Chapter Text
Colleague softly hummed under his breath as he washed the dishes, content to do domestic chores as he waited for his darling angel to come home.
He… he loves him a lot. Maybe… maybe he’d get to kiss him one day. Colleague would like that a lot. Maybe he’d take his angel on a date, they’d eat somewhere… Colleague would need to use the other’s money because he didn’t have shit to his name, but that was alright.
Or they could go on a picnic. Colleague loved going outside, especially because he got to see his ravenette in the sun. Yes. A picnic would be nice.
Colleague was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he accidentally dropped a plate, shattering it as a result. He pales as a result, a weak whimper leaving him. He made a mistake. He had to fix it. He needed to fix it. Someone would get mad at him if he didn’t.
Practically scrambling, Colleague began to scoop up the shards, unsure how to dispose of them as he just dumped them in the trash. His heart pounded and his head spun, panic setting in him. His chest felt tight as he scraped together the shards, choked sobs starting to escape from utter fear of punishment.
Colleague froze, falling back into his usual method of being small to avoid attention. He could almost hear the other’s yelling, of the man who looked so similar to his angel but definitely wasn’t. He cried, breathlessly begging for Protag. After all, he needed him like a plant needs sunlight. Colleague would wither without him.
Curling up in a ball, the large man rocked back and forth, trying to calm himself down but very much failing. He spiraled back down into what happened in the elevator, remembering the yelling, the heat, the stabbing of scissors against his skin… he wanted to sob, to scream and yell and beg for help. But nobody would hear.
“Angel…? Please… come home..” Colleague whimpered tearfully, feeling pathetic and horrible. He was a grown man, and here he was, spiraling.
He rubbed his face, trying to use the stimulation from his stubble to ground himself, but even that didn’t work. Colleague was scared.
“Please…”
…
Protag tutted softly as he got out of the car after a long day at work. He hoped Colleague was managing fine on his own. He obviously trusted the other man, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be worried about him.
It had been almost five months since Colleague and his own doppelgänger had escaped somehow. Apparently the elevator just opened one day.
His own doppelgänger obviously would kill him given the chance, so Protag pushed the responsibility of managing him off to his coworker, but he felt responsible for Colleague.
Protag had manipulated the man in order to get out with the scissors. He knew what Colleague would’ve done if he hadn’t done that, but Protag knew he was just following what was most likely his doppelgänger’s plan.
Opening the door, he looked around, wondering where his love was. Normally as soon as he opened the door, Colleague would rush towards him for a hug. It was honestly one of the highlights of his day.
He pulled off his tie, the thing practically choking his neck. Protag always hated wearing ties.
“Dear? I’m home!” Protag called out, wondering what might be wrong. Had he left Colleague alone for too long? The other man probably had separation anxiety, but he had provided plenty to keep him occupied.
He then heard soft whimpers and sobs coming from the kitchen, causing his stomach to drop. “My love? Are you okay?” Protag asked, turning the corner to spot his boyfriend. Colleague’s chest was heaving, and he seemed to be having a panic attack.
“Dear? What’s wrong?” Protag questioned softly, kneeling down to Colleague’s level. The other man looked up at him, before shuffling away in fear.
“Please- don’t hurt me- please-“ Colleague sobbed, putting his hands in front of his face, trying to protect himself from a threat that wasn’t real. “I’m sorry for talking, please don’t hurt me, please-“
Protag caught on to what was going on. They’ve had this conversation before, but it hasn’t seemed to have gotten any better. Colleague wasn’t seeing Protag for himself, instead seeing him as his doppelgänger.
“Oh god, I’m gonna throw up, angel, please…” Colleague sobbed, shaking in fear and pain. He wanted to hug Protag, but he was frozen in fear.
Looking around, he looked back at his tie. He knew one of the main differences was that his doppelgänger was missing a tie, so Protag hoped putting it back on would help. He wanted to ground the other as soon as possible, to calm him down and make him feel better.
After he had done so, Protag walked back over to Colleague, finally noticing the broken plate. “Dear, did you drop the plate accidentally?” He remarked quietly, getting a paper towel to scoop up the shards, and coming back with a large plastic bowl in case the other man did throw up.
“Mhm…” Colleague mumbled, his eyes closed shut as he didn’t want to remind himself of Protag’s doppelgänger. “I’m sorry… please don’t be mad, I swear I did it by accident…” he whined, and his partner felt his heart squeeze. He watched as Colleague gagged, grabbing the bowl and retching up his lunch. It hurt to see him in pain.
“My dear..” Protag murmured, shuffling closer. “Are you okay with me touching you?” He asked, knowing Colleague might not want to be touched right now. When Colleague nodded, Protag gently hugged the larger man, rubbing his back in an effort to soothe the other, to make him feel safe.
“I’m not mad. You’re not in the elevator anymore; you’re safe. I’m here.” He murmured, feeling Colleague nuzzle his face into Protag’s hair. There was the clingy man Protag was used to. Honestly, he wouldn’t trade that trait of the other man for anything in the world. He meant it.
“Even… even though I made a mistake..? You’ll have to use money to get another plate but I won’t be able to pay you for it…” Colleague rambled, his insecurities making him feel indebted to Protag.
“Shh… it’s alright. You made a mistake. We all make mistakes. I don’t expect you to pay me back.” He cooed gently, letting Colleague pull him closer, hugging him tight as if afraid Protag would disappear.
“I just… I feel awful, like I’m taking advantage of your kindness… even though you’re letting me be here, I just feel like I can’t ever give you back what you gave. You gave me a home, and a new chance at life…” Colleague sobbed, his chest heaving as he peppered kisses onto Protag’s hair. “Please don’t leave me…”
“I won’t leave you.” The ravenette murmured, kissing Colleague’s stubble. “Even if you can’t pay me back physically, just being here, letting me come home to see you, that’s enough for me, my dear.” Protag whispered gently, a small smile on his face.
“How long have you been on the floor? I’m sorry I couldn’t have gotten to you sooner..” Protag apologized, genuinely feeling awful. It always happened when he wasn’t here. “I dunno.. It felt like an hour…” Colleague whimpered tearfully, burying his face into Protag, praying he’d never have to let go.
“Oh, dear…” Protag sighed, kissing Colleague’s cheek. “Well, I’m here now, and I’m not leaving any time soon. You can count on that.” He said, his eyes lovingly looking at Colleague.
Colleague kissed Protag’s head again, his eyes still closed shut. “I love you, angel...” He murmured, finally calming down.
Protag blushed, burying his face into his partner’s chest. Honestly, even though Colleague was looking away because he didn’t want to see Protag’s doppelgänger in Protag, he was glad, because at least Colleague couldn’t see that stupid blush on his face.
“I love you too, my darling boy.” The smaller man purred, a small smile on his face. “Would you like to cuddle in the bedroom? It must be uncomfortable on the floor.” He said, gently rubbing the other’s back again
“Mhm…” Colleague mumbled, standing up with Protag and bee-lining it to the bedroom. As soon as Colleague got into the bedroom, he turned off the lights, closed the blinds, and collapsed into bed. He was clearly exhausted from sobbing for so long.
When Protag went to turn on the lights, Colleague spoke up. “Can we… just sit in the dark? Please? The lights hurt my eyes right now.” The large man mumbled weakly, a bit scared of expressing his opinion.
“Alright, dear. Honestly, I’m glad you feel comfortable expressing what you want to me. It shows you trust me, after all!” Protag said happily, taking off his glasses and setting it on the side table.
Protag laid down on the bed, a soft chuckle leaving him as Colleague got on top of him for cuddles. He could just make out the puppy-dog eyes the other man was making at him.
“Mm…” Colleague murmured, burying his face into Protag’s chests “Can you pet me? Please?” Colleague uttered weakly, wanting the gentle touches.
Protag smiles, gently scritching Colleague’s hair. He practically felt his darling melt at the touches, and it couldn’t have made him happier. “Mnn… angel..” the blond uttered softly, burying his face into Protag’s chest. It was a mystery how the man could even breathe.
“I’m right here.” Protag uttered gently, watching fondly as the other man dozed off on his chest. Sometimes it was hard to manage Colleague’s panic attacks and other quirks… the man was utterly clingy, after all, but moments like this made every moment worth it.
He realized he probably wouldn’t be able to move for a few hours. Protag would rather die than make Colleague move. It was like when a cat got on your lap; the unspoken rule of only getting up when the cat gets up. But he was content.
Maybe Protag would take a nap then. He struggled with sleep, but he always was able to doze off when his love was there. Closing his eyes, he continued to massage Colleague’s head, until he dozed off with the other man.