Moonlight cracked through the curtains of the nursery window, spilling on the floor like soup spilled at the inn. An owl hooted somewhere outside, signaling that dusk had arrived for the night.
Reth was lying on the floor with a flower shaped cushion under his head, and an arm snaked up in between the bars of the crib next to him with his hand lying on a baby's back. It was a different feeling to the chaos each day bought. It was almost surreal. The image looked exactly like the quote “Like Father, like child.” A line of drool seeping down the baby's dusty purple chubby cheeks, while the exact same thing was plastered on Reth’s mouth.
You walked into the nursery after noticing the house was too quiet when it had a baby and a grown man in it. The only noise coming from the room was the hum from the white noise machine Hodari gifted you. Your feet stopped you at the door as you looked at the pure love in front of you.
Reth had the blanket you quilted for the baby wrapped around his slutty waist, which was quite strange for him, considering he went around saying he didn’t get cold and wore t-shirts and shorts everywhere. The Sernuk print curling up with the fold of the quilt.
You never realised how identical both of them were. Whether it be the noses, pale purple complexion, or the copper mess of hair, it was clear who’s baby this was. And you wouldn’t want it any other way.
Contemplating whether you should join them or let them have this moment, you tiptoed towards the two, making sure not to step on the floorboards that creaked with stories from age. You started to settle down behind Reth, arms wrapping around his almost non-existent waist, and your legs crossing around his own. Your lips place a soft kiss over the tattoos that wind around his shoulder before tossing the quilt around the both of you, letting the white noise machine sitting on the hand carved shelf made by Tish slide you into one of the best slumbers you’ve had.
A/N: I think I really like dad Reth 🤭 Im also not 100% feeling up to writing, but I can push through :)
Art By: @crescent-dawn, @lx1920jmax, @explosivewhales
⁞ Neighbour!Reth comes over after a fight with your boyfriend.
Warnings: Slight mention of blood, abuse suggestion (Other party)
⭑Can be read as a stand alone, but this kinda gives more insight.
WC: 1.8k, Fem!Reader
“Fucking hell…” Reth mutters just under his breath as he stares at the aftermath of you and your boyfriend's fight. The curtains have been ripped off their hangings and onto the floor, glass cups shattered along the ground, pillows you had arranged so perfectly now sat scattered across the room, then there was you. Standing behind the couch with mascara dripping down your cheeks. Reth’s face softened as he slowly made his way towards you, making sure not to step on the shards of glass glittering under the hallway lights.
He stands in front of you, just staring for a moment before he slowly
wraps his arms around your shoulders, trying not to hurt you any more, and places a hand on the back of your head. He guides your head to his chest gently as a sob escapes your lips. You snap your mouth closed, embarrassed at the amount of times Reth has had to carry your burden. You shouldn’t need to cry anymore. You should just be able to suck it up and move on you should just be able to-
“Cry. Even if it takes days to stop. Just cry. How do you think I get through the week besides making soup?” He drags a thumb over your eyelid, smudging tears and mascara away from your eye. You glance up at him for a brief moment, catching his eyes looking down at you in a way you haven't seen before. He turns his head when he notices you watching him and pretends to appear to look at the mess surrounding both of you before his arms squeeze you tighter.
“C’mon, sweet-tooth” he sighs into your ear as his arms hoist your legs around his waist. He places his hands under your ass to stop you from falling and carefully starts walking you towards the bathroom. His muscles flex as he looks around your apartment. Your decor matched your personality,colourful and bright, which pained him that little bit more to see almost everything smashed and broken. This place hadn't been a home in a long time. He could see the way that your once loved trinkets and photos were no longer on display after your boyfriend called them ‘childish and weird’ in an argument. It felt like getting hit by a car though to see the joy in your life slowly trickle out after each time he’d come over after an argument.
You clung to Reth’s shoulders, head resting on the curve of his collarbone and neck, sniffling. You hated that he always had to fix up your mess and that you couldn't do it yourself. You felt like a burden, even after he’d say that you weren't. What other reason would he have for coming over and helping you if he didn’t feel sorry? You would do the same thing for him, but you’d want a reason as to why he wasn't picking himself up. Maybe you should just let it go. You wouldn’t trade him for any other neighbour, so why complain?
Reth fiddles with the doorknob to your bathroom while trying not to drop you, ignoring the semi-dry sticky red liquid stuck to it. He opens the door the rest of the way with his foot before taking you over to the sink, and placing you onto the counter next to it, sliding his hands out from underneath you. He peels your head off his shoulder and tucks a loose strand of hair behind your head, placing a gentle kiss next to your ear.
“Uncross your legs for me, sweet-tooth.” He murmurs, wishing that you didn't have to. You uncross your legs from his slutty waist, pressing your thighs together. You place your hands on either side of you to steady yourself, keeping your eyes closed as a wave of tiredness swallows you. Maybe Reth would stay over like usual, keep you safe until the morning and let you sleep in, then you could sort things out with your boyfriend.
Reth grabs a yellow washcloth from under the sink and wets it with warm tap water before coming back over to you. He gently wipes the mix of mascara and tears from your face until you look like you, minus the bruises. You keep your eyes closed, partly because of exhaustion, and partly because this feels really good. Reth holds the washcloth in his hands as he looks at you. The girl he loves more than soup, the girl he’d risk going through the cartel for again and again. He wishes you’d get the hints he drops, or the I-flirt-with-everyone-but-it-means-something-when-I-flirt-with-you idea in his mind. He wishes he could tell you he loves your trinkets and photos, and he loves your clothes and who you are. He wishes he could lie in bed with you every night, and not just when you fight with your boyfriend. He wishes he could tell you he loves you.
You let out a breath, and Reth’s hand goes to the side of your face. He tilts your face up, looking at you. To anyone else, it looks like he’s looking to check for anything else. But to him, he’s looking at everything. Reth places a gentle kiss on your forehead. You smile, a very small, unnoticeable smile, but a smile at that. Reth lets go of your face and clears his throat.
“Soup or bed?” He smiles, placing the washcloth in your laundry hamper.
“Soup in bed.” You yawn, opening your eyes. You look up at Reth, noticing his cheeks are a shade pinker than before.
“I like how you think.” He chuckles, lifting you back up so your legs are wrapped around his waist, hands under your ass.
He walks you both out of the bathroom and towards your bedroom door. He turns the knob and steps inside, closing the door behind him.
Your room is his favorite room in the house. Two mattresses are stacked on top of each other for a bed with a daisy yellow bedspread covering them, pictures of friends, family, even him and you sit on the wall, each with hand decorated frames. Your laptop sits on your bedside table, decorated with a million stickers, each one saying something different.
Reth sets you down on your bed, and you uncurl your legs from him, lying down on top of the duvet. You shimmy over to the wall and make enough room for him, yawning loudly.
“Now what type of soup would my favourite lady like?” He smiles, picking up a picture frame with you and him in it, looking it over.
“You choose.” You mumble, poking his thigh with your foot. He chuckles, patting your leg with a veiny hand. He then makes his way out of your room, closing the door behind him.
You get comfortable in bed, tying your hair up into some sort of bun. You were thankful Reth turned out to be your neighbour and not some old man, in a way, you and him had become best friends. He was gentle with you, and on nights like this he made you feel important. With soft kisses and touches, sometimes you wish it weren’t just friendly. He came over almost every evening, made you dinner, and watched stupid tv shows with you. Anything you wanted him to do, he would.
You’d told him he didn’t have to take care of you after an argument, that you’d be fine and get on with it, but you never came out fine, and he always miraculously came through.
You grabbed your now smashed phone from your bedside table, flicking through messages, then a call came through.
“Y/N..?” The person on the other end spoke. You waited, debating if you just hang up now, or continue the cycle. He probably was sorry.. But isn’t that what he said every time? He’d make up for it.. But wouldn’t he just break it all again? Tonight wasn’t just an argument, it was physical, emotional, anger filled. Nothing like what had happened before. If you went back, wouldn’t it get worse? You saw the way Reth looked when he came in. It was taking a toll on him, not just you. You hadn’t fully seen the state of your apartment, but by the way he looked, it was a big difference then before..
“Y/N.. are you there?” The man on the phone sounded more and more impatient. You took a breath, a pit of dread pooling up in your stomach.
‘Call Ended.’
You stared at your phone for a second that felt like an hour. A minute that felt like a day. Another call brought you back into your mind. Then another. Then another. You turn your phone off, placing it in your bedside draw. You were finished. Tired. Wretched. The bruises and cuts on your arms and legs stung as a reminder of what you had just ended. You peeled the duvet cover back and slowly crawled inside, lying on your back. You gazed up at the grey concrete roof for a while, thinking, grieving, embracing, enjoying. Then ever so slowly, you drifted off to sleep.
Reth turned the doorknob with his free hand, the other one holding a bowl of his special lettuce soup.
“One lettuce soup for my-” He coughed, the words processing in his head. “The beautiful, amazing, talented lady-” Reth paused as he shut the door and looked at you asleep. He smiled, moving your sticker filled laptop onto the floor to place the bowl of soup onto the bedside table. He very carefully slipped onto your bed, sitting up against the wall. His hand reached out to your hair, slowly running his fingers through it. You looked.. Happy. As happy as one could be in a situation like this. Reth kept his smile, wiping a stray tear from your cheek. Maybe if he told you everything would be better. Or maybe you might never speak to him again. Reth had no idea what was going to happen between you and your boyfriend, but he mose well be here with you while it happens.
“I love you.” He whispers. At least he can tell you when you're asleep. When there's no one else around to hear him. The scent of soup fills the air. You stir slowly, blinking up at him. You heard exactly what he said. You move your head onto his lap and hold his hand, closing your eyes for the last time tonight.
“Reth?” You mumble, moving the duvet over both of you.
“Yeah?” He feels his cheeks going pink. You heard it. The words he swore he would never get out around you. Now the rejection. You two were just friends. Neighbours even. It was always going to be this way.
“I love you more.”
A/N: OKKKK i loved this. It took me ages to finish but while i was writing it i kinda though to perhaps do a semi spice/suggestive ending. Angst will come... When i have time. The idea of turning this into fluff was given to me by amazing @facetiousindie! I hope we enjoy <3
Art by: @phoenixday, @tillero. Dividers by: @cursed-carmine
You grab the bedsheet and dab at the tears rolling down your cheeks. For the 3rd time this week you’ve hidden yourself away instead of dealing with problems that are too big to squish down, and they’re about to burst open. Today had been a foul day in the best of terms. You’d been asked to put in more unpaid hours at work to finish an upcoming project, then one of your longest known friends had said they needed a ‘break’ from you, and finally as you were getting out of the shower, your phone dropped and smashed on the tiles, scattering the screen. The same phone you got for your birthday last week.
Which led you to this moment, crying under the covers while trying not to wake Reth up through these paper thin walls. He didn’t need to deal with you anyways. You adored him for being your roommate, but he gets so caught up in trying to make people laugh that he forgets to think about the real issue.
Picking up your phone while trying not to catch your finger on it, you glance at the cracked screen, checking the time. With a sigh you roll back over in your bed. There was no chance you’d accidentally wake him up. Reth would have been asleep ages ago, always making a point of saying, “Winter is time for early nights and soup.. Definitely soup.” Maybe it was time to try and forget about the day if you were thinking about his soup quotes.
You shimmy under the covers more, pulling them tight around you, then let the rest of your tears roll down your cheeks slowly. You could worry more tomorrow, and all you wanted to do was lay in your bed by yourself. Now was time for sleep.
As you finish sniffling, the faint sound of your doorknob turning reaches your ears. You quickly paw at your snotty nose to try and cover up any trace of crying, and pretend to be asleep.
The door clicks back shut softly, and the sound of soft footsteps trot towards your bed. Reth’s footsteps. How you knew they were his? You didn’t have a clue. But it was him.
Your bed wasn't a stranger to Reth. He’d come in and sleep there after a particularly bad night, or if he felt lonely, but the last time that happened was a while ago..
He crawls up the foot of the bed with the mattress dipping, believing you're asleep and trying not to wake you, before he slithers under the blankets with a content hum.
You finally crack an eye open to see Reth curled up with a stuffed chapaa called Randy he got you for your birthday. Why was tonight the night he didn’t like his own bed? He’d been like bees to a honey pot with you lately which would have been fine if you weren’t pulling your hair out constantly about the world around you.
“What are you doing?” You half spit out at him. He opens his eyes and an ever knowing grin stretches across his face.
“You’ve got a little something there sweet-tooth-” He snorts, points a slender finger towards your nose. You mustn't have wiped all the snot off your nose as he was coming in. What a great addition to the evening for him to know you were crying
“Do you need a hand?” He laughs, thinking he’s the best comedian to exist. He must have taken the hint at your expression growing madder because he pulls his finger back just as you shove his hand off you, patting Randy on the head as he raises an eyebrow.
“I need to know why you’re in my bed, Keita. You have a bed in your room don’t you? So go use it.” You snarl, wiping the snot off before shoving his arm away from you. You couldn't remember the last time you snapped at him. He was such a precious soul but he never understood how people were feeling until it was right in his face.
Reth did know though, when the last name got used, he was about to get a mouthful from you, which made him feel a little less needed each time it happened.
His eyes widened as you shoved his arm away, scooting back in your bed slightly. He didn’t mean to make you upset- He was just trying to be funny. It worked almost every other time..
You glared at him, waiting to see what would come out from his mouth next. You wouldn’t make him leave, you actually prefer him just to be here quietly with you, which was rare but why was he in your bed in the first place?
“My heater stopped working and I thought I’d just sleep here to warm up.. You do it with me so I thought you’d be ok with it, but I can leave-” He stammers out, running a hand through his mop of curls.
His heater stopped working. You’ve crawled into bed with him before when you had stopped thanks to the terrible landlord, but you always thought he hated it when you did it.
You look at him, really look at him, then smile softly.
“I don’t want you to leave. I’ll get cold.” His eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas, lunging forwards and wrapping his arms around you, before rolling over and taking you with him. You squeal, burying your face in his chest.
“This moment could almost top the time I made that one soup. Maybe I should call it heater soup.” He laughs, placing a hand onto your back. You wrap your arms around his slutty waist, gathering all the heat you can.
Maybe sharing your problems with someone wouldn’t be as bad as you thought.
A/N: This was my first time doing a fic where I don't write it in one go. I like the start, but the ending does feel a little rushed because I was sick of looking at it in my google docs. I may come back to it one day, but I'm keen to write for Duncan on TDI too. Anyways, I hope you all have a beautiful time doing whatever you have planned. I'm re-designing my Animal Crossing Island. <3
A Christmas Surprise from Roommate!Reth (⤶More Roommate!Reth)
WC: 651, Fem!Reader
“Ouch!” Reth yelps through the wall, just loud enough to wake you up from your already terrible sleep. You glance at your phone, a photo of Reth in an apron reading ‘Kiss the cook’ fills the screen as you check the time. 1:34am. You toss back over in your bed squeezing your eyes shut so you can try and fall asleep again. Lately the sleep you’ve been getting was terrible. Like I’ve-been-awake-20-hours-and-can’t-even-doze-off terrible. Maybe it was because your thoughts were filled with a certain purple guy that probably had no interest in being more than roommates with you. No. It was definitely because Christmas eve was here, and that you never slept well before Christmas. But what even was the exciting part about Christmas anymore? It wasn’t the nostalgic magical holiday you remember, you didn’t get presents, and Reth apparently already had plans on Christmas day. It was just a regular day now. It sounded silly, but you yearned for a Christmas where you woke up and presents were piled under the tree, and the strobing lights of the tree shone over the living room. You mentioned it to Reth a few months ago when he was busy, with him saying you could go to Tish’s house, But somethings, you reminded yourself, just can’t happen.
With a groan, you get up off the tangled sheets and move towards your wardrobe. It's overfilling and stuffed with clothes, but who cares. You just need something other than underwear on. You just grab the easiest thing to pull out, a pair of Paul Frank pajama pants that are 100% Reth’s and slide them onto your legs, letting them sit just on the side of your hips. Next you grab a red singlet that should have been donated years ago and throw it on. The lace of the straps tickle your shoulder as one hand reaches for the door knob, the other one rubbing your eyes.
You open the bedroom door, stepping into the living room.
“Reth it’s 1:30 in the-” The sight alone makes you stop dead. In front of you is a Christmas tree, filled with every colour light imaginable, two stockings hang from the shelf, and paper snowflakes are littered around the walls. Under and around the tree sits piles and piles of presents in a multitude of wrapping paper patterns.
Your hands are covering your mouth, barely being able to take in the sight from the tears building a wall in your eyes.
Then the best thing of all sits off to the side like a present hidden behind the tree, watching you with the dorkiest smile someone could make. You screw your face up, tears spilling out of your eyes and you hold your arms out, walking towards Reth who’s standing in the hallway. He meets you with a squeeze, not letting go until you let go first.
“Thank you so- so much.” you choke, slowly pulling back off him to look around once more.
“Wait- are they happy tears? No no- I didn’t mean to make you cry- I thought this was what you wanted, you told me...” His voice full of worry dies down when you raise your eyebrows, a chuckle leaving you mouth.
“They’re happy tears, Reth. I’m happy.” You giggle, brushing the wet streaks off your cheeks. He smiles, and when he does you think you can see pink falling on his cheeks, but he turns away into the kitchen before you can double check.
“Someone dropped me off a present.” He chuckles before waltzing back out into the living, with an apron that has ‘Worlds Sexiest Chef’ printed on the front in bold letters. You snort, snatching his phone from the table to take a photo to send to yourself for later. You skim past the lock screen in the moment, a photo of you curled up on his chest not even registering in your mind.
A/N: I've had such a full week, but i needed to give you guys my Christmas gift. I wrote this while having a pounding headache so it may not be the best, but feedback is always appreciated <3
