-- lean on me saebom finds out one of the things that jess is scared of for the first time
a/n: self-indulgent fic round 2 leggo. also based off a text post
it’s really amazing that it had taken this long, honestly.
they had been living together for about a month or so now, and it was rather smooth sailing actually, for how against it they had both been for a while. but both of their respective leases on their old apartments were up, and it was about time -- as most of their friends thought. they had been officially dating for roughly two years already, and had been dancing around each other on and off since the infamous spongebob jacket day, so it really only made sense that their next move was to be together.
the apartment was a nice one, considering both of their past (and current, for saebom) jobs as models, as well as the fact they they were either pureblood or had pureblood relatives who had old money to their name. it’s spacious, modern, high enough up to have a great view and close enough to all of their friends.
(jess had had the time of her life decorating it, having just graduated in the spring and therefore had enough free time -- between photoshoots and planning her cafe -- on her hands to dedicate it all to the interior design. she was lucky that they had similar tastes, honestly, and enough money to support it all.)
they’ve settled into a routine now though, juggling their respective hectic schedules, having a meal together whenever they’re both home for it, spending time together when they’re able to, sleeping in the same bed when they’re both home for it.
it’s nice.
it just so happens that the last thunderstorm of the year occurs on a night when they’re both at home. they’ve finished eating dinner, and it’s a miracle that neither of them have a shoot or a meeting or a fitting that they have to run off to, both of them enjoying the free time.
he’s sitting in bed, on his phone and he’s reading some article or another when he sees the first flash of lightning, turning his head just slightly to glance at the window just to make sure it was closed. it’s about to storm, saebom thinks, flicking his wand to draw the curtains before turning his attention back to the article he’s reading. it’s quiet, aside from the music that’s playing from the ipod on their nightstand, before a loud clap of thunder shakes the entire place.
followed by a loud squeak, which he’s pretty sure is from his girlfriend.
“jess?” he calls out, glancing up from his phone and peering in the general direction of the bathroom that was currently occupied by her. “what happened?”
“i’m fine!” comes her answer, her voice a bit too peppy, but he passes it off as nothing, assuming she had done something that she was embarrassed about and didn’t want him to know about. it happened often enough, and usually she would tell him anyway a while after the math, so he genuinely wasn’t too concerned.
there’s another flash of light, see-able even through the drawn curtains, but he doesn’t react this time because his phone buzzes at the same time, alerting him of a new email he had received and he checks it quickly, considering it’s from his manager.
the following clap of thunder though, completely takes his attention because its followed by a muffled whimper that he hears, even through the music playing. but before he can react, their lights flicker, and a moment later, the entire apartment is plunged into darkness. he sits up, immediately casting a ‘lumos’ to assist him, standing up and hurrying to the bathroom to find his girlfriend.
something is wrong is what his brain is tell him, and it makes him hurry there, pushing the door open carefully in case jess was right behind the door.
“jess?” he murmurs softly, shining the light from the tip of his wand into it and seeing her hugging her knees, crouched down on the floor, her hands over her head. it clicks, after a moment of bewilderment, and he exhales softly before quickly tugging her into his arms, hugging her close. “are you scared of thunder?” he asks, his voice gentle, wondering if she would deny it.
“... no,” comes her voice, just a whisper against his shirt, and he can’t help but smile to himself at that, feeling exceptionally fond. even terrified out of her mind, the tone of voice she was using betrayed her words, she was still going to deny it because he had asked.
“okay,” saebom agrees, not arguing as he gently coaxes her to her feet, allowing her to keep her face burrowed in his chest as he carefully walks them both out of the bathroom and back to their bedroom, and into bed, ignoring that her hair was still wet from the shower she had been finishing up with when the power went out.
he quietly summons the candles they have -- the ones that smell like coffee that jess likes to collect even though she rarely remembers to light them up -- lighting them with the tip of his wand, and charming them so that they floated around the room, in lieu of looking for somewhere to place them all.
she’s shaking a bit in his arms, her face still hidden from view, and saebom frowns, wondering if it was because she was cold or if it was because she was terrified. instead of trying to figure it out, he decides to just take it as both and he pulls the blanket up around her shoulders, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head as he runs his hand down her back soothingly. he’s thankful that they almost always had music playing, so it wouldn’t seem jarring if it suddenly started, and he directs his wand at the ipod on the nightstand to change the song to something less noisy. the last thing he does is make sure that the blinds are fully drawn, so the flashing of the lightning can’t be seen past any gaps, before he puts his wand down.
when he thinks he’s done all that he can, he just shifts so they’re laying down together, her frame tucked safely against his own. unsure of what else to do, he starts humming softly, running his fingers through her slightly damp hair, firmly ignoring the wetness he can feel against his shirt.
jess exhales softly, her fingers tightening in his shirt as she curls impossibly closer to him, mumbling something that he can’t really make out above the sound of his humming. “just sleep,” he murmurs softly, pressing another gentle kiss to silver hair.
“sleep, i’ll be here in the morning.”
the morning finds them curled up together still, all the candles burned out, but she can’t even be mad at him for forgetting to put them out. the apartment smells more like espresso than ever.
maybe thunderstorms weren’t so bad after all.
with him there, of course.