Fighting my allergy to decisions to also request a build a fic!
Skeptunist, “you’re blushing.” — “no i’m not.”, yearning, and hurt/comfort please
(I'm happy you fought your allergy because this is so good, especially for skeptunist, I love it! They're so dumb and full of yearning, so enjoy!)
"Ow- ow- shit that hurts-"
Opportunist hissed, stopping for a moment to lean against a wall, panting as his body felt weighed down with exhaustion.
He sighed, resting his forehead against the cool surface, trying his best to endure the throbbing pain in his ankle.
Opportunist wasn't sure how it happened, but he managed to sprain his ankle.
He had woken up to find that nobody was in the house, and the thought of being alone had shook him to his core.
Opportunist didn't do well on his own, so he had rushed to find someone to latch on to. But in his frantic search, he had accidentally slipped on a step on the stairs.
He didn't fall, thankfully, but his foot twisted at such an odd ankle, until all Opportunist could feel was a shock of pain going up his entire leg.
So now he was forced to hobble forward, desperately trying to escape to his bedroom before anyone saw him.
"Just a little further," Opportunist whispered to himself, mustering up the strength to resume walking again. "Just another few steps and-"
Opportunist froze, choking on a gasp at the voice.
Instantly, his body moved on its own, pushing himself off the wall, straightening up, and putting his injured foot properly on the ground and putting weight on it, his ankle screaming in protest.
Opportunist forced a smile on his face, desperately trying to ignore the pain as he looked over his shoulder, finding Skeptic at the end of the hallway, giving him a concerned look.
"Ah, Skeptic, my good friend! Is there something I can help you with?" Opportunist asked, his voice upbeat and cheerful despite his pounding heart, a whirlwind of fear and anxiety rattling within him.
It only got worse as Skeptic looked him up and down, lingering for a second too long on his sprained ankle. Shit.
Opportunist couldn't afford to look weak in front of one of the others, especially Skeptic, of all people. So, just to prove him wrong, Opportunist spun around to face Skeptic properly, his foot thrumming in fiery pain.
But Opportunist couldn't let Skeptic see that, his smile only growing wider to mask the pain.
"Well, I think I should be asking you that, Oppy," Skeptic said, walking over to him, his eyes constantly studying his whole figure.
Usually, that kind of attention would make Opportunist completely mad with flushed delight and nerves, but right now, it was the last thing he needed.
"Are you okay, Oppy?" Skeptic asked. "I thought I saw you limping a few seconds ago."
"Limping?" Opportunist chuckled as he waved the notion away. "I can assure you, I was not limping. I'm perfectly fine."
"Are you sure?" Skeptic asked, suddenly leaning in closer to him, and Opportunist's breath hitched at the close proximity, getting momentarily lost in Skeptic's deep, imploring eyes.
He wasn't thinking, as he took a step back on his bad foot. All he knew was that his mind froze whenever Skeptic got that close to him, his thoughts of safety and survival being replaced with unyielding warmth.
Just warmth and joy, and of feeling safe and seen, and it was all being wrapped up in this intense yearning that made Opportunist ill.
Being around Skeptic was dangerous, Opportunist decided.
But what was more dangerous, was accidentally dropping his mask, Opportunist found out. As he moved his injured foot back, he caused his ankle to throb and flare up in pain again, and he hissed in agony, face twisting into a wince.
"Oppy!" Skeptic reached out, stopping Opportunist from crashing into the wall as he lost his balance. "You're hurt! I knew something was wrong!"
"It's nothing you need to concern yourself with!" Opportunist protested, but couldn't stop Skeptic from pressing himself close to Opportunist.
In the blink of an eye, Skeptic reached down and put one arm underneath Opportunist's knees, and the other around his back, and then just lifted Opportunist into his arms.
Opportunist's mind promptly stopped working.
"Come on, let's get you to my room. I'll take care of you," Skeptic calmly said, and began to carry Opportunist with ease, ignoring his shocked stuttering.
His face was burning, heart and mind fluttering as one, his body was shaking, refusing to try and resist Skeptic, with his brain stuck on how close and safe Skeptic was.
His claws clung to Skeptic's shoulders with an iron grip, and Opportunist was struggling to wrap his head around how easily Skeptic had come to his aid. He didn't even ask how or why, or if Opportunist had potentially been faking the injury.
Skeptic had just instantly ran to help him, all without questioning if Opportunist was deceiving him. It was almost as if he didn't care if he was.
Opportunist wanted to protest, to try and recover his image and prove that he didn't need help at all. But before he knew it, Skeptic had entered his bedroom, shutting it behind him with a soft kick.
"Okay," Skeptic said, "I'm going to set you down here and get you some ice. Then, when some of the others come back, we'll get Para to look at it and see what we can do."
Skeptic was explaining it all so casually and calmly, as if Opportunist would be fine with people seeing him in such a weak state.
Skeptic led him to his bed, then stopped, turning to look at Opportunist, nothing but soft concern in his sharp eyes.
"Oppy, are you okay? I'm not used to you being this quiet."
Opportunist gulped, chest fluttering at the entire situation, and he ducked his head, trying to sound as confident as he could. "Oh, I'm fine. J-Just trying to figure out how to repay you for this kindness."
Skeptic made a sound, as if he didn't like that statement. "You don't have to repay me, Oppy. I'm doing this because I care about you."
Opportunist's cheeks burned hotter, and his heart thumped as his yearning for the other grew.
Skeptic was just doing this because he was flock. He would treat any of the others this way. Opportunist didn't deserve someone as nice and as kind as Skeptic.
Skeptic continued to study him as Opportunist remained quiet, still not meeting his eyes. But oh, could Opportunist feel the way Skeptic was studying him, and he wasn't sure whether he loved it or feared it.
But then Skeptic finally spoke up again, and quietly said, "Oppy, you're blushing."
"No, I'm not," was Opportunist's immediate response, a feeble attempt at trying to regain control of the situation.
Skeptic just chuckled, and carefully sat Opportunist down at the edge of his bed.
Skeptic sat down next to him, and slowly brought his sprained ankle onto his lap, examining it with gentle hands and a focused expression on his face.
Skeptic hummed in thought, then softly muttered, as if to himself, "I don't like seeing you in pain, especially because I know you hide it all the time. So to actually see you in pain- it made me really worried for you."
Opportunist gulped, staring at Skeptic as he continued to study his ankle, fingers careful and gentle against his skin, and Opportunist had never felt like he could be in safer hands than right now.
His voice came out soft and unsure as he said, "Y- You shouldn't have to worry about me, Skeptic. I didn't want to bother you."
Then, when Skeptic met his eyes again, Opportunist's breath hitched at how those eyes pierced through all of his walls, going straight for his heart that was full of unrequited yearning.
But- as they held eye contact, Skeptic covered Opportunist's ankle with his hand, as if shielding it from the outside world.
"You could never bother me, Oppy," Skeptic declared, voice on the edge of a whisper, full of promise and determination, giving Opportunist a sweet smile, his other hand on his knee.
"I care a lot about you," Skeptic whispered, and then squeezed his knee, inching closer to Opportunist. "Probably more than you realise."
Opportunist's breath hitched, and suddenly there was no pain or mortification or fear.
There was just Skeptic and Opportunist in that moment, and the feeling that maybe Opportunist's yearning wasn't as unrequited as he thought.
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