Work Text:
Gwen never thought Kevin was big on touch. The time they had spent together while Kevin was still mutated, he was so hesitant to touch her. Gwen had just assumed that Kevin wasn’t a person who loved to touch or be touched.
So, every time she did she was gentle, with a light touch. He was like glass, fragile. Except the world had already put cracks in him. She was left with the glass that was too fragile to touch, afraid if handled too harshly, he would break.
She tried to be soft, delicate, and above all make sure her touch was important. She would never pull on him or demand him to let her manhandle him.
To Gwen’s surprise, which in hindsight she should have realized this, Kevin was the most touch starved person she’s ever met. He couldn’t keep his hands off of her if they were in close proximity. She found it to be very endearing.
1.
She noticed it in small ways first.
They were in a meeting with Grandpa Max, Ben, and Rook. They were having the usual conversation about reestablishing alien families into mostly human villages. To reconnect the kingdom as a united whole. Patching the holes the Forever Knights tore in their kingdom.
At the table Gwen sits next to Kevin her hands resting on the table. Kevin’s hand that rests next to her while his right hand takes notes, brushes against her. A beat passes before his pinky reaches for hers to connect them.
Gwen is engrossed in the conversation between Ben and Grandpa Max. Her eye constantly moving between the two. She almost didn’t notice Kevin’s pinky connecting theirs together.
It was so subtle, but she felt the weight of his pinky. Purposeful in wrapping delicately around hers. She looked at him from the corner of her sight, but he didn’t show any sign of acknowledgement except for the slight flush on his cheeks.
She smiled to herself like she was keeping a secret.
2.
The next time she paid attention to Kevin’s touch was while she was working. She was in her usual spot in the library, scrolls splayed out, books open, and many parchment papers filled with her own ink and neat handwriting.
Kevin had walked in to check on her and probably drag her away for lunch. He leaned over her shoulder to look at what she was writing. He put his hand on the table to lean forward hovering in her space.
“You look busy as usual.” He commented a smile attached to his face.
Gwen turned her head and opened her mouth to respond, but before she could Kevin’s free hand had easily brushed her hair out of her face and behind her ear.
It was such a simple motion, but she could feel her face heating up. Especially with him so close.
“Wanna grab lunch?” he asked smirking.
3.
The third time Gwen noticed was when she needed him to sign some paperwork. She walked into his office and came to stand next to him. She set the paper next to the document he was already working on.
Kevin was alone in his quiet office. Gwen had only come to drop off the document before leaving to start on her next task that would take up the majority of her afternoon.
She turned to leave but felt a tug on the hem of her skirt. She looked down to see Kevin hadn’t stop his work, signing away and reading different documents. His grip didn’t letup from her skirt.
Gwen quirked her brow at him.
“What?” she asked.
“Stay for a bit.” He mumbled, face tinted pink.
She sighed in jest with a playful smile, “Okay, but I’m not standing. I’ve been running all day.”
Kevin put his pen down and scooted his chair back. Without a word he grabs Gwen by her waist and brings her to sit in his lap.
She makes a small squeak of surprise and Kevin chuckles under his breath. He let’s Gwen adjust herself to be comfortable. She’s mostly sitting on one of his legs and she leans her back to rest on his chest hesitantly. Kevin sighs with content and nuzzles his head into the crock of her neck and his left hand wraps around her waist to keep her pressed to him.
Kevin’s right hand goes right back to work and Gwen’s face is burning red. Her body sits rigid for a few minutes before she relaxes into Kevin’s hold. He hums satisfied when she does and readjusts his hold on her.
The room is quiet with the exception if Kevin’s pen scratching the paper and the rustling of parchment.
Gwen feels so relaxed and tilts her own head to rest on top of Kevin’s. She closes her eyes for a moment and just relishes in the peaceful moment.
4.
The fourth time she noticed has Gwen flustered. If she thinks about it too long her face turns beet red.
Kevin most recently has started kissing Gwen every time he sees her. If she’s in the room talking to someone, he’ll breeze by, peck her cheek, and leave. If they’re alone he’ll kiss her softly before going about what he needs to be doing.
He’ll press kisses all over her face when he’s in a playful mood, which happens more and more as of late.
The casualness of it is what has her blushing. She can’t handle how easily Kevin shows romantic interest and affection toward her. Especially when before he was so aversive to touch or wanting to touch her. She was the one instigating everything before.
The gentleness she had tried to touch him with is thrown out the window now, he’s all consuming and wants her attention and to be held whenever he can.
Not to mention the late-night hidden kisses in the dark. Up well past everyone else who has wondered off to bed already. Their bodies tightly pressed against each other. Soft kisses getting heavy and hands roaming up her back, leaving trails of fire behind. His large hands holding her firmly in place and his lips trailing down her neck.
She can’t believe this man has her melting in his palm.
5.
The most recent event Gwen noticed Kevin’s behavior was when they were by themselves walking. They had some free time and Gwen basically begged and dragged Kevin outside the castle to go on a walk through the gardens Verdona had replanted.
He put up a pretty bad fight before smiling goofily at her and going.
He started by drawing patterns in her back as they walked. Just small circles and mindless motions.
They ventured further into the gardens and his hand had moved to grasp hers as they walked, his grip firm but not painful. Occasionally as they walked he would squeeze her hand. She reciprocated. Every time he would smile. Soft but there.
“I actually want to show you what me and Grandma have been working on.” Gwen tells him softly and drags him behind her.
“She’s been replanting all of the garden since it was abandoned. She asked if she could add something to it, in the center, as a memorial.” Gwen told him softly.
In the center of the garden was a shrub sculpture, with accents of mana flowers, of Kevin’s mother and father. They were tangled together in a beautiful embrace and an arrangement of mana flowers underneath them.
Kevin takes a deep but shaky breath.
He pulls Gwen to him and holds her tightly. He has shoved his head into the crook of her neck. She feels his tears hit her skin. She runs her hands through his hair, softly, and she swears she hears him choke back a sob at her touch.
She holds him tight to her and lets him hug her as long as he needs. She feels him melt into her touch and calm himself. He doesn’t let go for a long time.
When he finally composes himself, he squeezes Gwen one more time before he slowly peels himself off of her.
He stares at the shrub sculpture for a long time in silence, just holding Gwen’s hand tightly.
Gwen has realized since Kevin has returned to his natural form, he is touch starved.
She has also realized that he isn’t as fragile as she originally thought. Kevin wants to be held and hugged tightly. He wants to be grounded. He wants to hold her hand and walk with her. Kevin also wants to hold her face in his hands and look at her like she’s a precious gem.
He never wants to let go.
To be honest, she kind of really loves it.