BlueSaltySeas

It was yet another Friday night, the city bustling with activity as the citizens either returned home from work or left to party, just like you guys.

It was nothing new. As soon as Friday or a holiday break rolled up, your boyfriend, Sebastian, would drag you out of the apartment to have a mini date or a party with friends. The mere thought of leaving the comfort of your apartment after a long college week tired you out at times, and he respected your decision if you refused to go out, but you accepted today.

Sebastian had invited you to come with him to a party with his friends, mostly people from his band who you knew well already. He said the party was to celebrate having passed this semester's exams, though you knew it was just an excuse for them to get drunk. Not that you minded, even if you yourself didn't drink much or at all.

As soon as you two arrived to his friend's apartment, you were met with familiar and friendly faces, inviting you both in cheerfully. There were some people there already, sat on the sofa of the living room and chatting, alcohol and snacks laid out on the coffee table in front of them.

Once everyone finished greeting you both, Sebastian pulled you by the hand towards the sofa, playfully pushing one of his friends to the side to make space on the couch. He pulled you down onto the sofa with him as he sat down, getting you extra close to his side while he turned to his friends, an arm around you the whole time.

It didn't take him long to reach for a beer and start drinking as he laughed with his friends, making sure you were included in the conversation. His friends drank happily too, some offering you drinks while you refused, Sebastian quickly telling them off for doing so. "How many times do I gotta say it, they don't drink. Geez."

You found it funny, giggling every time, and he'd chuckle too in response.

As the night went on, you could see the effects of alcohol slowly take effect on everyone, only caring about how Sebastian was holding up though. His face was taking on a redder tone, his smile growing with each sip he took, becoming more giggly as time passed. It didn't take much for him to become drunk, so you always kept an eye on him so he wouldn't overdo it.

Eventually, there was no space on the sofa for everyone, Sebastian having had to pull you onto his lap so everyone could fit. You were fine with that, his arms gently wrapped around your waist to hold you close while you kept up with the conversation. By this point, Sebastian was quite drunk, simply staring at his friends as they spoke without saying a word himself for the most part.

He still tried to reach for another beer, unsure of how many he had taken already, having lost the count. You quickly stopped him though, gently grabbing his wrist and moving it so he'd put the can back on the coffee table. He complied but let out a quiet groan, gazing into your eyes with puppy eyes as he rested his head on your shoulder.

"Enough." You quietly muttered to him as you reached your hand up to gently caress his cheek, Sebastian letting out a soft sigh at the touch, his eyes closing as he lightly rubbed his face against you. He definitely was drunk.

He became so needy when drunk, his hold on you becoming stronger, and the actions of affection that were sparce becoming more common. It was endearing really. Every time it was as if he forgot he came here to drink with friends, paying more attention to you than anyone else as the alcohol did it's thing in his system.

His eyes would be on you as you talked with the others, letting out soft hums against your shoulder as if calling for your attention, becoming a bit more touchy as he held you in his arms.

It was clear the alcohol was taking full effect on Sebastian as his eyes started to close, his chest pressing against your back as he rested on you and got more comfortable. Well, it was time to leave.

"Sebas." You gently rubbed his cheek to get him to open his eyes. "Sebastian, love." You became more insistent until he raised his head. "Let's head home, get some rest, hm?" He lazily nodded, watching as you stood up from his lap and said your goodbyes to everyone in the party, Sebastian sloppily waving his hand at them.

He stood up from the sofa with some difficulty, quickly reaching for his hand to guide him out of the apartment. He followed without complaints, a dumb wide smile on his face.

The cold, fresh air of the night was much needed after sitting in that apartment for hours, surrounded by the smell of alcohol and cigarettes for so long. You got a tighter hold on Sebastian's hand to make sure he would stay close in your way home, quickly being met with a closer hold as he reached for your arm and leaned on it. He was clearly tired and done for the night too.

You slowly walked through the now mostly empty streets, save from the few people returning home from night outs just like you both.

"Hmmm..." Sebastian softly hummed. "You feel so warm..." He mumbled, making you giggle. "Yeah?" You replied softly, Sebastian giving you a nod. Gosh, he was adorable.

You two eventually reached the door to you guys' apartment complex, stopping right in front of it as you searched for the keys in your pocket. "Te quiero. Mucho..." He murmured to you as you opened the door.

You couldn't help but smile, pushing the door open with your free arm and gently pushing him forward. You guided him upstairs carefully, making sure he watched his step as you pulled on his hand.

Once you got into your shared apartment, you let out a deep breath, quickly discarding of your jacket and shoes. He copied you, albeit more sluggishly, not bothering to properly put his things away.

You didn't have to guide him to the bedroom, Sebastian taking your hand to get you to follow him there. Once in the room, you watched as he threw himself onto the bed without a care, ready to pass out and not wake up until late in the day.

"Not yet." You patted his leg to get his attention, earning a groan from him. "Come on, you gotta change your clothes." You said as you stepped back, moving away to do just that yourself.

You kept an eye on him while you changed into a pair of pajamas, watching as he barely managed to take his shirt off before throwing it to the ground and flopping back down. You sighed at the sight, finishing up and approaching the bed again. "Come on you idiot. You're not gonna be sleeping with jeans on, are you?"

He groaned once more, finding it hard to keep his eyes open. "I'm tired..." He mumbled, in case it wasn't obvious. You shook your head, quickly bending doing and undoing his belt, throwing it to the side and pulling his jeans down and off.

"There, now pajamas." He shook his head. "Come on." He continued to refuse to your dismay, though you couldn't be annoyed at him, finding how he was acting cute. "You'll get cold." You murmured as you got closer to him.

To your surprise, he stretched his arms out rather quickly for the state he was in, wrapping them around you and pulling you down onto the bed with him. "You can keep me warm..." He mumbled, rubbing his face against yours.

Groaning quietly, you accepted the fact that you wouldn't be able to get him to put pajamas on, fully laying down on the bed with him and letting him pull you closer. He quickly searched for more of your warmth, burying his face in your shoulder and holding you tightly.

"Buenas noches, cari..." He couldn't even finish the sentence, struggling to fight off the sleepiness induced by the alcohol. It made you smile though, quickly grabbing a blanket and drapping it over both of your bodies. "Good night, love." You whispered back, unsure if he was still awake to hear you. "Hopefully you don't regret this night out in the morning..." You muttered more so to yourself with a giggle, knowing he'd wake up with a killer headache.

"Handy man!" A voice called out for Sebastian from outside his room, making him lift his head from where it rested on his arms.

Just great. Sebastian muttered under his breath, slowly straightening up from his tail coils he used to rest on. As he stretched out the knots that formed in his muscles, the door to his room was opened by a scientist, notepad in hand.

"There's a leak coming from a pipe in one of the break rooms." The scientist coldly spoke to him, barely even giving him a glance before turning back around. As soon as they entered the room, they were already leaving it, making their way to the break room already without giving Sebastian the chance to reply or think about it.

With a deep breath, Sebastian slowly slithered behind them, snatching his tool belt in the way out and putting it on as he continued to follow. He didn't even bother in saying as much as a word as they made their way to the break room, just wanting to get the task done and be left alone once more.

Luckily the travel was short, and the scientist pointed to the leak as soon as they entered the room. The break room was completely empty save for the few DSBs that hung around, the leak not being major enough to transfer them into a different room. With a grunt, he begrudgingly got to work by first inspecting the damaged pipe.

This should be easy. Sebastian thought to himself as he reached for his tools, being able to work efficiently despite the rather annoying noises the DSBs were making in the background. As he was working on fixing the problem though, he was distracted by the feeling of something soft brushing against his tail, making him whip his head around to look for the source of the touch.

His tense stance slowly calmed down as he realized it was just one of the bunnies, who had managed to reach him and was curiously looking at what he was doing. He couldn't stop the soft smile that appeared in his face, wanting more than anything to reach down and pet it. He knew he had work to finish though, and with a groan, he called for the scientist.

"Can't you keep an eye on them? Don't let them get too close..." The handy man said coldly, watching as the scientist awkwardly got the bunny to move away, quickly resuming his work after. It didn't take him too long to get the leak fixed, wondering how lazy the scientists were to not fix such a simple leak themselves.

He swiftly put his tools back on his belt and turned around to find the scientist petting the DSBs, clearly not paying attention to anything else. With a roll of his eyes, he silently approached them and cleared his throat loudly.

"The leak is fixed, doctor." Sebastian spoke while crossing his main arms over his chest, watching as the scientist quickly stood up with a stutter. He didn't tear his gaze from them as they waved him off to do whatever else he wanted to do, before excusing themselves to their office.

Man, these people are sure weird. Sebastian thought to himself, wondering how they could be this awkward outside of their horrific experiments. But he simply shrugged and lowered his gaze to meet the DSBs below him, squeaking like crazy and now demanding his attention.

The handy man couldn't help but smile at the sight; they'd always be like this, not caring about how scary he may look. Carefully lowering himself, using his own tail as a seat, he reached a hand down to pet one of the bunnies.

In an instant, one of them rushed to rest it's head on his hand, Sebastian wasting no time to carefully scratch at it's chin. "Feels good, heh? At least these stupid claws are great for scratching you guys." He quietly spoke with a chuckle, his expression softening as he used his other two hands to pet an additional two bunnies.

Might as well put these hands to use. He smirked to himself, glad to be able to spend time with these little creatures, a break from his daily hell. They almost reminded him of his past life with his cat, who'd ask for pets constantly like these. Except these are louder, and a little dumber, and pretty demanding... but cute and calming nonetheless.

And so, he decided to use his little free time with them, lowering himself further until he was laying on the carpeted floor. Using one arm to prop his head up, he used the other two to continue petting the DSBs that surrounded him, some laying against him to take a nap.

They were clearly comfortable and content with the attention they were receiving from Sebastian, acting almost as if they were starved of it, despite how willing the scientists were to give into their constant demands and give them the attention they craved. They simply couldn't get enough, and as some started to climb the handy man and be more demanding, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Calm down, geez. I see you, I see you." He murmured to them between chuckles, quietly groaning as he noticed some of them even try to compete with each other to be the receiver of Sebastian's care. "Hey, hey. You all will get your dosis of scratches and pets, don't be fighting each other." He continued with a playful boop to their snouts.

And he staid like that for a while, ending up laid down fully on the floor and facing up, a bunny comfortably resting on his chest while the rest were napping around him, finally satisfied. With a relaxed sigh, he glanced at the one on his chest, continuing to lightly pet it with one hand, before gently moving it to the floor.

"Enough, I need to get some actual rest." Sebastian spoke as he slowly sat up and stretched, letting out a low groan. Happy with the time spent with them, he slowly straightened up. And with a last glance and soft smile at the DSBs that now where resting, he carefully and slowly slithered to the exit of the room.

The corridors were pretty quiet by now, many scientists still occupied with their horrifying experiments until late in the day but most having left to the resting quarters, just where he was headed to. He stopped in his tracks as he heard a squeak behind him though, prompting him to look behind and see where the source of the noise came from. And it was none other than one of the bunnies, having managed to catch up to him despite it's short stubby legs.

Shock clear in his face, Sebastian bent down to take a closer look at the bunny, taking it in his main hands. "Buddy, what are you doing here? Good thing I noticed you. Now let's get you back to your spot." He softly spoke to it with a gentle look, quickly being met with complaints from the creature in the form of loud squeaks to his surprise.

"What? You can't come with me, you gotta stay in your room." The handy man quietly replied, being met with more complaints that were a bit sadder this time. Lowering the DSB back onto the floor, he tried to shoo it away, only for the bunny to stomp in anger and stand it's ground.

Sebastian straightened up and looked around the corridor, making sure it was empty before shrugging.Well, I tried. He thought to himself with a cheeky chuckle, straightening up and continuing his path.

He couldn't care less about one of the DSBs following him to his room, even liking the idea of having a little companion like them there. He simply acted like he didn't notice the bunny continuing to follow him, finding it adorable how resilient it was.

Once he reached his room, he left the door open just for a moment longer so the bunny could get in, before swiftly pushing it closed with his tail. Interlacing his main hands and turning back to the bunny, he giggled as he saw the clear signs of happiness it was displaying. "Alright, I won't say no to you wanting to stay with me tonight. I'm sure you'll be a nice sleeping companion, hm?" He playfully spoke, pointing to his sleeping spot, a couple of big mattresses on the floor with lots of blankets.

You were a scientist for Urbanshade, had witnessed all the horrors within it's walls, learnt how to deal with them. And one of those horrors you dealt with was none other than Z-13, aka the handyman, aka Sebastian Solace.

He was something to say the least. It was as if most of the man-made horrors in this place were condensed into one within his form, being the ultimate nightmare the company built.

Maybe it was how he looked and acted, or that he was still human after all and somehow retained most of his humanity, or maybe it was the fact that he was an innocent man undeserving of this – But something about him unnerved you like nothing else did. You never said anything though, hoping to stay on his good side and not start anything. You worked with him at the end of the day, having him follow you around as you showed him what tasks he had to do for the day. It was better to keep a 'good' relationship.

Contrast to him and the other horrors that lay in the blacksite, there were these little guys. 'Deep Sea Bunnies'. They were pets essentially, other scientists in the company having found the time between inhumane experiments to allocate, modify and domesticate them.

They were cute, you couldn't deny that, but you never went close to them. You were unsure why. Maybe it was because it seemed like way too elaborate of a joke in a place like this, too innocent to be in here. You just refused to interact with their spots.

...Except for this one time. You had gotten complaints from other scientists about a leak in a break room, one where the DSB resided in.

You had found Sebastian and guided him through the endless corridors to the spot, his belts with various utensils clanking as he slid through the space easily. The room was empty when you arrived, save for the DSB that had been left there, as it wasn't a major leak.

You quickly pointed Sebastian to the leak he had to repair without much of a word, him simply nodding at you before turning to the broken pipe, inspecting it carefully. As he took his tools and started the repair, the curious bunnies started approaching, their distant squeaks becoming louder.

And while you stood a safe distance away from Sebastian, one of them managed to reach him, trying to climb onto his tail. He quickly turned to look at it and quietly groaned, before glancing at you. "Can't you keep an eye on them? Don't let them get too close..." He grumbled before turning back around to the issue he had to focus on.

You quickly approached it, but froze in place as you stared at it, while it stared back at you (if it even has the eyes to do that). What where you even supposed to do with them? You didn't know how to exactly deal with them, your lack of experience with pets surely not helping.

You tried to shoo it away, which seemed to work, until it approached you instead, standing up on it's back legs and reaching for you. You recoiled back in uncertainty, a shiver travelling down your spine. Come on, it's just a little... Bunny. You've dealt with worse.

And with a deep breath, you slightly nodded to yourself. This is easy. You could clearly see they were taking interest on you. You could probably use it to lead them away from Sebastian as he fixed the leak.

You slowly walked away from Sebastian, and with careful steps crossed to the other side of the room. The one DSB quickly followed behind, it's squeaks guaranteed to give you a headache. Some of the others also followed behind, starting to try and get your attention by climbing onto your leg.

What do they want? Pets? Can I even pet them with those... Spikes? You were unsure what they exactly were, never having taken the time to read their file. Slowly and hesitantly, you bent down with your back, reaching a hand down to one of them.

Before you even got to touch it, it jumped up to try and bump it's head against your hand, somewhat startling you. It quickly fell down and tripped, shaking it's whole body when it got up. These things aren't smart at all... You couldn't deny how cute it was though.

Slowly, you got onto your knees, practically having to push the sea bunnies away so you wouldn't squish them down. And finally, you set your hand over the one bunny who jumped up to you. It rubbed against your hand, and you continued the caress down it's back up to it's tail.

It felt surprisingly soft, and you couldn't help but continue petting it. But why only pet one? You had two hands after all. And so you pet a different one with your free hand, moving from bunny to bunny so all of them would get some attention.

This was comforting, especially in a place like this. No wonder the others liked these little guys and wanted them as pets. You couldn't stop petting them, not realizing how quickly the time was passing.

"Ehem." A raspy and deep voice could be heard behind you, slowly turning your head to look over your shoulder, your eyes meeting with Sebastian's intense stare.

"The leak is fixed, doctor." Sebastian said while crossing his main arms over his chest, his gaze boring onto you. You quickly cleared your throat and stood up, the DSB squeaking below you.

"Yeah, yeah. Erm... Thanks for your help. You can go roam around or something." You said with an awkward cough, shooing him with your hand. "Do whatever. I'll just be in my office." You excused yourself before leaving the room, clearly caught off guard in the midst of petting the bunnies, having acted unusually soft and caring.

[Part 2/2] [Part 1 here]

You and Sebastian soon reached your shared apartment, seemingly saving yourselves from the rain just in time. You went straight to the bedroom without a word, throwing your backpack onto the floor and setting the gift bag carefully on your night stand.

Sebastian watched from the doorway as you threw yourself onto the bed, facing away from the door. His eyes followed your movements as you reached for the plush in the bag and hugged onto it, as if searching for the last bit of comfort you needed. Sebastian quietly chuckled at the sight, before he turned around and left.

He let you be for the time being, his footsteps distant as he quietly walked around the apartment. For now, you just laid in bed, cuddled up to the plush he just gave you and closing your eyes, trying to get some kind of rest.

You stayed like that for a while, not really sleeping, trying to fully calm your thoughts. You didn't know how long had passed, but eventually you could feel Sebastian's presence in the room again, not having heard his steps approaching.

The mattress dipped underneath him as he got onto the bed, slowly crawling close to you. Without a word, he carefully laid down behind you, quickly grabbing a blanket and pulling it over both of your bodies. With a content sigh, he wrapped his arms around you, nuzzling against your shoulder.

"Better now?" He murmured against your ear, a shiver running down your spine as his breath brushed against your neck. You let out a quiet hum of approval, opening your eyes to glance at him from the corner of your eye, while he rested his head on your shoulder.

He seemed happy with your response, taking in a deep breath before exhaling with a small smile, his eyes closing. "I'm sure you killed it in the exams..." He whispered against your skin.

"I killed my career with them, that's for sure..." You couldn't help yourself, needing to voice your worries for once. "Don't be like that." He scoffed. "You always manage to pass them with a great score." He tried to reassure you, squeezing you in his hold.

After a quiet moment, you left the plush on the night stand, turning around in his hold to face him. You quickly wrapped your arms around him and pulled a little closer, earning a soft gasp from him. As you shoved your head against his chest, lightly nuzzling against him, Sebastian sighed.

"You always worry too much. I'm sure you did well, like always. I saw how hard you worked and studied for it, I doubt you'd fail after all that." He continued to try and comfort you, resting his chin over your head and rubbing circles on your back.

But as you didn't reply, he took the hint to move on from the topic, clearly upset and disappointed by it though. But he still gave up on trying to reassure you with words, knowing that sometimes it was better to let it be.

One of his hands travelled up to your hair, starting to carefully brush through your locks with his fingers, trying to get you to fully relax with actions instead. "You're still pretty tense..." He muttered more so to himself, pressing his lips against your head. "Relax. I've already ordered some food for lunch. And then we can nap all day after, cuddled together, enjoying each other's presence..." He softly smiled at his own words, clearly looking forward to it himself.

The closest thing to a response you gave was a sigh, though he could guess you were fine with the idea as you held closer to him, letting your eyes flutter closed. He truly was everything you could ask for in a boyfriend — sweet, caring, gentle.

[Part 1/2, wrote too much] [Part 2 here]

Today wasn't your day.

You woke up too early for your liking, having spent the night before studying for a couple of exams. Luckily, it was a friday, and these were the last exams for the semester. You just had to get done with these last exams, go back home and use this weekend to rest.

But it all went so wrong. The weather didn't help your irritable mood, a storm forcing you to carry an umbrella around that did little to keep you dry. You had arrived early for the exam on purpose, so you could use that time to study some more before it, but it felt impossible to do so. Nothing of what you read seemed to stay in your brain, too fried to even try. And during the exams, you just felt immense stress, feeling like you were doing it all wrong.

By the time you finished with the exams, it was the middle of the day, the storm having ceased momentarily. You were anxious, angry, sad, unsure if you'd even pass the exams. You were also incredibly tired, the hunger that gnawed at you after not having eaten since the day before only making it worse. You just wanted to reach your apartment and throw yourself into bed, sleep through the weekend...

"Hey!" You heard a familiar voice in the distance, raising your gaze from the floor and looking forward, before glancing behind you in search of the voice.

And there he was, Sebastian. Your boyfriend. You stopped in your steps, slowly turning around to face him, giving him a weak wave. You thought he'd be in the apartment, having had an exam too earlier that day, thinking he would've gone home as soon as he was done.

When you noticed him, his steps quickened, a light bounce in them as he approached you. Opposite to your mood, he seemed happy, a wide smile on his face, his eyes twinkling slightly. You could see that he kept his hands behind him, his hair a bit messy from the wind, wearing his usual baggy jeans and band t-shirt. It was endearing.

When he finally reached you, a light blush appeared on his cheeks, his smile softening, a sight you were accustomed to. "Hi, mi amor. How are you feeling?" He asked with the gentlest of voices, carrying that softness he always had when it came to you. "You look tired." He added, worry clear in his gaze. "Did the exams go well?"

You sighed, shaking your head no, momentarily closing your eyes as you took a deep breath, before opening them again to look at him. "I... Am tired, I guess." You quietly spoke, not really going into detail. You never were one to really open up, even to him, and it was clear it bothered him as his shoulders slumped.

"Well, I got you something to cheer you up..." He continued as he moved his hands from behind his back, revealing a gift bag he was holding. He held it out to you, his smile slightly shaking and his face taking on a redder shade. It was a sight for sure. Here was your boyfriend, having come to find you at the campus only to give you this gift.

With a tired but gentle smile, you took the bag from his hands, taking a look at the contents inside. Inside, there were a mix of your favorite snacks, a t-shirt you had been eyeing for a while but didn't buy to 'not waste money', and a cuddly plush of a cat.

Despite your exhaustion and irritated mood, you couldn't help but giggle at what you saw, your eyes lighting up softly. Looking back up at him, you could see the embarrassment painted in his face, glancing away from you as soon as your gazes met.

"So... You like it?" He spoke quietly, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Thought you'd like a little something after the tiring week you've had." He continued, shyness clear in his voice.

His eyes quickly widened in surprise as you stepped forward and wrapped your arms around him, hesitating for a moment before he wrapped his own around you. He gently rubbed up and down your back, a shiver travelling down his back as he felt your breath brush against his neck.

He softly patted you on your lower back before letting you go, a shy but genuine smile on his face. "I suppose that's a yes then?" He let out a sigh of relief as you happily nodded your head yes, your mood having clearly improved.

You glanced inside the bag once more with a smile, before being interrupted by Sebastian's touch on your arm, wrapping his hand around your shoulder. "Come on, let's get going before it starts raining again." He softly spoke, giving you a slight push to start walking.

You quickly obliged with a nod, closing the bag and starting to walk along the college path to the street. Sebastian followed right next to you, his hand falling from your shoulder and his finger tentatively brushing against your hand. It was endearing how shy he still was with you after all this time, and you had no problem to be the one to take the lead.

Taking the hint with a playful glance at him, you took his hand with your free one and gently held it. Your day had clearly improved already, the worry about your previous exams almost gone by now. His hand felt warm and comforting, his presence calming and healing, and the thoughtful gift...