Confessions
for @fanaticsnail and her beautiful OC Cove. I wanted to give her pretty fishman a girlfriend so I paired him with my OC Chogenbo (Cho). I kinda got possessed by the two of them and knocked this out mostly last night. There will be a chapter fic eventually but I had to crank out this one-shot.
Thank you Snail for letting me write for Cove, I just love him soooooo much and he is just such a beautiful soul, even if he is a little grumpy. I can't wait to see where else these two crazy kids bring my brain. Cove x Cho (OC x OC)
TW: fluff, size difference (in n SFW way) Word Count: 2400+
AO3
Cove relaxed on his couch in front of a warm fire, reading one of his favorite books, while Cho laid her head in his lap as she read hers. It was one of their favorite past times, reading together while simply enjoying each others company. They weren't officially in a relationship, at least not that they admitted to each other. Anyone else around them treated them as they were an old married couple. Even this simple pose they sat in now, was not usually associated with people who were just friends.
This was a common scene for them, multiple nights a week. Cho would have a sitter for her girls, usually Tashigi or Smoker's mom, Enid. They quietly read their books, sipped the wine Cho brought, chit chatted here and there, but all in all find peace in the quiet. He would occasionally stroke her hair which seemed to be soothing to the both of them. Sometimes,like this night, she would be overworked and would fall asleep there in his lap.
Those were the times he found himself putting his book down gently and just watched her sleep in his lap. Her long hair down, almost covering her like a blanket. The size difference between the two was around two and a half feet, but never once since they met did she cower away from his height. She never treated him as anything different than a living being on the same world as her. Not a fishman, not a lesser being, not different. The kindness she held for the world at large, and her unrelenting desire to protect the defenseless are two of the major reasons he fell in love with her. He knew he needed to tell her soon, but he was nervous about loosing this. This moment of peace, of them enjoying the simple part of their relationship.
Because the complicated part was that she was a Marine Commodore, and he was a spy for the Revolutionary Army. He had been convincing her to avoid certain command posts and to have a different officer oversee specific ships that went out for longer patrols for about two months now. He knew she was getting frustrated with his pleas for her to stay safe. She was self-taught for many of her fighting styles and while she held the biggest heart he had ever known, she could defend herself and her people expertly. He was running out of excuses to force her to stay out of danger. Stay out of the way of Revolutionary Army raids on Marine vessels.
He felt her stir in his lap while he was lost in thought and moved his hand so she could sit up.
She let out a big yawn and a full body stretch as she sat up, "Sorry I fell asleep. It's been a long week. We're sailing out to Stone Song Island tomorrow morning and Smoker's been running me ragged with preparations." She grabbed her wine glass and took a sip before finding where she left off in her book and marking the page with the beautifully carved wooden bookmark Cove had given her.
"Stone Song Island?" he asked. He knew that island. The RA was planning to ambush the next Marine convoy that landed there. He needed to get her to stay here, this would be the last time. He would tell her tomorrow, he couldn't now. He wanted to savor this one last peaceful, quiet, intimate moment with her in case things went south when he told her tomorrow he was with the Revolutionary Army.
"Yeah, we're investigating some suspicious movements that were reported. It's only a few hours away and I should be back later tomorrow, most likely in the evening. Enid is going to have the girls, but she said she'd probably bring them to the library for a few hours. They love it when you tell them stories and give them little treats. You spoil them just as much as Enid does." Her sleepy smile brought a smile to his own face. How he wished she'd look at him like that all the time.
"They are welcome anytime. I was hoping…you'd join me for lunch in the park tomorrow. I wanted to…discuss a few things with you. Can you get Tashigi or another Officer to take your place?" He was trying hard to not convey how desperately he didn't want her to go tomorrow.
"I'd love to join you for lunch, but I have to go. Smoker is actually going to write me up this time if I don't go. Can we do lunch the following day?" she asked. She noticed something was off with him. Her observation was her specialty and she admittedly let that skill lapse around him plenty of times.
She quickly grew fond of the grump when they first met. She knew he wasn't the curmudgeon he let on to be. He adored children, especially hers; he was always so gentle with them and with her. She could sit for hours listening to him talk about the different types of plants in the sea, the different types of fishfolk, and minks, and all kinds of obscure topics. She was drawn to the passion that flowed out of him as he talked. His voice soothed her, she seemed to instantly relax when he spoke to her.
She grew quite smitten with him rather quickly and was delighted when he joined her and the girls for dinner once week or so. She spent most of her free time with him, usually after the girls went to bed. He was just so comfortable to be with.
"Please, don't go tomorrow. I…I don't want anything to happen to you out there. I l…you're my one friend here. I couldn't bear it if you were hurt," he was trying desperately, and failing to hide his begging.
Cho sensed the fear in his voice, it was deep. He truly thought something bad would happen to her tomorrow. She cupped his cheek, just below the small slits of his gills.
"I'll be alright Cove. I'm strong. I spar with Smoker daily and beat him most of the time. I'm technically at the level of a Vice-Admiral, but haven't ranked up yet. I'll make sure to come by when I'm back to let you know I'm alright. Now, I need to go get the girls from Enid's," she said, trying to reassure him. She gave him a smile, a kiss on the forehead, then stepped away to put her shoes on.
Cove reacted without thinking as she turned away. He grabbed her arm and pulled her fully into his lap and his lips collided with hers in a desperate need to keep her with him. One hand held her head in a gentle caress, while the other held her lightly in place. Even unconsciously he was gentle with her, even though his desire for her was lighting him on fire.
Cho let out a surprised squeak as he pulled her to him. She was caught off guard by the intensity of his kiss. A kiss she had longed to feel for months now, but didn't want to scare him away. She savored the feel of his soft lips pressed to hers and matched with equal fervor. Her right hand held onto the bicep of the arm that held her head, while her other hand rested gently on his slightly exposed chest since his robes were sightly disheveled from the sudden movement. Though before long their hands were moving and exploring the less intimate parts of each others bodies.
Cove was surprised by his own action, but even more so by her not immediately pulling away, but leaning into the kiss. He needed her to know how much he craved her by his side, how much she meant to him, so he told her with the kiss. He was always so calm, so put together, but this kiss was the opposite. He didn't have experience with them, so he hoped he was doing it right, though he read enough smut to get the general idea.
Cho's lips parted just enough to tease her tongue along his hungry lips. He let her show him a kiss that always confused him in the books he read. He didn't fully comprehend how it would be pleasurable, but quickly understood. He didn't know why it felt good, just that it did. She adjusted herself to sit up in his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck and his held her smaller body against him, never wanting to let her go.
Both of their chests were heaving, trying to catch their breaths in between the short periods where their chins moved. Cove's heart was beating so fast that the thought of him dying of a heart attack like this would be the perfect end to his life, but he was greedy for once in his life and needed her and had to be by her side.
He was shocked by the small whined moan that came from Cho. He stilled, it was one of the prettiest sounds he'd ever heard. She was actually enjoying this, enjoying him. He willed himself to pull away, just barely to speak.
"Cho…my butterfly…I love you," he quietly confessed. He had never called her his butterfly out loud, only in his thoughts of her. It was the meaning of her shortened name, and she really was his beautiful butterfly. For the first time, his cheeks didn't blush. He wasn't embarrassed by his feelings or the confession.
"Cove, my beautiful giant, I love you too," she returned the confession with out a beat. She was almost interrupting his words with her own. Secrets they couldn't contain any longer.
He leaned in and gave her a series of light, gentle kisses to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Then he took the deepest breath of his life, he couldn't wait, he had to do it right now.
"I have another confession to make," he said as he slowly pulled his lips from hers. He wanted to savor their closeness, that kiss, for as long as possible before she most likely turned to hating him.
Cho's body was buzzing with her desire for him and the confessions of love, but when she saw the sadness in his gorgeous pink tinted eyes her face scrunched in concern. She didn't like him looking like this. She had never seen him sad and it absolutely shattered her heart. She wished she'd never see it again.
Her hands held his face while her thumbs gently stroked his cheeks below the gills there. Making sure he knew she cared for him, easing him into this sad thing he was about to say.
His eyes closed for a moment, memorizing her touch, the way her body felt in his hands, her scent. When he opened them he expelled the second confession from his lips.
"I'm a spy for the Revolutionary Army," he said quickly in one breath.
She gave him a soft kiss on the lips, which caused him to jerk in surprise. She gave him the brightest of smiles. It was like the sun peaking through the clouds after a tumultuous storm.
"I know," was all she said, with a little smirk.
"What? I…how…why didn't you turn me in?"
"After the third time you convinced me to stay home, was when I cemented my deduction. As for why I didn't turn you in?" She gave him a gentle kiss before speaking again. "Two reasons, I'm madly in love with you. And I don't disagree with your goals. I can't accomplish what I want in the current regime. It doesn't allow for Compassionate Justice within the Marines, no matter how much I want it to."
"Cho…I…I'm sorry for keeping it from you for so long. I just couldn't bring myself to possibly end what we have," his eyes lined with unshed tears. He didn't believe this was real. Maybe his heart did give out in that kiss and he was in the afterlife.
"You had valid reasons not to tell me and I don't blame you for being nervous about our relationship ending. But know that I love you and the girls love you," she gave a soft chuckle as she spoke. Her eyes were filled with pure adoration of the man in front of her, "they've actually wanted us to be official for the longest time…they wanted to know when they could start calling you Dada."
The last sentence was what caused the tears to finally breach his eyes and flood down his cheeks, "Seas, I would be honored to have them call me Dada. You don't understand how much that means to me." The smile he had was the brightest she'd ever seen on him; It was infectious. He peppered her lips and face with sweet kisses. Cho giggled at his affections, it was quite adorable.
"The girls are all packed up, along with my things. Enid was going to bring them by tomorrow and hand you a letter, telling you to take the girls and leave to the RA. I was going to give myself up to protect my men tomorrow. Enid would then give Smoker a letter telling him to not come after me. The girls are safe, I am safe, and I am where I can do the most good. He knows the corruption runs deep, but he feels stuck. I know he won't come looking for me."
"You…planned all that?"
"Yes, and we can still follow through. Everything is set. By tomorrow night I'll be sailing back to the RA base and will get to spend as much time with you as possible," she said with a kiss to the tip of his nose.
The look he gave her was one of amazement and disbelief, "I don't know what to say. I…I don't deserve you."
"You deserve all of me. Cove, you are wonderful. I will live my whole life showing you how deserving you are of love," she gave him another soft kiss to his lips.
"I love you so much," he hummed as he kissed her with the same passion he originally did.
"I love you too Cove," she replied and returned the kiss with just as much passion. "I may have fibbed a bit earlier…Enid agreed to watch the girls until the morning. We have the rest of the night to do whatever you want."
He smiled at her, "I want to kiss you until our lips are swollen, and then hold you while we sleep."
"That sounds like the perfect evening."