A/N: A longer one, but I had a lot of fun writing this one! I’m not gonna lie, I might need to draw Kars in the outfit I put him in for this just because it has been stuck in my mind lol.
It had been a long time since you truly noticed rumors floating around. Such things usually bored you to no end, and most were false accusations. Some about what one was doing outside of work, others about new workers, and few about the managers and their own problems. Maybe it was your own curiosity as you sat by yourself at lunch, but you listened in to the two gossiping girls. Your name had been mentioned.
“Hey, did you hear? A man came in to see Y/N the other day, different than that guy who went missing a while ago!”
“No way. Really? Well, someone like her should be able to move on from that-“
“Here’s the kicker, the guy looked like a model. He was way too hot!”
“Seriously?! How could a girl like her score a model?!”
Oh boy. Jealousy. An emotion you didn’t like hearing. It only meant harassment from here. And you knew the man they were talking about. Kars. The fact one appearance had talk chattering up only meant that you really had shaken things. Taking a long swig from your thermos, you exhaled. Your break was almost up, as was theirs. A few pops came from your back as you stood up and passed the girls. Hushes coming from them as you gave them a side eye. A small sneer on their faces. Maybe it was how you were living and dating such an intimidating man now, but you carried yourself differently. And then a thought crossed your mind. An evil little voice in your head. Why not give them a small scare?
“I know you two were talking about me. If I catch you two talking about me and my boyfriend again he will know, and he won’t be happy.”
Watching their faces flush to a cold, pale white made you smile to yourself as you walked back to your position. Why bother giving them your time? All you could hope for was the rumors would be snuffed out then and there.
Every moment you overheard conversation, it was of the mysterious purple haired stranger who came to see you one time. Talks on if you two were actually dating, or if he was just a friend. It made work all the more slow and tedious as you couldn’t seem to escape the noise of “Y/N this, stranger that.” You were getting sick of it. And you just wanted to go home and see him.
“I think that guy is just some rebound.”
“Yeah there is no way she could be dating him”
“She probably felt so much grief that she is trying to fill the void.”
“I wonder if he would be interested in me”
“I’m sure that if he saw me he would drop Y/N”
“Are you sure he even exists?”
Stop. All you wanted it to do was stop. The noise, the doubt, the questioning. You just wanted it to be silenced. To hear the peace of your home. Burying yourself in the man you loved. He would hate to see all of this. To hear what people were saying. Every second on the clock felt dragged out for ages. Voices unable to quell their jabbering with such raucous laughter that a hyena would be jealous.
It all came to a head as you were walking out of work for the day. Eyes glazed over and weary, the sun turning the sky a golden hue as you heard one of your other female co-workers speak to you.
“Hey Y/N! I heard about your friend that saw you the other day, I wanted to ask if you had a photo of him?”
You turned to the girl. She was a slacker type. Her work often got piled on you simply because she was not willing to do it. The girl was one you overheard talking about trying to seduce Kars, eyes full of malicious curiosity with a lens of innocence. A sly nature that lent itself to your own wariness. There was a slight possessiveness in your attitude that soon bubbled up. The man you adored that these people were so callously calling a friend or a fling, underestimating your importance to him. It angered you. She had a reason for wanting to see a photo of Kars. It wasn’t simply to know he existed, this was a woman vying for his attention in the most snake-like way possible. While it wasn’t the most polite behavior, you weren’t on the clock.
“I do. But he isn’t my friend. That is my boyfriend. So I’m not going to just show you a photo of him bitch.”
Quickly turning on your heels, you stormed off to the bus stop. A sputtering woman left standing on the street in complete befuddlement. You could eat dinner at home.
The lock clicked open with a gentle rattle of your keys. Ruby red eyes darting to you in surprise as he stretched as rose from the couch with a creak. His purple mane having been contained in one large braid rather than the half up half down he kept it in. There was a pause as he watched your expression. A firm annoyance still painted across your visage as you locked the door behind you, exasperated sigh leaving your mouth. Your gaze finally met his properly as you approached. And it all came tumbling down. Head suddenly buried in his broad chest as he stood stunned. Tears streaming from your eyes as he felt the liquid run down his body. He never needed to truly comfort you like this before. But his emotions soon changed from confusion, to an anger you knew all to well that he felt towards humanity.
“What happened at that pitiful job today…?”
He asked, resting a large palm against your back as the two of you now laid down on the couch. Your body flush to his as he situated you on top of him. Letters choked in your throat as you tried to formulate your words. Such a muddled mess it was. Reasonable thoughts leaving your mind as you were angry, and maybe it was because you hadn’t eaten yet as well.
“I don’t know why I listened to the gossiping at work… it’s always so stupid… but they kept mentioning me and you, and not in the most polite way…”
While unintentional, you felt Kars’s grip tighten slightly, almost like claws holding you still.
“They kept saying you would leave me… I guess it got to me because I snapped at a girl who was gossiping about trying to take you away from me…”
At that moment, his rage boiled over as he sat up. Still keeping you close to him as he had held back on harming humans, you didn’t wish for him to enact his wrath after all. But you saw it in his eyes. That murderous intent. It wasn’t just one person now. It was many. He hated your work with every fiber of his being. And now it was a loathing he couldn’t just set aside. God he wanted to rip it all apart. He wanted their blood to paint the walls for their hubris. His words made you freeze as you were pulled even closer to him.
“I’m going to your place of work tomorrow.”
As the tension in the room simmered, your stomach soon growled. You needed to eat. It seemed your hunger could not wait any longer, and it at least distracted him a little. Finally letting go of you, he mentally paused for a moment. He had read in his old books that partners should be cared for when they are like this. Watching you slowly got up to cook for yourself, he rose up and sat you back down. Wrapping a blanket around you in a sweeping motion.
“Sit. I’ll bring you something.”
All you could do was watch from the sidelines as Kars looked lost in your kitchen. Honestly it was surprising if anything that he wanted to cook. And it shocked him too. Reading through the recipe book you used most, he felt baffled for a short while. He didn’t need to eat really, it was more for pleasure than sustenance at this point. Hell, some of the over processed foods you had shown Kars had grown on him, even if they truly weren’t all that special. But this sort of task should be left to a servant. Not higher beings like you or him. It almost felt humiliating. Almost. If it was for the woman he held most dear, then he would tolerate it. As the pinnacle of the world, he easily learned this tedious task.
Time slowly ticked by, before Kars walked back in and set a meal down for you upon the coffee table. Sitting beside you calmly. His stoic red gaze silently observing your behavior as you ate. The subtle shifts in your expression. How it eased from a depression to a gentle sorrow. Knowing the source of your emotions in this moment still deeply enraged him, but he would bottle his anger for now. It could be saved until tomorrow. A soft huff leaving your lips as you had your fill, words pausing for a moment as you ran a hand through your hair.
“Thank you… tomorrow, I’ll just say that you were off of work and wanted to come spend time with me.”
Kars sneered slightly, but rested an arm along the back of the couch as his ego came through.
“Is such an excuse necessary?”
Glancing over, he had taken out the hair tie binding his purple locks together, clearly irritated with having to keep it tied for so long. He fixed his hair slightly, adjusting it so it didn’t hide his crown of horns.
You replied, a soft tut leaving his lips.
The familiar gentle smile he had grown to appreciate soon returned as you leaned into him again.
“My work is tedious, so I guess it is expected.”
Small talk. It was one of the few ways he could pry into the inner workings of your head. You defied his expectations so often, it always made him curious. While he remembered having a similar conversation to this before, his frustration with your job and its pathetic rumors had altered his thoughts ever so slightly.
“Why do you work then? I can give you everything you need, the world can bow to us and yet you still choose to work. Not even mentioning those inconsequential wastes of space that seem to hold you with ill will in their useless little lies and mutters. I can and will give you a life where you can spend your days doing the things you love most for all of eternity with me, so why do you allow this pathetic job to hold so much weight over you?”
There was a pause as you nestled yourself.
“Because it is what I know. And while a life of leisure is appealing, the misery makes me appreciate the joys of life more Kars. Things like being able to come home to you.”
You looked up at him, and watched as his snide expression turned gentle. He seemed to like that as he glanced at the TV. It seemed he had enough small talk for now.
“…What inane show are you going to present me today dear?”
You took the remote in your hand as you and Kars began to scroll movies for the evening. He had developed a simultaneous hatred and love for slasher films. How humans could be so tepid in their intellect and graceless in their actions. Quite literally tripping over themselves and hiding in useless location. It had become a guilty pleasure for you two. Simply laughing at what others found gruesome and vile.
But he didn’t forget his promise.
The next morning, for once, Kars woke up before you. His arm slumped around your figure, the other propping his head up while he watched you rest. Hair gently falling from his hand like a waterfall as your eyes slowly opened. Gaze slowly raising to meet his crimson irises. A smile prying itself from his tired lips as he spoke.
“Good morning Y/N. I hope you didn’t forget my plan today.”
You shifted slightly to sit up more. The massive man just observing how your groggy expression slowly woke up, the way your lashes bat as you got accustomed to the light gleaming down from the window, his body partially shading you. How your hand reached to rub your eyes as you finally responded. In his time with you, he had not once truly appreciated this sight, how serene you were getting up despite your messy appearance. His words a reminder for what was to come.
“I do remember. Still means we need to get up and get dressed. Which mean you can’t wear your normal attire hun.”
Kars rolled his eyes as he knew. He moved his arm off of you as he did a big stretch. Jaws opening in a low yawn like a lion. Back popping as he went to the small closet of clothes you had gotten him over time. Tutting as he watched you put on your work clothes. Might as well match you. No matter how many times he saw it, he liked seeing how your blouse hugged your chest and waist, so cleanly flowing into your skirt. Not quite the garbs he wanted to see you in, but it had its own appeal. He brushed off a black button up shirt you had bought him, along with a pair of black slacks. It was one thing he didn’t like with your clothes. How restrictive they felt on his body. You glanced over to realize that he was practically forced to keep the top button open due to how broad his chest was. A small blush creeping on your cheeks as he simply mimicked your routine, overhearing him mutter to himself.
“How can humans wear such tight clothes…”
You stood before the mirror with him. He already had gotten to brushing his hair. The crackle of his curly purple strands being untangled slowly as you brushed your own very loosely, then applied your makeup. By the time you were done, Kars was only half way done with his hair. His eyes meeting yours for a moment as you started to help. It was one thing he trusted you to do. A small grumble coming from him as he let you fix it into his normal style. Even finishing the braid as he seemed pleased. No words were exchanged, but he seemed more than content with his appearance. One perk you were a tad jealous of was his eye markings. It was like he had perfectly sharp eyeshadow all the time.
Breakfast went over about as well as it normally did, the two of you approaching the bus as you took out your phone. Your manager needed at least some notice before you got there. Kars already made himself comfortable beside you, arm loosely wrapped around you as he watched you message one of the people he wanted to cut to pieces.
“Hey boss. My boyfriend is off of work and insisted on spending time with me at work. He shouldn’t be a bother, I just wanted to let you know.”
There was a pause in the message before you got a reply.
“Okay. This better not be a regular occurrence Ms. L/N. I’ll keep your workload light today.”
And thus you were in the clear. Well, more in the clear. Knowing the man sat beside you, he would just threaten them if they did try and throw you under the bus. An amused hum came from him as you simply thought to yourself.
Time to silence those rumors.
You felt like a celebrity as you walked into work. Kars holding your hand firmly as he watched the people whisper and gossip like reeds. Pathetic insects who did not deserve to be in neither yours nor his presence. It was simply a blessing he was granting them to even gaze upon either of you. His irises conveying all he felt for them in that moment.
“If you dare speak of me or Y/N again I will kill you.”
It almost made them think he was part of the mafia. The danger in his presence that you seemed both aware of and oblivious to. Some even wondered if he had any tattoos under his shirt. The horns upon his head simply being written off as hair clips, albeit strange ones. His presence being one which commanded attention like a tiger, with the fearsome attitude to boot. Kars’s build was more than enough to convey how much of a deadly force he was to everyone in the building. And yet, they watched as he remained by your side, asking about your work while you kept up with your tasks. Head gently propped with his hand as to make sure you were giving him attention when you could. A softness in his eyes when he looked at you, one which lent to delicacy. You were a fragile specimen. Something he could so easily hurt yet didn’t wish to. It was strangely adorable for onlookers. One which they did not want to bother lest they face the wrath of the man you loved.
And then that one co-worker you spoke of yesterday just had to poke her little head into your space. A vulture scavenging for emotional weakness.
“Oh hey! This must be your boyfriend you were talking about Y/N! Nice to meet you, I’m C/W!”
God that cheery tone made both you and Kars nauseous as he simply glanced at the rodent of a woman. Hell it was an insult to even compare her to any animal besides a leech. Words so slimy and filled with sin. Body leaned forward with her chest squished together in a pitiful attempt to make his attention fall elsewhere. Disgust painted his face in a subtle way as he turned away, focusing back on you.
“Anyways. Dear, do you need anything?”
And that slight was just enough to bait the girl, but a warning left your mouth for her as she drew closer.
“He isn’t a people person. I wouldn’t get any closer if I were you, C/W.”
It was like trying to warn an oblivious dog person about a dangerous canine. That they should not get close nor try to pet them lest they lose a hand. And yet they still try to approach the dog. She rolled her eyes, walking closer to Kars as she pouted her lips. Placing a hand upon his shoulder as she spoke.
“I’m allowed to come say hello. Anyways it is quite rude to just ignore people like tha-“
A horrible mistake. Head slowly turning to look at the girl so dead set on ripping his attention away from you. The piercing red eyes you adored staring into her with abhorrence, making your coworker flinch as he spoke. Hatred being more than present. Desire not in the way she wanted, only wanting to rip her blabbering head off her wretched body. Pure and utter loathing he felt for this parasite of a woman.
“And what gives you the right to touch me? To speak to Y/N with such callous indignity?”
Kars said with a commanding tone. You soon muttered under your breath as he rose from his seat next to you, forcing your co-worker to tumble back.
Silently smiling to yourself as Kars continued. It wasn’t exactly outstanding behavior from him, but there was a reason you warned her. Knowing his violent intent with those you worked with was one you thankfully had reigned in slightly the night prior. Just enough to where he would scare the girls from trying to take him away. He wiped the shoulder where your co-worker had touched like it was a stain that needed to be washed away.
“Pathetic people like you don’t deserve to even breathe the same air as me or Y/N. If you even dare show your face to me or her again, I will make you regret it. Got it?”
Like magic, she ran with a pathetic nod. Tail between her legs. Kars turned back to you and seated himself again. Your presence was enough to calm him. In any other scenario he would have beheaded them right then and there, but he could at least make that broad experience some form of hell. His pinky finger on the hand holding his head suddenly vanished. Yet with his hair covering it, not a soul could tell in the slightest. The only signifier you noticed was the quiet squeak of a mouse as it scuttled away across the floor. Quietly muttering to Kars as you finished sending an email. Gently kissing his cheek with a low laugh.
“Oh that slacker is gonna get so much grief for that Kars.”
His evil smirk returning as he whispered back.
C/W sat down at her computer, grumbling as she looked at the black monitor.
“What the fuck is his problem? What makes Y/N of all people so special to a hottie like him…”
Her finger gently pressed on the power button to the tower PC. A small click lending itself to her getting distracted on her phone for longer than she would like to admit. Yet after a few minutes, nothing. No whir of fans, no light within the monitor. No signs of updates. What could have caused it? She wondered as she poked her head under the desk. All the cables looked fine, so why wasn’t it turning on?
“This old ass computer… can’t they get new ones?”
She grumbled as she lightly kicked the side with her foot. The lights powering on as she leaned back and started to scroll on her phone again. Watching the update percentage climb higher and higher, the sounds of the fans distracted from the small squeaks of a very particular mouse as it scuttled towards the cables. Kars could have made it just chew through the entire PC like it was nothing, but something told him the blame would fall upon Y/N if he did. He had to keep things simple. It grabbed the first power cable with its teeth, pulling it out from the socket at the back of the tower. It should at least distract enough. There was an audible click as the PC shut down, and the mouse scampered to a spot not immediately visible. C/W watched the update go from “99% Complete”, to suddenly black. First five or so seconds felt normal, but when it didn’t turn on, it made her frustrated as she kicked the side of the PC once again. No click. No power. What the hell was going on?
Such was the PC troubles for C/W that morning. In the distance you could hear the rage as it turned on and off, unable to be explained why. Clock striking noon, Kars sighed as he did one last thing. One last petty action to keep that disgrace from pointing fingers at Y/N. The mouse pulled the power cable out from the wall socket, and chewed near the base of the end connected to the PC. Frayed wires spilling out as it ran away back to Kars. Morphing back into his pinky as you clocked out for lunch.
This sort of entertainment made the time fly for you. The minute someone uttered something unfavorable to you, or treated you with little regard, Kars promptly would intimidate them or have an animal go bother them. The only few people being spared his wrath were your boss, and the ones which witness the chaos unfold. And not having much work for once allowed you to breathe.
By the end of the day, both you and Kars were tired. Well, you more than him. He was more grateful the boredom was over as you two snuck away from the people leaving for the day. No rumors seemed to spread that day. A peace you never expected to yearn for, but one which you were grateful to have now. Steps in tandem, lingering in the light of day. Kars quietly hummed to himself calmly as he watched your eyes slowly blinking, almost fading. You weren’t normally this tired. Yes you were exhausted when you were finally home, but this was a tired of someone relieved to not be occupied with frivolous whispers.
“Do you want me to get us home?”
He said as he stopped in his tracks, your arm lazing ahead before snapping back to him like a rubber band. His furrowed brows one of concern and curiosity as you glanced either side of you. Nobody around to see. A sleepy smile making its way up your face as you nodded. You didn’t need to say a word. Kars simply wrapped your arms around his neck, your body holding enough energy to keep yourself up as the familiar bird-like wings appeared from his arms. Wind billowed around you two, eyes finally resting as it wasn’t long before you both ended up at your home.
Unprompted, he ruffled around your bag for your keys, allowing you to hold onto him as he unlocked the door. The shudder of the lock pins feeling odd for once as he had gotten so accustomed to watching the lock on the other end. But finally, you two could rest. Dealing with humans was tiring enough as it. As he stepped in, he spoke gruffly.
But you didn’t budge. That was when he heard the gentle breathing. The slow rise and fall of your chest as your eyes were shut. A low grumble came from him as he closed the door behind you two, being certain to lock it. Adjusting you so you were being held in his arms, he laid down on the couch. You gently laid upon his chest as he rested an arm behind his head. The slightest smirk teasing at his face as he ruffled his hair.
“Alright then. Get some rest dear.”
He then stared at the window, his words turning low and dark. Talking to himself.
“After those pitiful workplace rumors… I really am starting to get sick of humans and their needless spouting about our life. One day…. One day I will take you away from it all, and they will truly kneel down to you.”
As he said that, he felt your shift slightly, making him flinch. Feeling you return to your slumber had him sigh as he gently pressed his forehead against yours. His horns catching slightly on your hair for a moment as he kept his voice quiet.
“But I guess your statement about coming home to this peace is… somewhat, true… it is a reward of sorts.”
He then shut his eyes as he finally spoke, allowing himself to rest.
“A reward we can both treasure, even for a small time.”
[Tags: @theshatteredstar ]
