#nevermore pluto x reader

It was late in the afternoon when you heard the sound of keys unlocking your front door. From where you were standing in the kitchen, washing the dishes, you couldn't see the newcomer, but you knew who it was nonetheless.

"Welcome back Pluto!" you called to let him know where you were.

It had taken a while for him to get used to living with you. The first few months, he jumped every time he ran into you or heard your voice. Even the sound of your footsteps was enough to make him tense.

You were proud of the progress he had made.

Lately, he seemed generally more relaxed. As long as you made sure to not take him by surprise and announced yourself before entering the room he was in, he didn't get startled as much as he used to. Even his night terrors had started to recede. You could read it on his face: he felt happier.

You two had started to fall into a comfortable rhythm of everyday chores and shared peacefulness. Waking each other up, preparing breakfast, going to work, coming back home, dining together, sometimes watching a movie while cuddling, then going to bed and repeat the cycle.

It had became a habit for you to fall asleep on his lap or chest, while he threaded his hand through your hair and read a chapter of his book - you had convinced him to start using reading glasses after a month of watching him squint to the point of giving himself headaches.

You'd be lying if you affirmed it was entirely a dream-come-true, but it was probably the closest you'd ever get from one.

You were shaken out of your thoughts when you felt a pair of arms sneaking around your waist. It was Pluto of course, dressed in one of his gray sweaters, leaning against you and burying his face in the crook of your neck with a hum.

It wasn't a rare sight for him to seek your touch: you knew how touch-starved this man was long before you had moved in with him.

He seemed tired, and for a moment, he simply stayed still, breathing in your scent.

"How was today?" you tried asking, still gently cleaning the plates with a sponge.

He only hummed lazily, before lifting his head slightly to trail slow kisses from the tip of your shoulder, back to the crook of your neck, and up to the spot just behind your ear. You felt a shiver run down your spine at the soft contact, as he spoke against your skin with a weary tone.

"Long." A kiss on your nape. "Students insisted on being insufferable." Another slow kiss in the crook of your neck. "...Missed you."

You couldn't help the loving smile that spread across your face. Finishing to dry the dishes, you put them aside and closed your eyes, leaning back on him as your arms went to rest on his.

You didn't miss the way he tightened his grip on your waist, or how he nuzzled the crook of your neck once again with a tired groan.

"I missed you too." You affirmed, earning a satisfied hum. It really felt like speaking to a housecat by that point, but you weren't going to complain about it.

"You did?"

"Of course." You couldn't help but grin. His warmth was entrancing; you felt so loved it was almost unbelievable.

He gave you another kiss on your shoulder, staying silent and motionless for a moment - you suspected him to be simply basking in your warmth. When you started getting tired of standing up in the middle of the kitchen for no reason, you lifted one of your hands to his cheek and felt him slightly tilting his head to lean against your palm.

"What if" You mused. "we ordered fish and chips..." Pluto hummed again and gave a gentle squeeze to your waist, signaling you to keep going. "And watched Dark Shadows?"

He snorted. "Dark Shadows, really?"

"Aw, come on!"

"It's not even that good!" He declared, and you could hear the smile in his voice.

You pouted. "But you like it!"

At that, he let out a laugh, and you felt his chest shake in rhythm, pressing against your back. It was impossible for you not to feel the corners of your mouth tugging upward once more.

"Okay. Maybe I do." He said, kissing your nape again before letting go of your waist.

You felt his fingers intertwine with yours as he turned you around and tugged you towards the living room. "Let's go then?" He said with a small smile, walking backwards so he could still look at you.

"Yeah, let's go." You answered with the same, smitten smile, before chiding teasingly "But turn around to see where you're going, before you run into the furniture!"

"Alright!" He chuckled before turning around, switching hands to keep holding yours anyway.

You looked at the desk in front of you, littered with tons and tons of envelopes, disorganized letters, bill sheets. There’s so many things you barely even knew where to start. It was all too much, overwhelming you with the pressure of all the problems that had recently exploded in your face and you were left having to deal with on your own.

It’s not fair, you thought, covering your face with your palms and letting out a sigh.

You couldn't even think straight anymore, and you hadn’t been able to have a full conversation in the whole day. You were easily irritated, and grumpy, and you spent most of your time looking into the void rather than actually doing anything.

You’re at your limit. You knew that. You couldn’t take it anymore.

You haven’t even opened all of the letters from your parents yet, let alone reply to a single one of them. You already knew what they were all saying: always the same speech, the same excuses, the same accusations. The same threats. The same half-assed apologies. Every. Single. Time.

Telling you the exact same things, each time more aggressively, in a logic that kept getting more and more distorted into something horrifying and hateful. You didn’t want to read those letters anymore, you wished they could all just disappear. You’d been thinking about contacting a social worker to help you with this, but you hadn’t found the time. Or the motivation. Even taking care of the modest apartment had been too big of a task recently.

Then there’s the bills, they weren’t going to pay themselves. You’d already picked from your savings to finish the month without starving, and your paycheck wouldn’t arrive before a few more days. You couldn’t do anything, except wait. And hope that what you’d gained would be enough to pay rent, and electricity, and feed yourself for the whole month to come.

It was all such bullshit. You thought you’d probably cry, if you weren’t so utterly exhausted.

Sinking your head between your arms, you closed your eyes to stop the world from swirling around, and tried to concentrate on your breathing. One of your friends had told you it was important. Breathing exercises. “To relax”, or whatever. You weren’t feeling like relaxing. There was way too much to do, and your future was way too uncertain for you to simply lay back and relax. Your helplessness was terrifying.

The fact that you had no control over your own life weighted you down, the obvious state of rapid deterioration in the relationship between you and your parents made you feel so broken. They had never been good to you or your sibling in the first place, but to know they might completely disappear from your life was a horrible idea. You weren’t ready for this.

You were so caught up in the spiral that you didn’t even deign lifting your head up to greet the new comer when you heard the front door open.

Pluto wasn’t exactly living here. You wouldn’t say that he wasn’t not living here either. It just wasn’t exactly official. He simply spent the majority of his time at your place – not that you were complaining. His presence was more than welcome. It was soothing to know someone was here with you, at times.

You heard his footsteps getting closer to where you were hunched on your chair, face hidden in your arms. You didn’t say a word. He stopped next to you, his eye glossing over the scattered pieces of paper all over the desk.

Extending an arm, he picked up one of the unopened letters. It was from the same persons as all of the others: your last name preceded by the mention “Mr. and Mrs.” made the identity of the sender quite clear. You knew if you looked up, you’d probably see your boyfriend squinting to read the address.

After a moment, the letter was replaced on the desk with a pained sigh, and his gaze fell on you.

You felt his fingers threading through your hair, his other hand coming to hold one of yours, thumb caressing your palm. He was so gentle with you it almost hurt. You felt so lost, and worn out, and lonely. Your family was tearing itself apart, and you couldn’t do anything else but watch in horror and scramble for a semblance of warmth. It was debilitating, this constant fog of negativity covering your thoughts.

“Sweetheart.” you heard him say, his tone gentle and loving. It was enough to shake you out of the spiral you had started to fall back into.

Pluto usually wasn’t one to use cheesy nicknames for you. He preferred your name, or a shortened version of it at best – which was the closest thing to a nickname he used most of the time, and a privilege in itself, given that he called even his closest friends by their full names. No, the corny, classic couples nicknames were only for the rare occasions where he was trying to reassure you, because he was genuinely worried for you.

You knew all of this of course, and that’s partly why you finally decided to lift your head up toward him.

Immediately, the hand that was in your hair went to cradle your face instead, and he took a step closer to you.

The expression in his eye was tender as he looked at you, detailing your features with the slightest trace of concern. He frowned. It pained him to see you in such a state, overwhelmed by all of your problems piling up on top of one another.

Slowly, he caressed your cheek with his thumb as he spoke barely above a whisper, serious and yet understanding. “Let’s sit on the couch alright? You’ll be more comfortable than hunched on your desk chair.”

He gave a squeeze to your hand with his, before gripping it firmer and pulling you up. You followed his direction half-heartedly, ending up almost flushed against him when you actually stood up.

Neither of you two acknowledge this fact, however. Quite frankly, you weren’t in the mood to acknowledge anything else than your seemingly imminent doom.

Looking down to the floor, you let Pluto guide you slowly to your own couch, before sitting down on it and pulling on both of your arms. Without a word you sat down, splayed across his laps, and buried your face in the crook of his neck.

You arms went around his waist to hold him tight against you, basking in his presence, and you felt one of his hands going in your hair while the other rested on the small of your back.

You were safe.

Cared for.

Protected.

For the first time in the whole day, it was like you weren’t alone anymore.

Pluto had never been a man of many words, and even now, he simply chose to hold you in silence. But it was enough to you. You knew he understood what you were going through, and you knew he’d always be with you to hold you through it. That was more than you could have asked for, and you cherished his comforting embrace more than anything else in this world.

You focused on his calm breathing, trying to keep the negative thoughts at bay, and relishing in the feeling of his fingers caressing your head. The two of you stayed this way for a while, in silence, until the dark-haired man took a deep breath, and confessed gently:

“I know you feel scared. And deceived. And… maybe lost, too.” He paused. You knew all of this was more familiar to him than you both wished for. “But I promise you, you won’t be on your own through it all. I’ll be here for you.”

You felt him move just enough to kiss the crown of your head, and he kept his face buried there as he added. “Trust me, I know how it feels,” his voice was soft, almost a whisper, and your name on his lips sounded like the most beautiful thing you’ve ever heard. “You can always count on me. No matter what, I’ll help you get through this.”

He pressed another kiss to your head, caressing up and down your back gently, and you realized how much your eyelids had started to get heavy. Closing your eyes, you left a trail of small kisses from down his neck, to his jaw, his cheek, and finally, you lifted your head from the crook of his neck to press a gentle kiss on his lips.

He kissed you back almost instantly, his arms squeezing you tighter as you went back to lay your head on his shoulder, and whispered a small “Thank you.”

A= Aftercare (what they’re like after the act)

Pluto usually needs a while to recover before his body can function again. I'm thinking, laying on his back trying to take deep breaths while looking around with a tired look. Also super cuddly. Like, the moment he's able to move again, he's wrapping himself around you and keeping you against him. He just likes the feeling of being close to you. Resting his head on your chest or nuzzling in the crook of your neck while you both calm down.

B= Body part (favorite body part their own or their lovers)

Ough. Realistically, I'm not sure this man really views any part of his body as good or attractive, but if I had to make him pick one I'd say his hands/arms. Pluto's canonically pretty strong and I think that's something he could (or welp, should) be quite proud of, even if he doesn't use it on you often, the thought of having the strength necessary to pin or move you around does make him feel warmer.

As for his favourite parts of your body, I'd say your waist, hips and/or ass. You can't get out of my mind that he likes holding on desperately to your waist or hips, or grabbing at your ass. Even when you're just cuddling or sleeping together he can't help but rest his hands there and occasionally squeeze.

C= Cum (anything that has to do with it)

Pluto would probably pass out watching you taste his cum. Don't ask me why I believe that because in all honesty, I have no clue either. Just the idea of you swallowing his seeds or licking it off of your fingers would probably make him so hard he'd get dizzy. It doesn't matter how exhausted he felt, he'll probably be turning into putty in your hands, bucking and whining needily all over again if you make a show of sticking your tongue out before gulping down.

D= Dirty secret (Pretty self explanatory)

Before you two were even dating, the poor man had to excuse himself to take care of not-so-innocent matters more than once thanks to you. It could be caused by anything: an unexpected praise that particularly got to him, or even the smallest of touches if you rested a hand on the small of his back or on his side, or if you hugged him from behind with your fingers grazing on his chest innocently... Yeah, literally the littlest things. He felt so ashamed every time, pulling away abruptly and hiding himself in his big ass coat, tensed and flustered beyond belief as he made up an excuse to leave or go to the bathrooms. The idea of you potentially finding out about this whole deal made him so anxious he almost felt physically in pain just thinking about it for too long.

E= Experience (do they know what they’re doing)

Oh boy. He has no idea what he's doing. I think I already mentioned it in a previous headcanon request, but between the crippling anxiety and trying to survive in an abusive household, I'm pretty sure Pluto is a virgin and barely ever interacted with anyone he found attractive without having a heart attack. Sex ed wasn't really a thing either at that time so. Yeah. I wouldn't even be surprised if he had some crazy misconceptions about sex, reproduction etc. Someone give this man a biology class.

F= Favorite position

Any position where he can hold you. The closer you are to him the happier he is. I think I already talked about that before too but really this man needs to be able to grab at you - any part of you - at any time while doing the deeds. You'll probably earn a few bruises on your back, hips, arms or thighs because of him, 'cause oh yeah by the way, he grips you hard. Every time. Probably wouldn't be a huge fan of bottoming doggy style because of said reasons.

G= Goofy (how serious are they)

AUGH Pluto can't goof around for the life of him. Especially when you two first start getting more intimate, partly because he's so anxious that he'll completely back off and hide away if he says a single word "wrong" (in his mind). But even just generally he's not the type to throw jokes and puns. He won't mind if you do tho, might even let out a small laugh and call you a clown, affectionately. It does help him deescalate the pressure and anxiety building in his head, so he's grateful anyway.

H= Hair (grooming habits)

When I first started writing this, I was going with the "meh men's standards from his time period was probably something along the lines of "the hairier the better"" mindset, but fun fact! Upon further researches, it appears that the early 20th century was the beginning of a new shaving standard! Somewhere along the 1900s, being cleen-shaven started being seen as more fashionable for men, and this trend went on for more or less the whole century, sooooo... We got groomed Pluto I guess. Didn't really expect that either but history surprises us sometimes.

I= Intimacy (in the moment romantic or rough/dirty)

I believe with all my heart in Hopeless Romantic Pluto™️. This man is so gentle and soft it's almost painful to watch. He does enjoy you playing dirty or being a little rough on him from time to time, but I'm dead serious on the fact that he himself can't go rough on you even if his life depended on it. Seeing you wrecked and sobbing because of him turns him off more than anything, he just can't enjoy doing that to you.

J= Jack off (do they masturbate and how often)

I don't think it's a particularly rare occurrence for Pluto to jack himself off, most of the time because of pent up tension. As I said before, even pre-dating he had his fair amount of incidents around you that he had to take care of, but even outside of those, there's just little things that you do every day that requires some ✨Alone Time✨ for him to process. Most of the time you don't even realise what you're doing to him, and in all honesty it just kills him even more.

K= Kink (kinks what they like possibly unusual)

I feel like at this point mentioning the praise kink is starting to get old so listen. What if I told you I can totally see him having a thing for breathing your scent from your underwear and/or literally any of your clothes? Do you see the vision??? Before you two get to actually doing the deeds it's more of a "taking baby steps before the Real Thing™️" kind of situation in his mind, but by the time you actually had sex it became kind of a habit he can't get rid of. It's like, even if you're not here with him at the moment, he has a little piece of you. Poor man can't help himself.

L= Location (where they like to get it on)

Edit: I'm coming back to this later to say that I'm not so sure anymore about this kink, however I did become absolutely certain that he's into orgasm control. You cannot convince me that this man doesn't like being told when he can cum. He needs the reassurance that he did a good enough job and that you're satisfied for him to finish. Otherwise he freaks out and can't fully relax and let go.

A well-closed bedroom is certainly Pluto's favored environment, mostly because the thought of being seen in that kind of vulnerable state makes him feel uneasy. That is unless the two of you are way too far from the dormitories, and too impatient to travel all the way there. In this kind of scenario, a dim closet will be more than enough for both of you.

M= Motivation (things that makes them tick/turn ons)

I think you guys are going to get tired of me repeating how touch-sensitive this man is. Especially your touch. Having your hands on his body, your attention on him, could probably make him collapse on the spot. It's the way you can be so affectionate with your touch that turns him into jelly above anything else. Also, your voice. If you're taking even a slightly sultry tone to tease him he'll be dead on the spot, losing his cool completely in an instant.

N= No (turnoffs or absolutely won’t do)

Public spaces would be a huge nope, we all know Pluto is made at 80% of anxiety and I believe no matter how much he's yearning for you, the idea of being caught in that kind of situation would straight up stop him from enjoying himself at all. Otherwise, as I've mentioned before he absolutely refuses to go rough on you because seeing you broken and crying because of him stresses him out more than anything, and of course, any kind of breathplay is absolutely out of the way.

O= Oral (receiving or giving and how skillful they are)

This man turns into a whimpering mess the second you put your mouth around him, you cannot convince me otherwise. Don't let him stand up while you're blowing him off, because he will lose his balance alarmingly quickly. When it comes to giving orals, it will probably take a while for Pluto to learn not to let his nervousness get in the way, but once he's past that, his determination to please you will fill in the flaws of his technique. I'd say a good 7.5/10 once he's sufficiently used to it.

P= Pace (how fast they are and how long they last in bed)

Oh my, did I mention how gentle Pluto is with you? Yes? Good, because I've got news for you. We all know he prefers you to set the pace, but if he's in charge? He's absolutely the type to fuck you infuriatingly slowly. All the magic resides in the fact that he brings a sense of gentleness and intimacy that would probably make you lose it on its own, and the fact that he will always make sure to touch all the places that make you feel good. He just needs to take his time to make sure he's doing everything right, and enjoy your presence as well.

Q= Quickie (do they prefer fast and hard)

Pluto absolutely prefers to take his time with you as I said before. I do think he views sex as a very intimate and vulnerable thing, and making sure the two of you are fully satisfied afterwards is very important to him. That being said, there are moments where the tension between you two is just too strong to be pushed aside and dealt with later on, and he'll gladly let you take him to the nearest hidden closet and fuck him senselessly.

R= Risk (do they like to try new things)

Given his lack of experience, I do think he would be open to trying things out, mostly because he has probably no idea of what would work for him and is trying to figure it out along with you. He does get anxious easily tho, and probably will need reassurance before introducing anything new to him. The only risk he won't ever take is having sex with you in public settings, for aforementioned reasons.

S= Stamina (how many times they can go and how long each round lasts)

Depends which one of you is in control. If Pluto's the one in charge, he probably won't be able to go for more than a round, maybe a second (difficulty) with enough encouragement. If you're on top tho, you can manage to make him last 3 rounds, maybe even get a 4th out of him before he completely collapses. Tho, his rounds dont last as long when you're in charge compared to when he's on top, because you know exactly what buttons to push to make him relax and lose it completely.

T= Toys (are they game for using sex toys on themselves or lovers)

I don't think Pluto would be one to use toys on you, mostly because he prefers to serve and please you by himself - the boost of confidence from being able to make you feel good with just his body is all he needs. However, I don't think he would be against the idea of you using toys on him, if you wanted to. He'd probably be a bit hesitant or anxious at first, but with the extra comfort and reassurance, he'd definitely relax and let you do whatever you have in mind.

U= Unfair (how do they tease or do they enjoy suspense themselves)

I don't know what you expect me to say by that point but I might surprise you by telling you Pluto absolutely does tease. It's rare, because this man being on charge in itself is a rare sighting, but if he does end up on top, he'll absolutely tease you in the gentlest most lovestruck way possible. He thinks you sound adorable when you're pretending to pout and beg him to please stop going so slow, he can't help but smile at how much you want him just like he wants you.

On the other hand, he's so quick to lose control when being teased it's almost embarrassing to him. He snaps from the frustration so easily you just can't get enough of it. He'll forgive you every time as long as you make up for him right after that.

V= Volume (are they loud, what sounds, and do they talk)

I've already already talked about it before, but Pluto is certainly noisy, albeit not loud. He does make a lot of sounds - moans, groans, whines, you name it - he just learned to keep them at a minimum volume, and it kind of stuck with him over time. He absolutely speaks too, whether it's begging, thanks, your name, or "I love you"'s... as well as little "feels so good" and "right here", whatever words his brain can form go straight out of his mouth without being processed.

W= Wild card (random sincannon of any sort)

He'll never admit it to you, but one time before you started dating, you left your coat in his room, and it didn't leave his face while he took care of himself to the point he almost passed out. He checked said coat so many times before giving it back to you it was almost ridiculous, because he was so scared of you finding out.

X= X-ray (what’s down below in dem pants)

Please note that this request had me googling insane shit like "average size of a penis in the United Kingdom" (the answer is 13.13cm if you were curious). That being said, I do think Pluto is pretty average in terms of size despite being kind of anxious about it. As in, he's a generally small man and has spent years thinking he was probably way smaller down there than the average. I just find the idea of him thinking most men have like, 25cm cocks, absolutely hilarious. I need it written down somewhere that I headcanon the Maze trio to have some sort of conversation about sexuality at some point and Duke being the only one with a semblance of sex knowledge (because let's be honest, he has the vibes of a libertine bisexual icon) is face-palming at the two others the entire time. Anyway. I'm rambling. Otherwise I'd say Pluto's pretty pale with a bit more colour at the tip.

Y= Yearning (sexdrive level)

This one is a bit more complicated. It's not that he doesn't have any libido, but between the constant hypervigilance and everything going on at the academy, he doesn't really give time and energy to his sex life. He doesn't feel like he needs it at all and most of the time, he thinks there's much more important matters to think about than his own desires. That's also part of why I think your touch is one of the things that turn him on to an insane level. It forces him to focus on what his body is feeling, rather than the constant racing thoughts clogging his mind. And he's very much not used to acknowledging that.

Z= Zzzz (do they sleep after if so how quickly after)

Thinking about where Pluto went after discovering what Monty has done to his best friend. The way this asshole threw away the few belongings Duke has taken into death, like he has never – not even for a second – seen the magician as a human being. Who deserved respect. Dignity. And was now trapped somewhere, out of the black-haired boy’s reach.

Pluto was unable to get to his friend. All of the efforts he could put on would always be useless. He was defeated. Confronted to Montresor’s absolute hatred of others. Something he could never even fight.

And he has nowhere to hide either, because even his room was shared with one of Annabel’s arrogant little puppets. Where could he go now that his best friend was surely doomed to die again while he was standing there, a weak, helpless, wandering soul, his sore eye bringing up to his mind fuzzy, almost unintelligible words from a past he wish he could forget when he barely remembered it.

His sight was blurry, he was barely able to see the corridors he walked in. It took him far longer than it normally would, before he was finally knocking at your door. He realized only after that he has no idea what to tell you. But it was too late; before he could turn back and hobble away, your door opened, and the abstract form of a face was in front of him.

“Pluto?”

He wouldn’t have been able to recognize you if it wasn’t for your voice. Your tone was laced with a surprise and concern he couldn’t see on your face, but still made his heart tighten. You were worried for him.

What a pathetic thing.

His physical state was probably pitiful enough to give away how beaten up, broken and exhausted he felt, and he hated it. For a second, Pluto would have preferred you to be the one deprived from sight, so he wouldn’t have to be feeling your troubled gaze piercing him. He held himself tighter, and tried to give you a wobbly smile in reassurance.

“H-h-hi…!” he mumbled, and his voice came out so much more broken than he meant it to. He looked down, body trembling, humiliated and wishing he could vaporise in the air rather than stay here.

Right now was too much, he couldn’t handle any more of it. He was going to crumble down any minute.

“Can I… C-Can I come in please?” was all he could stutter out through a tight throat. The mere thought of his breathing being restricted sending alarms in his brain that only succeed in making him panic more.

“Y-yeah of course!”

You sounded shocked, almost. More than just concerned by this point. But he couldn’t even see clearly and your voice was the last thing he could anchor himself to. So he would take it.

The door opened wider and Pluto practically burst into your room before his legs could get a chance to give up on him. Resting his back against the wall next to you, he let himself slide down until he sat on the floor. Legs bent and arms wrapped around them. His head down, forehead pressed against his knees, face hidden in his small, curled up form.

He couldn’t breath. No matter how much he tried, oxygen went in and out of his lungs chaotically, too fast, occasionally missing and choking him up even more as he tried and tried and tried but his efforts were vain and he couldn’t do anything couldn’t think clearly couldn’t stop choking couldn’t stop wishing for it to stop just stop.

Thoughts were swirling in his head so fast he couldn’t catch up on them, the feeling of being small and helpless and in danger at the forefront of his mind, and a distant voice telling him Duke was surely dead and he would probably follow soon enough along with the others and everyone else who wasn’t cruel enough because they were doomed they had been since the moment they had all passed those gates when this unfair wicked stupid painful game has started and now he wanted to get out he just wanted it to stop all he has ever asked for was something to live for a hope for a better future for someone to tell him he would be okay in the end for the world to be brighter he wished it could stop he just wanted-

“Pluto.”

His head shot up and he looked at your figure, barely distinguishable in the blur of nonsensical colours. He hasn’t registered you had kneeled down to his level. Or that you’d been calling him. Or that he has been crying.

“Pluto, can you see me?”

He opened his mouth to answer you, but not even a sound could go past the lump in his throat. So he closed it and shook his head no.

“Okay… Okay.” Your voice sounded like a headlight in the middle of a storm for the shaking mess he was.

“Is it alright if I touch you?”

He didn’t respond right away. Not because he had to think about the answer, but because he struggled to make sense of your distant words, in the chaos howling inside his skull.

Ultimately, he nodded with a slight hesitation.

You didn’t need any more confirmation. Your form moved closer to him, before Pluto felt the palm of your hands on his shoulders gently pulling him forward, until he sat on his knees and his head laid against your chest.

The moment he felt you arms cradle him in a warm embrace, he let out a small, choked up sob. Like a sort of tension has just been released from his body. Before his hands found purchase in the back of your shirt and he almost mechanically clung to you. As if you were a lifeline. Or something warmer. Perhaps a safe haven. A place where he could rest.

His face buried into your chest, he could hear your breathing. Calm. Tranquil. The kind words you were repeating to him like a mantra created a constant melody he could feel behind your ribcage; and he finally allowed himself to get lost into your soothing presence.

Tense muscles relaxed, loosening his tight grip on you. The shaking of his body finally finally subsiding while his breathing calmed down enough to let him get the oxygen he so desperately needed.

The debilitating fog of constant anxious thoughts clouding his brain replaced by you. Your warmth. Your voice. Your kindness. Your fingers running through his hair.

Oh, this was heaven.

He wished he could simply never open his eye again.

For now, he wouldn’t have to.

“I’m… sorry.” he said, his throat no longer as tight as before but still leaving him with a raspy, drained voice.

He listened to you breathing in and out peacefully, before you answered him.

“You don’t have to be. You did nothing wrong.”

Another day, Pluto might have argued that he was still sorry nonetheless. That he felt bad for annoying you this way. But he was too tired to argue, so instead, he tried to give some credit to your words.

It was hard. But if he didn’t unclench his jaw, he would probably get a headache soon enough, and he didn’t want to deal with that now. So he told himself that what you said was true, and pretended to believe it.

Your chest moved up in a deep inhale, and then you sighed. Maybe somewhere, deep down inside of you you knew he didn’t completely think you were right. But if you were aware, you didn’t bring it up.

Instead, you caressed his hair some more before cupping his face and bringing it up and away from your chest to observe him better. Pluto took one more moment to enjoy the relaxing darkness of his closed eyelid, and then his right eye fluttered open again, with a sting, to an abstract blur of colours. So close to you, he could make out a few details – the ways your eyes darted across his face, and the displeased frown on your lips.

“Who did this to you?” You asked softly, carefully approaching a thumb to the blackening outline of his eye, getting a hiss and a withdrawal reflex from him when you brushed the skin there.

You knew the dark-haired boy has spent most of the afternoon searching for his friend. He has asked you for help, and seeing his panicked state, you hadn’t been able to say anything else but “yes”. Sadly, none of the people you had spoken to knew anything about the French magician’s disappearance. But this new bruise told you some more things might have happened since you last saw the one-eyed man a few hours ago.

Replacing his cheek against the palm of your hand, Pluto looked away, a distant, annoyed expression on his face as he grumbled “Monty. Who else?”

You scoffed at his answer. Now that he mentioned it, Montresor has definitely been shooting you some of his annoying, oh-so-punchable self-sufficient glares while you searched for someone who might have seen Duke. You could easily imagine at least a dozen reasons why Pluto and him would have gotten into an argument.

Though, for now, it would probably be better not to ask for any further explanation. Instead, you brought his face closer to yours and pressed a kiss to his forehead, before leading him to lay back against your chest.

He needed comfort. This, at least, was obvious. You’d do your best with the very few informations you had.

“Whatever happened, I’m sure Lenore will find a way to solve this when she comes back.” You spoke softly, holding him tightly against you.

“Right.” He groaned back tiredly, seemingly trying to let your warmth sip through him to make him forget about his day. Sighing, he paused before repeating your words, more to reassure himself than anything else. “Right. Let’s wait for her. She’ll come back. She’ll have a plan.”

“I’m sure she will.” You emphasized his point to help him calm down, while you stroked his back, getting another sigh out of him.

There was a moment of silence, where the two of you simply held each others, allowing yourselves to relax a bit, especially after the events of today. And then, after some time…

“Thank you.”

Pluto’s whisper almost startled you. Opening your eyes in surprise, you looked down at his resting figure, before repositioning your arms a little tighter around him with a sigh, and whispering back.

“You’ll always be welcome.”

Speaking of being welcomed... You remembered about his roommate. The fuss his argument might have caused. And another idea flashed in your head.

“If you want to, you can stay here for tonight.”

The proposition stayed suspended between the two of you for a moment. You couldn’t really tell if Pluto was simply reflecting on his options, or if he was fighting some sort of inner demon telling him he would be a burden.

Knowing him, there might have been a bit of both.

“I… I think I’d like that, actually.”

You’d be a liar if you said you weren’t a bit exited to have him with you tonight. The thought of spending more time with him always brought a smile to your lips. Holding him tight, you buried your face in his hair in contentment.

“Well I like that too. So it’s decided, I’m kidnapping you for the night.”

You could hear the oxygen getting engulfed in his lungs as he breathed in. From where you were resting on Pluto's chest, eyes half-lidded, you perceived every calm breath he took. Your head rising up, then down. Up, then down. Over and over again, to the same rhythm.

It was peaceful, you thought.

The way the sunlight sipped through the window of his room, and the comfortable silence between the two of you as he focused on the book he was reading, sitting on his bed with his legs on each side of your figure.

In your drowsy state, you heard the harmonious sound of air filling his lung, and felt your head raise a little higher as he took a deep breath, grounding you back on earth and taking you away from the sweet slumber you were about to fall into.

You tried to reposition your head with a groan. Somehow, gaining consciousness has made your position less comfortable than it was before, and you let out a small huff.

Just as you stopped moving, you felt the touch of five fingertips grazing at the skin of your skull; the sensation made your eyes flutter open, and you looked up at your boyfriend.

He has that calm, relaxed position. Expression neutral, his eye moving slightly from left to right has he keeps reading his book line after line. In the same time, you could still hear the air in his lungs, and his fingers threading through your hair.

This was everything you had ever wanted.

The circumstances around the two of you were so strange, you had to admit. You still struggled to understand how death could be such a lively experience – having you running around, discovering and learning when you should be laying still, somewhere under the dirt.

But this, this relationship that Pluto and you shared, it was enough to make you forget about it all.

It felt way too much like life to be anything you could possibly find in death. It was so real that it made anything else seem pale and meaningless in comparison.

It was love, your heart told you. And you knew it was true.

The sensation of his hand leaving your hair brought you back to earth, and you pouted at the loss of his delicate touch.

The faintest ghost of a smile painted his lips for a moment as he used his now free hand to turn another page, his eye still fixed on the words.

You couldn’t help but to crave more of him.

The absence of his left hand on your scalp didn’t seem right. It was suddenly making you feel so cold and empty – you wanted his warmth again.

Still against him, you moved further up on his figure, passing your arms underneath him to capture his torso.

His reaction was almost immediate.

You heard a small surprised cry leave him, and felt the muscles in his back and shoulders tense immediately against the palms of your hands.

“Wh… What are you doing?!”

A few weeks ago, Pluto’s anxiousness and bewildered tone would have made you back off instantly, but you were starting to know better. Instead, you melted further against him, nuzzling your face in his neck, earning a shudder from him when your breath hit the base of his jawline, just below his left ear.

“Just cuddling you.” You breathed out with a relaxed tone.

You didn’t move a muscle. After a while of you simply laying on top of him, you felt his breathing slow down little by little, falling back into a calm and even rhythm. His left hand falling onto the back of your head once again, with his fingers threading through your hair.

Another silent moment passed, where you took a deep breath, and sighed. You knew you couldn’t go back to sleep. The yearning for his touch was so addictive – you only wanted to bask in his affection now. To have him as close to you as possible.

Tightening your grip around him, you pressed a firm kiss on his shoulder through the fabric of his clothes.

This time, despite tensing up for a split second, he let out a chuckle in reaction. His chest jumping up and down against yours.

“Now I’m starting to think you might…” he started with a grin, before your teeth grazed slightly against the crook of his neck, the sensation attenuated by his turtle-neck, but still present. He sucked in a breath, and you felt him arch into your touch, his knees bending on each side of you. You were unable to say if the movement was voluntary or not as the rest of his sentence came out in a repressed moan, struggling to form coherent words. “b-be ge-etting a l-little clingy!”

You stopped your attack and grinned pridefully, loving every reaction you could get from him. His left hand was still in your hair, a lot more tense than it was a few seconds ago. Meanwhile, the book he was previously reading was still in his right hand, now closed and held so firmly you were starting to get concerned he might puncture the cover with his fingers.

It didn’t stop you, though.

Pressing another gentle kiss on the dark-haired man’s left shoulder, you dived down to kiss his collarbone through his turtle-neck, your hands tracing the outline of his waist and earning you another shiver, before you slipped them underneath the fabric and against his warm skin.

Pluto let out a groan, his back instantly arching against you like your fingers were burning him in the gentlest way. The book he held fell from his hand as he abandoned it to encircle your shoulders with his arms, hands clawing and gripping at the back of your shirt for support.

He gasped in, stuttering your name before trying to articulate. “W-Wait… T-That’s… That’s n-not cuddling…!”

Your head shot up to look at him. His breath was uneven, his face so warm you wouldn’t be surprised if he started seething. He looked at you with wide opened eyes, his eyebrows pinching up in an anxious expression.

Oh.

Maybe the teasing has gone a bit far, you realized.

Giving him an apologetic smile, you muttered “Sorry. Got a little carried away.” before pressing a gentle, chaste kiss on his lips. “Do you want me to stop?”

There was a silence, and you could feel his hands on each sides of you face, where he has placed them when you had kissed.

He looked at you for a moment, seemingly calming down a little. You could still feel his pulse racing, but the way he detailed your face – your lips – seemed less panicked now. He seemed almost… stunned. Like he was amazed to see you here. Like he struggled to realise this was real.

It was this peculiar look he gave you, that made you want to shout from all rooftops how much you loved him.

His hands held you a little firmer, and he shook his head timidly, your faces so close his nose almost brushed yours.

“No.” He answered in a whisper. So low, yet you could hear the conviction in his tone. “Please don’t.”

The grip Pluto has on you was still gentle as he brought you closer, until you went in and kissed him with a smile.

He wasn’t tense or scared anymore – it was far from being your first kiss by this point. He knew he could trust you to be kind on him.

When your hands roamed higher in his back, pushing his shirt up in the process, he shivered and let out a small moan in response. His arms laid around your neck again, one of his hand messing with your hair.

You couldn’t feel more like a teenager than in that moment. It was insane, you knew it. The way every touch, every second was like you were both seventeen again, smiling and kissing and touching each other for the first time.

You wished this could go on forever.

The way his chest arched into yours when you deepened the kiss, the feeling of his tongue lapping at yours tentatively and the sounds he made at every caress of your fingers. You could never get enough of it.

Your heart was stammering against your ribcage, fuelled by how perfectly your hand could fit on his waist, and how his own hands held you ever-so firmly despite the way they trembled, in an attempt to keep you as close to him as possible, knees locked around you and pushing your body against his.

You were both panting by the time you parted, and Pluto’s face was just as red as your mind was hazy.

Dipping your head down in his neck, you brought your left hand up to hook a finger in the collar of his top, pealing it away from his skin to suck a hickey there.

The dark-haired man tried to hold back a whine through his teeth, tightening his hold on you in an attempt to bring you even closer. He was so precious, you thought. Breathing in and out so fast you doubted the oxygen got through his whole body, as he arched and kept holding on to you like you were a life line. Feeling his skin on your fingertips was a pleasure you couldn’t deny yourself.

And suddenly you heard a knock at the door.

Your arms immediately straightened up to push yourself off of your boyfriend and look at the door. Pluto almost fell from his bed with how far he jumped, gripping your shoulders so tightly it was almost painful. You assumed it would probably hurt a lot more, if being his partner didn’t mean being on the receiving hand of those death grips anytime he got scared.

“Pluto?” You heard his best-friend’s – and roommate’s – voice call from the other side. “Can I come in or is there anything… tricky, going on?”

Your brain was empty. Not a single thought going on. You couldn’t find anything to say.

Given the silence from Pluto, he was probably in the same state of mind. Maybe just more panicked.

Well, one of you had to say something – anything, really. You searched for appropriate words to piece out together into a coherent sentence. It was harder than it should have been. “Uuuuuh…”

“Okay!” Duke’s voice cut you out with a nervous tone before you could even have figured out what to tell him. “That’s enough of an answer, I’ll come back later!”

And then he just… left.

Wow. Okay. What just happened.

You blinked a few times in disbelief. This whole interaction seemed surreal.

When you turned toward your boyfriend again, he gave you the same dumbfounded look you were probably giving him, confirming this whole thing was just as unexpected to him as it was to you.

You stared at each other in complete silence for a moment, until he finally processed the whole chain of events. You saw his face progressively turn a dark shade of red, while his expression slowly went from one of pure shock, to a profound embarrassment.

“Bloody heck…”

He buried his face in your shoulder like you’d be able to hide him from his own discomfort, and you couldn’t help but giggle as you realized what has happened too.

“Stop laughing!” He called out without looking up, trying to scold you but you could hear the smile in his voice. “How am I going to explain this to him, now?!”

If that was supposed to stop you, it sure failed. You only kept laughing as you answered “I don’t think he wants you to explain anything.”

This time, you felt him nuzzling further into the crook of your neck, letting out an embarrassed sound as he swore again. “Oh dammit…”