→ kissed the scars on their skin
warnings : self harm, scars, healed scars, fresh cuts, reader is implied to have depression, fluff, comfort, concerned qifrey, reader is naked (non sexual), no spoilers!
qifrey x GN!reader — please bare with the inevitable corniness of my first fic…😢 otherwise, enjoy!
Intimate moments with Qifrey never had to be intense. Quiet mornings spent chuckling with one another or folding laundry together were memories you held close to your heart just as dearly. Times where you would just soak up the other’s presence, letting your shared warmth envelop your figures.
That was how spending your days side by side with Qifrey was like. Stopping by his atelier, bringing all sorts of souvenirs and snacks for those who resided in the place you could confidently call home. Even if you were away for work often, you were always a present figure. Someone for the kids to look up to, a friend to lend an ear to Olruggio, and last but not least — a partner whom Qifrey could proudly call his.
Your relationship with the snow-haired man was still blossoming, discovering new things about each other with each second spent together. You both were fairly new to the concept of loving another. But maybe that’s what made it so sweet. The fruit of your first love.
You wished you were brave enough to ask him to go bare-bodied together.
You told him you had scars all over your body. On a night by the fireplace, your voice carried a slightly melancholic tone. You tried to play it cool. Even when you looked at yourself in the mirror while bathing alone, your lips would press into a tight line. Disgust. Maybe pity? It was an expression you didn’t even recognize on your own face.
Qifrey nodded attentively, cooing sweet comforts at you. His hand rested against your back, rubbing it softly. His fingers grazed over raised cuts. They paused their motion. You knew he noticed. Qifrey noticed everything, after all. It left a bitter taste on your tongue.
Bathing was a hard task sometimes. You would stare at your body in the mirror, eyes gazing over the collection that had only grown with the years. Ranging from small to big, long to short, and healed to raw. Your fingers would absentmindedly pick at scabs and watch blood pool slowly onto your skin. A rich shade of crimson, a familiar contrast to your skin.
One day, you spent too long in the bathing room. Longer than you usually would. Not like Qifrey was counting down the minutes, of course. An hour passed. Then half of that. His heart twinged with a familiar ache — when he felt that something had gone wrong.
Steady steps approached the bathroom. You could hear them, you simply just couldn’t care enough to mind them. You lost track of how long you had spent soaking in the hot, steamy water. It stung against fresh wounds, as if it were mocking you. You hadn’t even washed yourself up, your face still dry since it didn’t make contact with the water below.
Hands curled around yourself, a loose embrace and a pathetic attempt at comforting yourself. Thoughts raced through your mind at a thousand miles per hour. Were you even deserving of such a comforting life? Did someone as odd as you even deserve to live? Was there any point in —
“[Name], my dear, are you okay? You’ve been in there for a while,” The familiar voice of your partner was one you recognized in less than a second. You snapped out of your thoughts. Words clogged themself in your throat, but none of them wanted to come out without you gagging. It was times like these when you just wanted to dissolve into the ground below.
With no response on your end, Qifrey became increasingly concerned. He knocked once, twice, thrice, and you still didn’t respond. It almost nauseated you how selfish you were.
Before another thought could speed through your head, the door clicked open as he muttered an apology. Qifrey stood at the doorframe, dressed in his usual attire. Your back faced him, and you couldn’t bring yourself to turn towards where the sudden gust of wind came from. You hear the door close, followed by another click. He slowly treads closer, hiking his white robe up so as not to trip on it.
Only when you can really feel his presence do you turn your head back. You feel almost glad that your body is submerged in the murky water. A relieved sigh escapes Qifrey’s lips, crouching down to get a better look at your face. His hand reaches to caress your dry cheek. Despite Qifrey’s evident dislike for getting wet, he looked ready to risk it all.
Your eyes were red and puffy. Maybe you had cried earlier without noticing. Seeing his face right now almost made you want to claw him impossibly closer. “Dearest, what’s troubling you? It’s not advisable to stay in the bath for so long,” His polished voice echoed throughout the tiled bathroom. Laced with worry, still carrying its ever-present sweetness.
“I’m sorry…” You manage to grumble in a voice you don’t even recognize as yours. It’s raspy, raw, and ugly. An unsightly side of yourself you wanted to shield him from. “You’re too good to me,” A whisper akin to a soft cry. Qifrey’s heart feels like it’s going to explode. That single pretty blue eye of his stares at you, solely at you. His fingers graze against your skin. A touch that weighed over a thousand unspoken words.
A soft sigh leaves his lips, unfairly prettily so. He stands up and grabs a fresh towel from a nearby rack, before crouching back down to your level. “Don’t speak such nonsense,” He huffs, helping you sit up onto the edge of the bath. You feel nothing but dread as you await the start of a never-ending parade of questions about the scars that litter your skin.
Qifrey first pats your hands and arms dry carefully with the towel before draping it over your bare figure, covering your back. The parade of questions doesn’t come. Instead, a habitual silence overcomes the room. The occasional sound of water dripping and soft breathing. You can even hear the apprentices play outside. He doesn’t ask you anything, nor does he shy away from your naked figure. He kneels beside you instead, staying both behind you and by your side.
“…I don’t smell soap. Have you washed up yet, dearest?” Qifrey breaks the stillness. You shake your head in response, feeling a rush of heat creep up the nape of your neck. Your lover hums in response, standing up yet again to grab a wash bucket and soap. Your favorite lavender shampoo and dewberry body wash. It almost pains your heart when you realize just how much attention to detail he pays towards you.
The pale is already filled with warm water, courtesy of the spell cast on its surface. He removes the towel from your back and folds it nicely, placing it in a nearby corner for later. For a moment, he simply stares at you. The back of your head. The slight hunch in your posture, and then the inevitable scars. He leans over and presses a kiss to your cheek. Then one to your nape. He trails down from your shoulder to your hand, until his lips press against the palm side of your wrist.
Qifrey wastes no time in scrubbing your back, even going the extra mile and massaging your tense muscles. You can’t stay silent whenever he’s around, not really. He didn’t ask about what happened to you. He acknowledged struggles that didn’t need to be spoken. Instead, he brought up casual things. Topics that you couldn’t help but comment on.
You laughed when he tickled you, and winced when soap met raw wounds. He laughed with you and apologized. He didn’t stare for too long, nor did he go beyond what he intended to do. He scrubbed your scalp delicately and brushed conditioner through the ends of your hair, running his slender fingers through your wet hair.
You left feeling like the best you had ever been. Refreshed, contented and relaxed. You felt as though a burden you had been lifting for so long had finally ridden itself from you. After all, there is nowhere you would rather be than in your beloved’s arms.
a/n : I self inserted a little to hard here. but alas I’m done…please don’t throw tomatoes at me Ok? Ok. Okay.💗💗💗💗