what you’ve been through. All these experiences have made you look at the world like it’s you or them, but I know that’s not really you. You’re such a beautiful person, Warren. I have so much faith in you.”
Warren heard a sob escape his mouth. How long had he been crying? He couldn’t remember, but it must have been a minute. He was covered in tear streaks.
Y/N grabbed a tissue off of his desk and wiped the tears from his face. She held him and whispered comforting things into his ears. She stayed with him. She trusted him. Warren seemed to forget everything that had happened to him during this time. All that mattered was that Y/N was here for him. She would protect him. She believed in him.
Warren can legitimately sleep for? A whole day if you let him?
He’s a suuuuuuper heavy sleeper. Like, you have to shake this boy awake if he’s sleeping hard
Usually he’ll grumble and push his messy curls out of his face and yawn and say “five more minutes babe, please” and his voice is all scratchy and adorable
It’s good for you so you can be loud in the morning while getting ready
One of his favorite sleeping positions is on his stomach with his face smushed in your chest
“Your boobs are comfy, babe”
He can also wrap one of his wings on you
He’s super duper clingy when he sleeps
You don’t mind because he’s always touching you in some way when you’re not sleeping
Plus he has a naturally low body temperature and he needs to cuddle with you to warm himself up
When he gets cold the tip of his nose turns an adorable shade of pink
So do the tips of his ears
Listen…. This boy loves it when you play with his hair
He likes lying his head in your lap after a long day because you’ll mindlessly play with his curls
His hair is always soft and?? Really nice to touch??
Warren will actually become putty in your hands when your fingertips lightly massage his scalp
When he first got to the mansion he didn’t have a lot of friends and was weary about a lot of things
He visited the school therapist a lot and she suggested that because he relies on music for a lot, he should make playlists for his moods
When he starts dating you, he shares all of them with you and gets excited when you like his favorite songs
He makes a lot of playlists for you
Your favorite is the one that’s called “for when i’m away”
It makes you cry every time
When Warren was single it was a legit bitch to clean his wings
But now that he’s got you! It’s way easier!
You make time to help him clean them once a week because they can get pretty grimy
The first time, you bought a bunch of oils and stuff from lush and came back to the mansion with a huge bag and an excited look on your face
You sat on the backs of his thighs and washed them and deep cleaned them and it was? So relaxing?
Afterwards he cuddled you and fell asleep within seconds
Showering with Warren!!
It’s a bit difficult because of his wings but Charles gave him access to one of the bigger showers to accommodate his wings
So pretty much he gets his own private bathroom (in which you use as well)
He likes washing your hair and you like washing his (because his hair, again, is fun to play with)
You also have the radio playing sometimes and you both sing at the top of your lungs
Sometimes if he’s having an off day he likes to shower with you, so he can just hold you and disassociate for a while
It’s nice to have you there as a comfort
He has a cute photo strip of you two from when you went to the carnival
There’s two silly pictures of you both sticking out your tongues and the other one is of you squeezing his cheeks
The other one is of him kissing your cheek and the other one is of you two kissing, him smiling into it
He looks at it a lot when he’s in class
Warren likes taking photos and he’s pretty damn good at it
He likes taking photos to capture the moment and likes looking back at them when he’s sad
He loves taking candids of you. Like, he has hundreds of just you that he loves so so much
Okay but when he was younger his parents made him take up piano
He hated every second of it because his parents made him do it
Warren stopped playing after he left for Berlin
When he told you that he could play you were?? So excited??
He was way too nervous to play for you because he hadn’t done it in so long but he wanted to make you happy
So he did and you encouraged him to start playing again
He did
And he loves it so much
He’s blind as a bat and wears contacts, but he sometimes wears his glasses and they make him look SO cute
You love them so much even if he hates them
Basically, Warren is the world’s Softest Boy and no one can tell me otherwise
It’s pouring with rain outside and you’ve never been more grateful for free periods. The storm raging over the mansion had been building for at least a couple of days, and had finally broken just before lunch time that day. Your morning had been slow and boring, but largely uneventful and when you had consulted your schedule over lunch, you had been utterly delighted to discover that you had the entire afternoon off. You had kissed Warren goodbye quickly after lunch and headed up to his room while he headed back to class and on to training.
Almost six hours later, you’re curled up on Warren’s bed with your favourite book and the rain falling noisily outside. You stretch languidly, glancing out the window at the grounds, which are almost totally obscured by the torrential downfall. The door creaks slightly as it opens and swings shut again, and Warren trudges in, looking exhausted. He drops his bag and books on the floor and collapses face first on the bed beside you.
“I hate everything except the concept of napping for a million years,” he says, his voice muffled by the blankets and you laugh quietly as you shift on the bed to lie beside him, tucking yourself close to his side as he drapes one of his wings over you, his arm slinging over your waist.
“Shitty day?” You ask softly and he pulls a face, shrugging.
“Just long. And fucking exhausting. Like, I’m pretty sure I could actually sleep for a million years. I wasn’t just being hyperbolic I’m like ninety percent sure I could actually accomplish it,” he replies, and a small amused smile tugs at the corner of your mouth as you lean in to press a quick kiss to the tip of his nose.
“I can’t make any promises about a million year nap, but why don’t you just go to sleep, baby?” you suggest. “I’ll wake you up for dinner and you can decide whether you wanna go or not, but you look like someone zombified you or whatever.” Warren gives you a relieved smile as his arm tightens over your waist, pulling you in a little closer.
“You’re the best. Like, the best ever,” he mumbles drowsily, leaning in to kiss you. It’s slow and soft and you’re pretty sure he’s already half asleep, but he gives you a small, sweet smile as he pulls back, tucking his head against your shoulder. “Love you, beautiful,” he whispers, pressing a kiss to your collarbone. He’s totally passed out within seconds and you can’t help but chuckle quietly as you shift up the bed, moving him carefully to lie his head on your chest so you can wrap your arms around his shoulders before closing your own eyes and succumbing to your own drowsiness, lulled to sleep by the tranquility of the rain drumming on the window and the warmth of Warren’s body over yours.
Warren wasn’t one to get too close to quickly. It could take weeks to even get him to take his jacket off near someone, no matter how hot it was. He’d rather suffer in his sweat than show someone he doesn’t know what’s hidden under his jacket.
Once he does get comfortable with someone, he gets more comfy than Peter in the kitchen.
You hadn’t really realized that Warren had bird tendencies, you kind of figured he just had the wings, boy were you wrong.
Warren had more in common with birds than Scott did with a laser pointer.
When birds were in mating season, so was he and when he wanted to show off, his wings would puff up and splay out. But the strangest thing that he did, was nest.
You hadn’t really noticed it at first, your bed was already covered in pillows, stuffed animals falling off the edge, blankets out the wazoo, but Warren added his own things over time. You noticed it when you were cuddling, in an obnoxious blanket burrito, a very hot one at that.
“Warren, when did I get this blanket?”
He looked down at you, “Um, it’s mine.”
“And this one?”
“Also mine.” He said, burying his face in your neck.
“And this stuffed bear? It’s got a cute little ribbon on it, awh.” You grabbed it and rolled over to face Warren, showing him.
He covered his face with his hand “I bought it when I was out with Kurt, it reminded me of you. Along with the two other blankets you haven’t noticed yet, they’re very soft.”
“Warren, don’t you think we have enough?” You asked, laughing.
“Never. I want to be as cozy as possible, angelface.” He said, pushing your hair out of your eyes.
“You’ve definitely got bird tendencies.” You snickered, pushing his curls behind his ears.
“I do not!” He exclaimed, blushing.
“Warren, you’re nesting.”
“No, I just love blankets and you.” He grumbled, pouting.
“Nesting.”
“No.” He stopped, sighing and kissing your forehead “Okay, maybe. Don’t tell Scott.”
——-
This is high key so short and pretty shitty, sorry about that but like, you asked and I gave. @emmcfrxst
From the recent writing prompts you posted, can I get 2. I’m right here, okay? You’re all right. With Warren Worthington and if possible can you you make it so the reader says it to him? If not thats fine, thanks!
hey, requester, it was perfectly fine and an all-round delightful request to fill, thanks for requesting it.
The black mark of a fallen angel against the setting sun.
“F*ck,” you swear softly, your eyes burning. Turning around completely,
you stare at the orange splashed leaves and try to soak up the last vestiges of
the warm afternoon. Wing beats hit your ears and a sharp wind rushes over your
already dimpling arms. Douchebag.
“You didn’t even see,” Warren complains, strutting around to
face you and you level him with a weak glare. For a moment, he looks concerned.
“How are you supposed to fall in love with me if you’re not even looking at the
utterly drool worthy moments I’m constantly offering you?”
Grunting noncommittally, you sidle past him and head back to
the house. He literally called you out here to blind you- how utterly drool
worthy.
“Hey! I didn’t- Y/N!” His voice is whiny and you just barely
check your speed, enough that his seconds hesitation means you aren’t already
halfway across the lawn once he catches up to you. Jogging to catch up, Warren steps in front of you, stopping you,
and gives you a pathetic look. “I’m sorry, I really did want to show you
something.”
“More than the average trick I just saw or was that all of it?”
“No, no!” He says quickly then pauses. Oh wow. That was all
he had. “I wanted to show you… The… Baby pigs on the neighbours’ farm.”
Now that’s got you
interested. “There’s seriously baby pigs on the neighbours’ farm? Since when?”
“Like a week ago!” He’s excited now, excited because you’re
more than half interested, and it’s really cute. “I heard their awful
screeching a few days and flew down to have a look- I got screamed at but it
was worth it. Wanna go see?”
“Now?” You hesitate, rubbing your arms nervously. It really
is cooling down out here and the suns so close to disappearing entirely.
“You wanna get a jumper and some torches first?” The offer
is so sweet and concern filled you could cry. Since when have boys ever been nice enough to get jumpers?
Usually they just give you theirs and act all weird and macho about it. “Real
quick, before all the light disappears.”
“Yeah, definitely, let’s do it,” you find yourself saying
and his face lights up.
“I’ll be two seconds if you wait right here?” He says,
already half in the air and you laugh, but nod.
“Sure, sure.”
“Okay, great.” He exhales a happy breath and shoots toward
the building. For a second, he’s a bright beacon in the shadows, then he’s gone
around the back of the building and you’re alone on the lawn. It really is starting to get
cold.
Bouncing on your toes, you rub your arms and sigh.
Whooshing sounds and a scuffle of feet on grass has you
turning. “Warren.”
“I’m back,” he says and you reach for the jumper he offers
you, the material cold from its short flight. “Can you hold these?”
You frown as he dumps four torches into your hands but
accept them all the same, stuffing them into the kangaroo pocket on the hoodie.
“This is yours, isn’t it?”
“No, I totally borrowed Scotts cause the idea of you wearing
anything of mine is so gross,” he counters and you giggle, shooting him a side
eyed smile. If it wasn’t so dark you don’t doubt you’d see a flush on his cheeks.
“It smells good, Scott must smell good,” you bait and his
head whips around so fast you’re worried about whiplash.
“It’s mine, it’s so mine, Scotts never seen it in his life,”
he says quickly and shamelessly and you laugh outright. Stepping into his space when he beckons you closer, you try not to smile too much. “C’mere, we’re gonna fly.”
“Thank goodness,” you whisper, stepping right into the circle of
his arms as you contemplate just how long a walk all the way across the grounds
would have taken. His chuckle is warm, warmer than his hands when they settle
onto the small of your back. “Jeez!”
“Sorry, cold hands,” he whispers and you blink up at his
shadowy face. Oh, man, he is really cute when you can’t quite see him. Sure,
he’s cute all the time but he’s extra cute when it’s just his warm voice and
thudding heartbeat and gentle touches. “Ready?”
Nodding, you jump into his arms and wrap your legs around
his waist, feeling him hug you close. As quietly and subtly as you can, you
sniff him.
“You just sniffed me,” he says casually and you scowl into
the darkness. Never doing that again.
“Show me the pigs.”
Their tiny snuffling bodies are possibly the cutest thing on
four trotters. Pink as a valentine’s card and as cute as one too, you’re just
about ready to expire.
“You will never be able to top this,” you whisper, kneeling
beside the sleepy sow and running a finger down the spine of a snoring piglet. “I
want one.”
“If we could get away with it, I’d take one right now.” The
words are casual but you can tell he really wants one too. You grin at him, only
to cringe when he shines the torch in your face. “Sorry.”
“Honestly, Warren, it’s like you are deliberately sabotaging
youself,” you grumble and he sighs. After a few more minutes, you rise and step
away from the warm pig pile and out of the little shed they live in.
“We should go,” you whisper and Warren rises with you, his
footsteps crunching on the hay.
Hold on.
“There’s someone out here,” you whisper, the words choking
from your lips as fear claws at your throat. It’s just a guy, it’s probably
just the neighbour coming to yell at you for the pigs, it’s probably nothing like a
crazy monster murderer. “Warren.”
It takes less than a second. Warren scoops you into his arms
and his wings give a mighty heave just as the gunshot goes off. Your scream is
sharp and you muffle yourself against the warm cotton of Warrens jumper. He’s
stiff as a board and silent but you can’t help cursing and crying as he flies
the two of you back to the mansion.
You don’t see the journey, you’re too panicked, but now you’re
in Warrens room and it’s dark and he’s put you down and stepped back and you’re
suddenly worried for a whole other reason. “Warren?”
“Y-you-” The word is a choked stutter and your heart stops,
only to start again as you take a hesitant step toward him. “You should g-go.”
“Hey, it’s okay.” Gently, you reach for him, moving agonizingly but purposefully slowly and when you do touch him, he jumps but doesn’t shy away.
Taking his hands, you slide them over your body, down your arms, over your
waist, through your hair and across your shoulders. “I’m okay.”
Reaching out, you do the same to him, gently checking him
over for any hurts. “You’re okay too.”
“I’m right here, okay?
You’re alright, I’m alright, we’re okay.” The hug is sudden and nearly crushes you, almost
literally, but you squeeze him back just as fiercely. “Guns suck and lets never
go back there ever again.”
“Oh God, I’m so sorry,” he says, the words finally passing
his lips and you hug him tighter. Pushing gently, you guide him to the bed and
sit him down, still clinging to him. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t- f*ck, I’m so
sorry.”
“It’s okay, we’re okay.” Promises drip from your lips and
his heartbeat steadily slows, his grip on you gentling as his fear subsides. “You
and me, we’re just perfect.”
His laughter is strained and sarcastic but it’s there and
you sigh at the sweet sound of it.
Holy hell. Some random person fired a gun at you. At the both
of you. What the f*ck.
“You’re gonna sleep over,” Warren orders and you don’t argue.
Laughter and footsteps peter through the wooden door and you’re reminded that
this entire place is alive. No one knows what just happened, your absence isn’t
notable yet and the place has gone on while the two of you were nearly
murdered. “Oh, it’s seven.”
You giggle softly, and kick off your shoes. You’re gonna
sleep over anyway.
“I want to go to bed right now, anyway,” you say, sprawling
across his bed and he grins at you over his shoulder. “Go bed?”
“Sure,” he says with enough warmth to fill the room and you
sigh, cozying down among his blankets with a wingtip tickling the back of your
thigh.
As you are quietly reading in your dorm your boyfriend Warren walks in. “Hey, sweetheart?” Warren says while coming to sit on your bed. “Yes, angel?” You replied smiling. “Are you a camera? Because every time I look at you, I smile,” he says innocently.
You laugh and look back down at your book. “Really? That’s the best you could come up with?” Warren grins and says “wait, wait I have another one.” You stared at him, grinning, glad to be his.
“Do you have a name, or can I call you mine?” You laugh and put your book on the table. “Just come over here and cuddle me.” Warren lays on your bed and drapes his arm around your waist.
Toad's Cave 