Humbly requesting some adorable Cardinal Copia fluff with reader feeling stressed out & emotionally overwhelmed with work and life so he comforts them and does his best to cheer them up 🥺👉🏻👈🏻
ilysm pookie (whenever u have free time for writing, no rush, just wanted to leave this here ♡)
The day had frayed every last one of your nerves. By the time you finally closed your laptop, every thought felt too loud, every responsibility too heavy. You sank onto the edge of the bed and covered your face with your hands, trying to steady your breath as the weight of work, expectations, and life itself pressed down on you.
You didn’t even hear the soft knock on your door; only the gentle creak as it opened.
“Tesoro?” His familiar gravelly voice drifted in, warm and cautious. “Are you… ehm… busy?”
You shook your head without looking up. You felt Copia approach, the faint scent of his cologne settling around you. A moment later, a gloved hand rested lightly on your shoulder.
“Hey… look at me, si?” he murmured.
When you finally lifted your gaze, his mismatched eyes softened instantly. He didn’t ask what was wrong. He didn’t need to. He simply sat beside you, close enough that your shoulders touched, and let the silence settle.
“You seem… overwhelmed,” he said gently. “Like your little heart is carrying too much at once.”
Just hearing it acknowledged made something in you crack. You nodded, and your breath hitched. Copia let out a soft sound, half sigh, half coo, and opened his arms in quiet invitation.
He wrapped you up carefully, as though you were made of glass. His coat rustled as he held you against his chest, one hand smoothing up and down your back in slow, soothing motions. He rocked you ever so slightly, humming under his breath, as if the melody is trying to mend something precious.
“It is all right to feel like this,” he whispered against your hair. “Don’t turn your pain into punishment. You’re doing the best you can in a world that hasn’t always been gentle with you.”
You let out a shaky laugh. “You always know exactly what to say.”
He pulled back just enough to look at you, his expression brightening with a proud, thinly-mustached grin. “Of course I do. I am very wise, you know. I have lived many years. I have read many...erm...self-help pamphlets.”
The unexpected joke startled a genuine laugh out of you. Copia beamed as if he’d won an award.
“Ah! There it is. Your beautiful smile.” He tapped your nose lightly. “Much better.”
You felt some of the heaviness lift, just a little. Enough to breathe again.
Copia shifted, cupping your cheek with surprising gentleness. “You do not have to face everything alone, cara mia. If things are too much, you tell me. I listen, and I hold you." He leaned in closer to your ear, whispering, "I will even make you a hot chocolate...my secret recipe.”
“Doesn’t your secret recipe just mean adding too much sugar?” you teased.
He gasped dramatically. “How dare you. It is perfectly measured sweetness. You simply have no appreciation for the finer things.”
You leaned into him again, warmth blooming in your chest. “Thank you, Copia. Really.”
He pressed a soft kiss to your temple. “Always. I am here. And I am not going anywhere.”
And in his arms, for the first time all day, you believed it. ❤️
