I haven’t written in a while, so I hope this is good!! Thank you so much @deciweci for inspiring me to write this 🥹
NOTE: Curie has Narcissistic Personality Disorder. I PRAY I have portrayed it correctly. Please correct me if I’ve misrepresented things!
Please ask to reblog!
Curie had been working on supervising the terraforming of the planet he was on for WEEKS. He’d never had a chance to relax- especially since it was a failed colony from another team (NOT his- he wouldn’t EVER fail), which they were tasked to repair and continue.
Unfortunately there were a crap ton of corrupted gems from the past colony that they had to deal with. Fortunately he had Ruger Buckshot on his team- a well known and respected marine who could shatter a gem quicker than you could say his name.
The only flaw was that he was a free spirit. The man would wander off a lot, causing Curie quite the headache in trying to retrieve him and get him back in order. And Curie NEEDS strict order to thrive. So, with having to go through data logs and meticulously edit them (Harpalyke helped with this though), control a whole team of colonisers, shatter the remaining corrupted gems on the planet, AND drag Ruger back to the colony and NOT investigate the nearby forest…
Cure was bloody exhausted. He was doubting his position as a famous colony supervisor, mumbling to himself- “No. You’re perfect. Don’t forget that.” When his thoughts were “Am I really fit for this? I can’t control all these gems.”
He FINALLY. Had an evening to himself where the peridots had it under control- he didn’t want to stop working, but Harpalyke had convinced him to take a night off and that the Peridots would handle it. Curie doubted it, but… Harper’s his wife, and she knows him well… so he took the evening off.
As soon as he got into the temporary base, he ate (not a thing gems usually do, but it gives him a sense of routine), went to his room and took a shower. When he came out, Harpalyke was waiting for him on their bed. She had pyjamas on, the ones that he had a matching pair to. He chuckled as he reached into his drawers to get his pair out.
“To what do I owe the pleasure, sweetheart?” He asked, sliding his pyjama bottoms on.
“I wanted to see you. You’ve been very busy over the past few weeks, and I know you’re burning yourself out. You need a break, Curie.”
He spluttered at Harper’s words, deciding that the heat of the climate is too much for a shirt.“Pff- woah, woah, woah. I’m fine, I’m not burnt out at all! Being in control is my element.”
He looked over at her, noticing her ‘I know you’re fibbing’ look. He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, wet strands of jet black hair sticking to his fingers.
“Okay, maybe I am a bit burnt out… not THAT much, though. I’m not a wimp.”
“C’mere, you,” Harpalyke motioned, arms open for him, and Curie followed, slumping onto the bed, melting into her. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, his face in the pillow beside hers. She wrapped her arms around his back, gently gliding her hands over the green and red. He let out a big sigh, turning to give her cheek a gentle kiss.
“Your beard is tickling me,” Harper giggled as he continued to gently peck her cheek, his expression tired, yet still somehow full of love. She kept stroking his back.
“You wanna talk about how you feel?”
“Mmmh… tired? I guess. You know I don’t like to talk about it.” He murmured. He never liked talking about his emotions- only really expressing them to her when he was in a state of fury or panic if someone critiqued him or pointed out a flaw in his ways. “Ruger’s been pissing me off, I guess. The guy won’t follow any of my orders. It’s really, REALLY ticking me off. I’ve already shouted at him for it. Surprised I haven’t slapped him yet.”
She let him vent. He got very, very mad. She calmed him down, reminding him that Ruger is only here as backup to help combat the corrupted gems and that he’ll be gone in a few weeks. Curie then grumbled about being able to handle the corrupted gems by himself.
“Could do that by myself… I’ve got enough muscle to beat the shit out of corrupted gems… the guy literally relies on his whip. I don’t rely on my weapon.”
Harpalyke cupped Curie’s cheek, making him look up at her. Her expression was soft, the opposite of his stern face, which turned to one of curiosity.
“Calm down, sweetheart. Worrying about him is something for tomorrow. You know what achievements you’ve made. He doesn’t. Be calm for a while.”
She leaned in, a gentle smile on her face as Curie closed the gap between them. The kiss was soft, seemingly melting all of his problems away. They stayed there for a while, hands interlocking, before Curie pulled away with a gentle “‘S enough for me,”, Harpalyke understanding well. He moved so they were laying sideways, still facing each other. Curie still held her tight, savouring her presence.
“You are really my rock, aren’t you?” He chuckled out. “Saving me from… spiralling completely. I’m good at stopping it, of course, but… ahem. you’re a great help, too.”
“Aww, that’s so sweet of you, Curie!” She smiled, “I love you so much.”
“…Mmm. I-“
The words always get stuck in his throat. Such a vulnerable feeling.
“-I… Ahem. Love you too, Harper. Good night.”
He immediately turned over after that.
Her smile deepened when he said that. She knew it took a lot out of him to say things like that.
She pressed a gentle kiss between his shoulder blades and snuggled up against him.
