“All I can say is,” he began nervously, “do not look for healing at the feet of those who broke you.”

You faltered, realising what he meant. “Safin, were they-”

He grimaced, before nodding his head. “They had to go, Y/n,” he stated, referring to Spectre. “Knowing that they were still alive was getting to me,” he expressed, and frowned when he noticed that you still seemed skeptical of him.

“But - It’s still-” You murmured, before stepping closer to him, prompting him to tense up slightly. “Just please stop this operation, Safin,” you practically pleaded, “you don’t have to hurt anyone else, you already killed Spectre-”

“I can’t stop it, Y/n,” he interrupted, a hint of frustration in his voice. “It’s as hard as me trying to convince myself I’m allowed to take up space after I lost my family,” he claimed, “and as hard as me trying to write with my left hand when I was born to use my right.” Safin glanced up at you, a pained expression on his face. “Do you think you could ever forgive me, kitten?” Safin inquired, hopeful, but he began to lose hope when he noticed the shocked expression on your face.

“I - I..” You whispered; you didn’t know how to answer.

Safin reluctantly stepped closer to you, and you found you couldn’t look up at him; your gaze was glued to the floor. “Please don’t lie to me, Y/n, if you feel you have to,” he continued, “we began with honesty, so let us end with it, too, if you feel you can’t stay with me anymore.”

You hesitated, before you shook your head; you felt as if you couldn’t leave him, despite what he was planning; you were just hoping you could change his mind before he carried his plan out. “I don’t want to leave you, Safin,” you expressed, “because-” You faltered, not sure if you should include the part about your feelings for him, “I’m worried about you, you have sadness living in places sadness shouldn’t live.”

Safin would be surprised; he had been certain that you’d decide to leave, and never thought that you would want to stay with him, though he was pleased that you wanted to. “Are you sure you want to stay, Y/n?” Safin inquired, wanting to make sure that that was what you truly wanted to do. You would think about it for a moment, before you nodded, certain. Safin couldn’t help, but smile thinly, and when he felt as if he could, he stepped closer to you, tilting his head partially. “Why?” He questioned, and you faltered, rubbing your arm. “It can’t just be because you’re worried about someone like me, after what I did to you before,” he stated, a pained expression on his face; he regretted more than anything how he’d treated you before he decided he could trust you after experiencing strange new feelings for you.

“Well, it is,” you replied dismissively, “can I - go back to my room now?” You requested, and Safin assumed that you must be tired, nodding gravely. “Thank you,” you expressed, before respectfully bowing your head, though you didn’t know why you’d even bothered to do so. “Night,” you concluded, and he returned with ‘night, angel,’ softly.

~~~~~

“Nothing is going to happen to me, I promise,” he tried to reassure you, “nobody is ever going to take me away from you. Do you believe me?”

You smiled softly up at him, nodding. “Of course I do,” you answered, before you connected your lips to his in a loving kiss. “Okay, you can come back home with me,” you decided, and Safin grinned, glad that you’d finally agreed to let him go with you.

~-~

Even when you’d gotten home and were away from his workers, you were anxious and were still having nightmares most nights about the times you had been raped, and beaten up by them when Safin wasn’t there to help you. You struggled when you awoke in someone’s hold behind you, but relaxed when you heard Safin’s voice. “You’re okay, Y/n,” he spoke gently, “you were just having a nightmare.” You turned around to hug him tightly, beginning to cry as you felt overwhelmed after having the nightmare. “I’ll never let them hurt you again, I promise,” he expressed, a pained expression on his face; he wished he had done more to help you. “Do you want me to get you a glass of water?” Safin inquired, and you shook your head, forcing a smile up at him.

“I - I can get myself one, don’t worry,” you reassured him, and he sat up as he watched you get up off of the bed, leaving a small blood stain.

“Y/n,” Safin spoke uneasily, worried about you. You looked back at him, humming to show that you were listening. “You’re bleeding,” he pointed out, and you faltered, your eyes widening. Safin wouldn’t know what to say, a pained expression on his face; he was assuming the worst.

“But.. That can’t mean,” you murmured, “n-no, I don’t feel anything out of the ordinary.. I’ll try and get an appointment at the hospital tomorrow, and they’ll tell me what’s going on.” Safin nodded gravely, and you frowned, guessing that he thought you were going to have a miscarriage. “It’s going to be okay,” you tried to reassure him, but he wouldn’t dare look up at you; he didn’t want you to see that his eyes were glistening. “S-Safin, stop, please,” you begged shakily; you couldn’t take it; you didn’t want to think that you were going to have a miscarriage, and didn’t want to think that you wouldn’t find out if he was Safin’s child or wouldn’t be able to raise him with him. You rushed out of the room because you hated to cry in front of him, and he felt guilty for not trying to comfort you or trying to say something to you that would make you feel better.

|

Safin had decided to wait until the morning to talk to you because he didn’t want to upset you any further, and he found himself not being able to sleep for the whole night; he was too worried about you. “Good morning, kitten,” Safin spoke gently when he entered the living room to find you sitting up on the sofa, hugging the blanket you had over you closer to you.

“Morning,” you mumbled, trying to hide your face from him because your eyes were sore; you had been crying again.

Safin sat beside you, and you wouldn’t dare look up at him. “Everything is going to be okay, I promise,” he assured; he wanted to cheer you up because he hated to see you like this, and he missed your smile.

You tried to believe him, but couldn’t kick the doubt from your mind. “But - What if we do lose him?” You questioned, and Safin frowned. “If we lose him, I will never stop blaming myself,” you expressed, and Safin shook his head.

“It wouldn’t be your fault, Y/n,” he contradicted, and you scoffed. “It wouldn’t-”

“I just can’t help, but think - if we do, it’ll be the universe telling me that I’ve not been a good enough mother,” you admitted, and it was Safin’s turn to scoff and shake his head, before he placed his on top of your’s gently.

“You have no idea how amazing you are, do you?” Safin replied, and you glanced up at him for only a moment, before you lowered your head again. “You’ve been a great mother, Y/n, to both Sylvia and Emily, and you have been trying to do everything to protect our-” Safin faltered, feeling rather dejected when he remembered that he might not be the father, “s-son.”

You frowned when you realised that he must be thinking about the possibility of your son being the rapist’s, instead of his. Safin forced a weak smile up at you, and you tried to reflect it, but found yourself failing as you looked away from him again. Safin pulled you into a hug, and you rested against him, feeling comfortable, before you awkwardly turned around to wrap your arms around him. “Thank you, Safin,” you whispered, “I - I feel a little better now, when you hold me I’m in my happy place.”

“And when you hold me, I find myself in mine,” he remarked, and you smiled lovingly up at him, before you rested your head on his shoulder after he’d returned the smile.

|

“Those glasses are adorable on you,” Safin stated when he came across you reading in bed; you’d been starting to retire to bed much earlier because you tended to be exhausted more often, most likely because Sylvia was growing up into an older toddler, and being slightly more difficult, whilst you also tried to tend to your needs, avoiding Safin’s help because you wanted him to stop worrying about you all the time.

“Thank you,” you replied, smiling warmly up at him, before you got an idea, trying not to giggle as you pretended that you felt something out of the ordinary, sitting up with a perplexed expression on your face.

“What is it?” Safin inquired, rushing to your side so he could hold your hand, worried about you.

You looked up at him, your eyes wide. “I think my water just broke,” you answered, your voice close to a whisper. Safin would be shocked, before he attempted to pick you up, surprising you, and making you laugh; you couldn’t stop yourself. Safin appeared confused; he didn’t think you’d be laughing. Safin then grew suspicious of you, and you burst out laughing again when you noticed the skeptical look on his face. “I got you!” You exclaimed, and he grunted, before he lowered you back down on the bed.

Safin sat down on the edge of the bed, expressing relief. “Don’t scare me like that again, Y/n,” he whined, and you grinned, amused.

You shuffled closer to him, and he reluctantly looked over at you, anxious again. “Shut up, you big baby, and let me kiss you,” you teased, and he begrudgingly let you connect your lips to his.

~-~

On a lazy night for you both, you decided to find a horror movie for you both to watch, and were finding it hilarious because you could tell that Safin was trying to hide that he was startled by some of the scenes. “Is someone scared?” You teased him when you noticed that he was looking anywhere, but at the television screen, and he scoffed, glaring over at you.

“I’m not scared,” he claimed, “I just think horror movies are stupid, and boring.”

“Sure,” you replied, not believing him at all as he nervously returned his attention to the film. When another jump scare occurred shortly after he’d returned his attention to it, he cursed quietly, and you couldn’t help, but giggle again, prompting him to shoot a glare at you.

“Why do you make me watch these things?” He complained, making you laugh even more. “Sometimes I really hate you when you make me do these things,” he continued, and you tried to stop laughing to relieve him of the embarrassment. Safin relaxed a little bit after you’d managed to hold back the rest of your giggles, and you intertwined your fingers with his, before you rested your head on his shoulder.

~-~

“Safin, stop,” you whined; you were currently suffering from quite a bad cold, and were trying not to pass it on to him, but he was making it difficult for you to do that because he kept insisting on being near you.

“No,” he replied; he didn’t want to leave you alone whilst you were ill. “You’re sick, let me take care of you,” he practically pleaded, wanting to do all he could to restore your health, and all he could to make you feel comfortable.

“I don’t need you to take care of me,” you claimed, “and I don’t want you to get sick, too, so-”

“I don’t care if I get sick, Y/n,” he interrupted, certain of himself, “please just let me look after you until you’re better.” You sighed, before you nodded reluctantly. Safin smiled, glad that you were now allowing him to stay and take care of you.

Safin wrapped his arms around your waist, and you tried to ease him away, feeling as if he were getting dangerously close to the point he’d definitely receive the same cold from you. “Don’t get too close for now, okay?” You warned, and he frowned, nodding gravely.

“I’m sorry, your eyes are just really pretty and distracting,” he explained, and a smile played on your lips - you could also feel that your cheeks were heating up. “You’re blushing,” he pointed out, smirking. You winced, trying to hide your face from him. “You’re adorable,” he continued, and you whimpered, begging silently for him to stop teasing you, because you could feel that your face must be as red as a tomato by now. “It’s hard, trying not to kiss you,” he expressed, and you agreed; you wished the cold would just go away now.

“Hopefully this won’t last much longer,” you replied, and Safin nodded, forcing a smile over at you.

~-~

You would be surprised when you woke up to Safin panicking, and he expressed relief when he noticed that you were awake, rushing to your side, before he sat beside you, holding your right hand in his left one. “I thought I lost you,” he expressed dejectedly, his voice briefly trembling.

You appeared confused, and he frowned. “What happened?” You inquired, and he tilted his head partially.

“You’ve been asleep for hours, Y/n,” he answered, “I was worried; I thought something was wrong.”

“I must have been exhausted,” you mused, before you sat up, “well, I’m awake now, so you no longer need to worry about me.” Safin nodded, smiling weakly, before he leaned forward to wrap his arms around you. You returned the hug, thinking about how you’d never thought he’d be like this before. “I remember when I didn’t expect you to be so cuddly,” you stated, and Safin winced, burying his face into the crook of your neck to hide that he felt embarrassed.

“I didn’t think I would be, either,” he claimed, and you smiled softly, before you lifted your right hand to stroke his hair. “The older me would probably rather die than be how I am right now,” he remarked, and you shook your head, thinking he would be the same, just a little more awkward. “But I’m glad I’m different now,” he added, “and I’m extremely grateful for you, for making me so much happier than I used to be.”

“And I’m grateful for you, too,” you returned, holding him at arm’s length, “because if I hadn’t met you, I’d still be in the dark place I was before, and might have even have taken my life by now.”

Safin’s smile faded as he glanced up at you, and you looked away, feeling bad for mentioning it, and possibly ruining the moment. “I wish I had met you sooner,” he responded, “to take you out of the darkness you used to be in.”

“It’s okay,” you reassured, relocating your hand to his left cheek, “because I’m out of it now, as long as I’m with you.” The smile returned to both you and his face, before he lovingly and gently connected his lips to your’s.

~-~

You rushed into the living room when you heard Sylvia crying, and would be surprised when you saw pen markings on the opposite wall to you, and Safin trying to calm her down whilst appearing stressed out, himself. “What happened?” You inquired, and he expressed relief when he heard your voice, turning to face you.

“I found her drawing on the wall,” he answered, “and tried to stop her from doing anymore, but-”

Safin sighed, and you took her from him; you could see that he needed a break. “Why don’t you go and have a lie down?” You suggested, and he frowned, shaking his head; he wanted to help you with Sylvia, and the mess. “Are you sure-?” You pried, worried about him; he looked exhausted. He nodded, forcing a smile at you. “Okay, but you don’t have to help me clean this up,” you stated, to which Safin shook his head again; he wanted to help.

“I don’t want my princess to be doing all the work,” he replied, “please, let me help you.”

You sighed, before you gave in, nodding gravely. “Fine, I’ll let you help me,” you responded, looking over at the pen markings on the wall again, whilst trying not to feel overwhelmed about attempting to clean them off.

“Am I in trouble, mummy?” Sylvia asked, and you looked over at her, shaking your head, whilst forcing a smile.

“No,” you answered simply, “you’re lucky you’re cute - go and watch tv whilst we try and deal with - this.” Sylvia felt bad, and hesitated, before she climbed up onto the sofa to watch her favourite animated program that was just starting. Safin noticed that you seemed overwhelmed, and he held your hand to try and relax your nerves. You looked over at him, and couldn’t help, but giggle when you thought back to the time you recalled that you were developing feelings for him. Safin wore a puzzled expression on his face, tilting his head as he wondered what you were thinking about. “I’ve been in love with you for an embarrassingly long time,” you remarked, and Safin couldn’t help, but grin, wrapping his arms around your waist.

“I have the same problem,” he returned, before he connected his lips to your’s lovingly. “Now,” he began again, holding you at arm’s length as he looked over the pen markings. You looked over at them, too, and winced. “I can hear you overthinking things from here, stop it,” he commanded gently, and you nodded, trying not to.

~-~

After you and Safin had had a late night, he lazily strolled into the kitchen in the morning, where you were making breakfast for you and him. You grinned as you watched him sink into one of the kitchen table chairs, and he lifted his hand to his forehead; he clearly must be suffering from a headache. “If I don’t get coffee soon, someone is going to die,” he stated, and you couldn’t help, but giggle, pouring him the rest of the coffee you’d made not too long ago.

“Here,” you set the mug down in front of him, and he smiled up at you warmly, replying with a soft ‘thank you, kitten.’

“You’re welcome,” you responded, before you returned your focus onto the breakfast you were starting to plate up now for him and you.

~-~

“Stop,” you whined whilst he tickled you, and he chuckled, amused.

“If you want me to stop tickling you, you need to stop being so cute,” he replied, and you whined, beginning to feel flustered as you tried to hide your face from him, feeling that your cheeks were heating up, which told you that you were blushing. “You’re being cute again,” he stated, before he began to tickle you again, prompting you to burst out laughing, and struggling against him to try and escape him tickling you. Safin stopped suddenly, and you wondered what had happened. “Did - Did our son just kick?” Safin inquired, and you would be surprised, hoping you’d not missed him kicking.

You then gasped, feeling it again. “He’s kicking again,” you whispered, “Safin, he’s - he’s okay!” Safin expressed relief, before he threw his arms around you, and you smiled widely, before you returned the hug, immensely relieved to feel that your son was still alive, after not being able to secure a hospital appointment to find out. “I told you he would be okay,” you reminded him, and he nodded gravely, wishing he’d listened to you before.

Safin expressed concern when you’d gone quiet, and he held your hand, his eyes searching your’s. “What’s wrong?” He inquired, and you winced, your eyes wide with fear.

“I think my water just broke,” you whispered shakily, and Safin faltered, trying not to panic as he tried to think. “I need to call an ambulance-”

“No, Y/n,” he interrupted, “save your energy, I will call one.”

“But-”

“They won’t know,” he promised, “just let me help you, kitten.” You groaned, leaning heavily against him, before you begrudgingly nodded, though you were worried about him being caught. “Okay,” he spoke gently, “I’ll call them now, okay?” You nodded, and he rushed out of the room to the telephone, knowing he had to get he ambulance quickly for you.

~~~~~

“You don’t need them to,” he stated, “you’re going to be happy here, I promise.” You groaned, shaking your head. Safin frowned, wishing you’d give your new life a chance. “Why can’t you just try to be happy here, with me?” Safin inquired, trying not to sound too dejected.

“I’d rather wait the rest of my life for my friends to find me,” you expressed, and Safin scowled, before he gripped your chin roughly.

“They will never find you!” Safin snapped, startling you as you subconsciously whimpered, prying your gaze from his. “They have forgotten about you,” he claimed, “why is that so hard for you to believe? Nothing lasts forever, Y/n,” he added, “I learnt that the hard way.” Safin released your chin, looking away from you; he didn’t want you to see that he was upset. “After what happened to me and my family, I thought somehow they’d come back for me, and take me with them,” he admitted, “but they never did.” Safin then grimaced down at you, and you wouldn’t know what to say, trying not to feel bad for him after he’d kidnapped you and been holding you hostage, but you struggled because you knew how he felt after you’d lost your mother in a fire. “You’ll learn to like being here with me soon enough,” he uttered, before he turned to walk out of your cell, leaving you in the dark listening to the guard outside locking the cell door back up again.

𖧷☭𖤍

After you had been complying more, Safin decided to give you slightly more freedom, letting you out of your cell with one of his security guards following you around. You would be disappointed when you realised Safin was trying to avoid you, and tried to confront him when you got the chance, which appeared to you in the form of coming across him outside in the Poison Garden; he was talking to his workers in a stern manner. Once he had finished, and turned around, he would be shocked to find you stood behind him. “Y-Y/n-”

“Could you stop feeding the cryptids your lies? They’re starting to think you’re some sort of royalty,” you interrupted, and Safin frowned, looking away from you. “Why are you avoiding me, Safin?” You questioned, lifting an eyebrow.

“Avoidance is what I’m best at,” he answered, reluctantly letting his eyes meet your’s, “I can’t let that kind of talent go to waste, so I have to keep practicing it. Now if you don’t mind, I have business I need to attend to.”

You grimaced, watching as Safin walked away. “Asshole,” you uttered, your voice barely audible; you wished he’d at least try and make an effort to keep you company; you wanted to spend time with him because you wanted to get to know him more.

𖧷☭𖤍

You would be shocked to wake up to shouting, and gunfire, and your mind subconsciously raced to Safin. You sat up, feeling your body beginning to tremble. You forced yourself to your feet, and rushed over to the cell door, banging on it when you found that it was locked. “Help!” You cried, and would step back when you heard the door being unlocked on the other side. You drew a sharp breath when you noticed that it was Safin who had unlocked the door, and he was leaning heavily against the wall beside it, his hand which appeared to be stained by blood held over his side. “W-What happened-”

“No time to explain, Y/n,” he interrupted dismissively, trying to hide that he was in quite a bit of pain, “r-remember how I saved your life not too long ago?” Safin inquired, his voice briefly trembling. You nodded slowly as you thought back to the day he had saved you from the men from Spectre sent to kill you for a reason unbeknownst to you. “Well now I need you to save mine,” he murmured, and your eyes widened; you’d not had much experience in the medical field, but had a short period of work experience as a nurse, in which time you’d had to perform surgery and stitch up your patient’s wounds.

↯

After you’d treated Safin to the best of your ability, you stayed with him until he woke up, relieved when you heard him beginning to stir. Safin looked over at you when he felt you holding his hand, a weak smile playing on his lips. “You’re still here,” he mused, and you nodded. “I - I didn’t think you’d stay,” he admitted, and you frowned, a pained expression on your face.

“Of course I stayed,” you responded, “this is a battle I’m choosing to fight now, and I will not run from it. I haven’t forgotten the nights you stayed up with me in my cell. They made a difference, they really did, because I started seeing that you aren’t the bad person I thought you were before.”

“You love me,” Safin assumed, and you hesitated, a soft smile playing on your lips.

“I might,” you corroborated, and Safin smirked, pleased.

“Lay with me, kitten,” he commanded gently, and you nodded, before you shyly laid down beside him, your eyes locked with his dark greyish blue ones. “Thank you,” he whispered, “what did I do to deserve you?”

You would think about his question, yourself. “I’m still trying to figure that out, myself,” you answered, lifting your hand to his left cheek, before you withdrew it, worried that he would be angry at you touching him. “S-Sorry,” you murmured, and Safin shook his head, smiling reassuringly over at you.

“It’s okay,” he claimed, before he attempted to shuffle closer to you, wincing as he did.

“D-Don’t move,” you whined, not wanting his stitches to break, so you hugged him to try and stop him from moving. Safin hesitated, before he returned the hug, relaxing after a moment. “Are you comfortable like this?” You inquired, worried that you keeping him in this position would hurt him.

“I’m fine, angel, don’t worry about me, okay?” Safin stated, and you smiled weakly, nodding whilst revelling in the feeling that you belonged in his arms.

~~~~~