a breath of relief ༘⋆༄.°⋆
sevika is congested and she knows just the gal to fix her up. lots of tension, flirting, and fluff? also, suggestive and sliiightly nsfw
You were sweeping up a few stray bandages when the front door groaned open. The heavy, deliberate steps were unmistakable, and your lips quirked before you even looked up.
Even in Zaun, where rough edges and tough faces were the norm, she stood out—tanned skin, broad shoulders, a sharp jawline, and that mechanical arm shifting faintly beneath her poncho. You’d seen her countless times before, whether patching up bullet wounds or stitching knife gashes, but even now, she had a way of commanding every inch of space around her. A storm cloud rolling through your clinic door.
Your gaze softened as you took her in. The usual scowl was there, brow furrowed tight, but her exhaustion was just as evident. The faint redness beneath her eyes and the irritated, raw skin around her nose told you everything you needed to know. Even now, ailing as she was, she managed to look devastatingly gorgeous.
Her sharp eyes found yours, and for a moment, her glare met the easy, teasing smile already tugging at your lips. You could never help it with her. She had that effect on you—your old friend and your favorite patient. Tilting your head, you studied her curiously. Sevika, undone by something as ordinary as a sinus infection? To you, she was immortal and untouchable. It was strangely endearing, though you’d never dare say that out loud.
“I need a fix,” she muttered, her voice low and scratchy.
You leaned casually against the counter, one brow raised. “You know, most people start with ‘hello.’”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not most people.”
You hummed in agreement, pushing off the counter and stepping closer. “No, you’re not.” Your tone was light, a little playful, though your gaze softened as you studied her more closely. “How long has it been this bad?”
She shifted, her broad shoulders tensed. “A couple days,” she admitted gruffly, her tone was reluctant. You could tell she wasn’t giving you the full story. She never did, not willingly.
You glanced at Sevika’s towering height, already aware you'd need a boost to get close enough for a proper examination. “One sec,” you murmured.
Wordlessly, Sevika watched as you bent over behind the counter, rummaging for something that required both hands. She was enjoying the view. The weight of her gaze lingered heavily on you, and when you turned back with the faded wood of a step stool in your hands, you could feel the heat rising in your ears.
“You know,” you said, walking toward her with a playful lilt in your tone, “I can always tell when you’re staring at my ass.”
Sevika raised an eyebrow, the faintest trace of amusement flickering across her face. “Oops,” she said dryly.
Rolling your eyes, you set the stool down in front of her. “If I don’t use this, I’ll be craning my neck the whole time.”
Sevika’s lips quirked into a smirk as she crossed her arms. “Is that so?” she teased, her usual gruffness softened by amusement. She enjoyed joking with you like this, it made it easy to relax.
You stepped onto the stool, balancing yourself with an exaggerated sigh. The added height brought you face-to-face with her nose—not ideal, but it would do. “Well,” you muttered, “at least I can see what I’m doing now.”
Her gaze caught yours as you looked up through your lashes, and for a fleeting moment, the corner of her mouth twitched upward. “Shit, forgot my gloves,” you said, hopping down with a sheepish smile to grab a pair from the counter.
Sevika watched you, her eyes lingering a moment longer than necessary. She’d never admit it, but she liked the way you smiled—especially here, in a place like this. The undercity didn’t offer much reason to smile, yet you did anyway. It reminded her of cracks in concrete where the grass started to grow. She especially liked how your smile always reached your eyes when you were in her company.
“All good to go,” you chirped, stepping back onto the stool.
The proximity was close—almost too close—and Sevika didn’t mind. The heat radiating off you was oddly comforting, and though she despised being sick, she’d counted this as a small win. She couldn’t deny the pull she felt toward you, a mix of intrigue and something more. You two were always standing on the edge of friendship and something more, waiting for the other to make their move first. You were both idiots.
You leaned in, fingers brushing along the bridge of her nose to check for tenderness. “Hold still,” you murmured, your voice soft but firm.
Her breath hitched when you applied pressure, and before either of you could react, she sneezed. The sudden force sent you stumbling backward with a startled yelp, your arms flailing for balance. Sevika’s hand shot out, catching your waist with a gentleness that belied her strength, steadying you before you could fall. Your hands instinctively landed on her broad shoulders, flushing yourself against her solid frame.
“Easy there, Doc,” she muttered, her tone light but tinged with amusement.
You looked up at her, cheeks flushing as you realized how close you were—how solid and warm she felt. Recovering quickly, you muttered a quick thanks and returned to your task with renewed focus. You tried to push away the thought of how it felt to be pressed up against Sevika, brushing it off as nothing. The silence that followed wasn’t uncomfortable or awkward—just charged. With what? You couldn’t tell. You worked carefully though the proximity made your heart pound. Sevika, for her part, seemed at ease, even enjoying the closeness.
You couldn’t help but think back to Babette’s brothel girls you’d treated on occasion. They would be giggling whenever you came to them, sharing wild stories about their latest escapades. Sevika’s name often came up, accompanied by whispers and knowing glances. They knew you found your friend attractive and never missed an opportunity to tease you about it, recounting tales of her charm and seduction with a glint in their eyes. Your cheeks flushed at the memory, the thought of her now paired with the inappropriate stories of those women.
“You okay, Doc?” Sevika’s voice snapped you out of your thoughts. You noticed her arm was still resting at your waist. She looked down at you, her lazy smirk betraying the fact she might’ve guessed what was on your mind.
You cleared your throat, stepping down from the stool. Her hand slipped from your waist, leaving a lingering warmth behind. You peeled the gloves from your hands and tossed them into the bin behind you. “Examination’s done, this way,” you instructed, nodding toward the back of the clinic.
Sevika’s boots echoed heavily against the tile as she followed. You led her to the bathroom—one you rarely let patients see. The space felt smaller than you remembered, though maybe that had more to do with the larger woman behind you. You stepped inside first, busying yourself with prepping the sinus rinse bottle. The sound of water filling the bottle mixed with the soft creak of the tile under her boots. You could feel her there, close enough that the warmth of her body pressed against your back, making it harder to focus on the task. When you turned, her gaze was already locked on you. Her stare made you falter, offering a nervous smile in return. “Bend over, please?” you asked stupidly. You instantly wanted to melt feeling your cheeks heat up, why the fuck would you say that?
She raised a brow, clearly amused, and didn’t budge.
“Over the sink,” you huffed trying to save yourself, gesturing to the white sink between the two of you. “Don’t make me spell it out.”
Her smirk widened, a spark of amusement in her eyes, before she finally complied, leaning over the sink. “Whatever you say, doll.”
“And you’ll need to hold onto me for balance,” you added, brushing over the way the nickname sent a pleasant jolt through you.
“You’re tall, Sevika, and this won’t feel great. Trust me, it’ll help.” Your teased getting over your awkwardness and you leaned closer, grinning. “Come on, you don’t want to hold me?”
Her eyes caught yours in the mirror, her lazy smile deepening as she let the silence stretch. “How lucky,” she quipped, her voice low and playful. “I’m all over you today.”
You rolled your eyes, but the heat rose to your cheeks anyway. As she leaned forward, her metal arm braced the sink’s edge while her other arm slid around your waist, her fingers beginning to tap a steady rhythm against your stomach. You hummed in approval. You had one of your hands around the rinse bottle while the other hand rested on her back. “Try not to move.”
The first flush wasn’t pretty. Sevika tensed, her breathing uneven as the water did its work. She didn’t make a sound, but you could feel the way her shoulders tightened beneath your hand. Without thinking, you rubbed a slow, soothing circle between her shoulder blades.
“Breathe through your mouth,” you murmured, your tone steady. “That’s it. You’re doing so good.”
Sevika’s gaze flicked to yours in the mirror, and something about the softness in your voice caught her off guard. She knew you could be flirty and playful and fun but she surprisingly wasn’t used to this side of you, this—gentleness. Hell, it was laughable to think of herself as someone who might need it. But there it was, warm and undeniable, wrapping around her like a second skin.
Sevika bit back the urge to respond, letting her eyes flutter shut instead. What sound would she even say—or worse, what would she do? She didn’t think it ideal to lift you up and onto the sink to devour, much less while sickly and congested. But, god, why did you sound so good? Did you even realize the effect your words had on her? She doubted it. The praise tumbled from your lips so effortlessly, like you weren’t aware of the jolts they sent straight to her spine. It was so casual and Sevika liked that you were distracted so she could soak in this moment without feeling embarassed. If she met your gaze, her eyes would betray her. Keeping them closed wasn’t just safer—it was essential. But that didn’t stop the fantasies from creeping in.
She imagined you: on top of her, writhing beneath her, laying beside her. Countless praises falling from your lips like whispered prayers while she worked at you. Sevika would be devoted to your body and you would encourage it. In her mind, your skin glistened with a sheen of sweat, your hair haloed by soft light as you looked at her—an angel sent to ruin her. Butterflies swirled in her stomach, and her metal hand gripped the sink’s edge.
Her human grip on you tightened briefly before easing. Sevika forced herself to focus: the rinse, the sound of the water—anything but the way your hand lingered at her back or moved up to massage the nape of her neck. And definitely not the soft murmurs of “That’s it” and “You’re doing so good” in a tone that could melt steel. She could feel herself unraveling, softening, leaning into your touch. Shit, she didn’t even care anymore.
By the time you moved to her other nostril, Sevika had barely gathered herself. Just enough to keep her expression neutral. But then your fingers brushed along her jaw, adjusting her position as you tilted her head, forcing her to meet your eyes in the mirror.
“Almost done,” you promised, your gaze locking with hers. “Thank you for being so patient.”
Sevika exhaled softly, leaning into your touch in a way that almost made you falter. You held back a chuckle. Who was this woman, and what had they done with Sevika? She was being so… cute. Granted you recognized you were being soft with her on purpose, you secretly wanted to gauge her reaction but this was more than a pleasant surprise. You’d noticed over time that she always perked up, even just a little, whenever you threw praise her way. Sevika probably thought she was being subtle, but you lived for those moments, replaying them in your head more times than you’d admit. In all other respects, she was definitely the dominant between the two of you, but this moment now? It was perfect. The thought of straightening her up and jumping her bones flashed through your mind, but you shoved it aside, forcing yourself to focus.
When the rinse was finally done, she straightened with a low groan, accepting the towel you handed her. She dabbed at her face, her movements rougher than necessary, like she could erase the last few minutes.
“Better?” you asked, watching her closely.
Her breathing sounded clearer now, though her eyes were still slightly red and irritated. She glanced at you briefly, then away, as if avoiding the weight of your gaze. You noticed the faint flush on her cheeks—just enough to make your own lips twitch into a smile.
“Much better, thanks,” she mumbled, her voice quieter than usual.
“Good,” you said, unable to stop the warmth blooming in your chest. Turning, you reached for the small bottle of eye drops perched on the sink. “But we’re not done yet. Sit.”
A moment later, Sevika was lowering herself onto one of your smaller chairs behind the counter. The height difference now had you standing over her, a shift that made you bite back a smile.
“No stool this time, shortstuff?” she teased, her smirk returning.
“Nope,” you shot back, unscrewing the bottle. “I’m enjoying the view, though.”
Her laugh was low and rough, but it died in her throat when you closed the distance, cupping her face with one hand. “Head back,” you instructed softly.
Sevika’s eyes widened briefly, startled by the sudden contact and authority in your voice. But she complied, tilting her head as your hand guided her. You tried not to notice how her sharp features softened under your touch.
“Are you going to fly across the room again if I move,” she muttered, her voice thick with sarcasm and something else you couldn’t place, “or do you need me to hold you?”
You chuckled, leaning in just a fraction. “If you want to touch me, you can.” The words came out flirtier than you intended, but the truth nonetheless. You grew accustomed to her hands on you during this visit.
Her arm, as if on instinct, found its way back around your waist, pulling you closer. The warmth of her hand settled over your hip, making you laugh and you had to readjust the bottle of eye drops as you tilted her chin for a better angle.
“You know,” you said, your tone teasing but focused, “you’re a terrible patient.”
Sevika snorted. “And you’re annoying.”
Her lips twitched, threatening a smile, but you didn’t let her distract you. Two drops fell neatly into her eye. You wiped away any stray solution, your fingers lingering on her cheek longer than necessary.
“Am I?” you asked softly, your voice low enough to make her pause.
She didn’t respond, but her hand squeezed your waist lightly.
You hummed, finishing the second eye before stepping back. Sevika blinked a few times, her gaze clearer now. You smiled at her backing up so she could get up. “All done.”
Sevika rose to her full height, stretching before grabbing her poncho from the chair and slinging it over her shoulders with ease. She paused, glancing at you as if debating whether to say something. The corners of her lips twitched, but she quickly masked it with her usual stoicism. She looked much better than when she had first walked, refreshed.
“You take care of yourself, Sev,” you said lightly, crossing your arms. “And next time, don’t wait until you’re falling apart to come see me.”
She chuckled lightly, her gaze sweeping over you before she stepped toward the door. “You like it. Gives you an excuse to fuss over me.”
You rolled your eyes but couldn’t fight the warmth spreading through your chest. “Oh, sure. I live for your charming bedside manner.”
Her chuckle was low and brief, but just as she reached the door, she paused and glanced back. “You free later?”
The question caught you off guard, your brows lifting. “Depends. You asking me out, Sevika?”
Her smirk deepened. “Maybe. Thought I’d thank you properly—for saving my life and all.”
You leaned back against the counter, pretending to think it over. “Hmm, I could be persuaded. Where?”
Sevika shrugged, her eyes glinting with amusement. “Your call, Doc. I’m good at following orders, remember?”
You laughed softly, shaking your head. “All right, tough girl. I’ll let you know.”
“Looking forward to it,” she said with a wink, her tone low and teasing. Then she stepped through the door, leaving it to creak shut behind her.
wow i did not mean to write this much but i couldn’t help myself this came to me in a dream. can you tell i struggled with the ending? x_x this is my first fic and i really hope you enjoyed it! please comment your thoughts or anything you think i should improve on below. thanks 4 reading xx
