ᯓᡣ𐭩 caleb cuddles you as the afternoon settles soft around the two of you, the world outside the window dipped in molten orange and bruised purple—colors that should have demanded your attention but somehow pale beside the quiet shimmer of his eyes. You’re curled against him, legs tangled, his hand lazily tracing idle circles on your hip like he’s memorizing the shape of you all over again. “Caleb?” you mumble, half-asleep, cheek squished into the warm plane of his chest.
He hums, low and tender, nose buried in your hair as he breathes you in. His sigh is so gentle it barely stirs the strands against your forehead. “Do you think…” you pause, lips dragging against his skin, “we’re together in every universe?”
He freezes—just for a heartbeat—before a soft laugh rumbles under your ear. Then he wraps both arms around you and squeezes, hard enough to push out a tiny squeak you immediately regret giving him the satisfaction of hearing. “Oh, absolutely,” he murmurs, voice warm as the sun sinking behind the clouds. “I love thinking about that.”
You shift back just enough to look up at him, brows raised. Caleb meets your gaze with a dazzling softness that makes the sunset behind him feel dull.
“In universe number two hundred and sixty-five,” he begins, brushing a kiss against your cheek, “I’m X-02 and you’re A-01. Two anomalies who shouldn’t exist, finding our paradise anyway.”
Your fingers curl around his torso. “Mm. Go on.”
“In universe three hundred twenty-seven,” he continues, eyes half-lidded, “I’m a colonel and you’re a hunter. We fall in love even when every rule says we shouldn’t, even when the whole damn world tries to pull us apart.”
He nudges his nose against yours, smiling against your pout.
“In universe one hundred thirty-eight… I’m just a big dumb puppy following you around. And you’re this tiny angry kitten hissing at everyone but me. Two orphans trying to survive a cruel world together.”
You snort at that, but he taps your waist in warning.
“And universe eighty-nine” he says, pridefully. “We’re two apples on the same branch. I’m the red one. You’re the green one because you’re not ripe yet. Adorable.”
“Caleb—”
“No, listen.” He cups your cheek with one warm palm, thumb brushing your jaw like it’s something holy. “And in universe seventy-five… I’m your favorite character from an otome game. And you fall for me every single time.”
The sunset melts behind him, twilight folding gently over the room. You rest your forehead against his, breath mingling, hearts slow and steady. “So,” he whispers, closing his eyes, “no matter the world, no matter the version of me— I always find you. Always end up right here.”
Dont make me cry like that
