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Jecra isn't sure where this random insistence on sleeping of all things came from, but considering this is Meta Knight he's almost positive that this is somehow for someone else's benefit. Still. He isn't complaining about being able to cuddle the other for a bit longer.
Garlude got to join the pile for a little while, but the other Star Warrior eventually had to get up to do some late-night training with a few new recruits that just came in. Jecra has dozed off a bit since then, but for the most part is slightly hardwired to stay awake, especially when a cute bat demon is currently trying to burrow deeper into his neck.
Meta usually likes to be woken up after some time to avoid nightmares, but lately he's been very adamant about 'trying to get more sleep' which reeks of suspicious activity to Jecra considering he doesn't think Meta even knows the meaning of 'self-care'. He also knows the reality of these nightmares so unless Meta is intent on flipping off his sorry excuse for a father, Jecra really doesn't know what he plans to do. The nightmares never exactly stop .
The past few nights have been much of the same because of that, and Jecra ends up staying up for the other's sake when possible. Sleepily admiring his handsome partner can only keep him awake so long unfortunately, even as he does so now.
Meta tends to sleep on his stomach to make room for his wings, though they end up tucked close to his back instead of sprawled out like Jecra assumes would be most comfortable. One of the other's arms is wrapped securely around his waist, tugging Jecra into his side and practically under him. The warrior doesn't mind and manages to get an arm under the other to hold him in kind.
It's almost like Meta wants to protect him even while sleeping , and the thought is enough to earn a dopey smile as he scratches idly at the base of the demon's bat-like ears. The attention earns him a soft rumble and a puff of breath in his hair as the other turns his head, nuzzling more under Jecra's chin. His stomach does this weird little flip at the action that he can only describe as adorable , and he supposes the other good thing about this is that he gets to have a sleepy affectionate Meta for a little while longer.
Meta would probably shank him for calling him cute, but Jecra can't find it in him to care as he presses a kiss to the other's hair. Being warm and trapped under a sleepy purring demon isn't exactly helping his drowsiness, so he supposes it's only fair that he ends up dozing off again too.
.
Much like every night before, Jecra finds himself waking up for no apparent reason. The sun hasn't even risen yet, but he isn't surprised. There are small pinpricks of pain in his back, a soft whine in his ear, and he's carefully shifting a hand to pet the other's ears again on instinct. Nova be damned if they have one peaceful night...
"Meta," he murmurs, shifting a bit at the claws poking into his back, but the other just drags him closer, burying his face more into his neck with a choked sort of breath. It was going to be one of those nights. The other's wings are twitching, flattening down further, and Jecra is hesitant to even try petting them with how they're quivering. All of Meta Knight is shaking actually, tremors wracking his frame as Jecra decides best how to approach this. Another strangled sort of whimper has him acting quicker again.
"Meta. Hey love, it's alright, it's just a nightmare," he soothes a bit louder this time, movements careful as he shifts both hands to run through the other's hair. The demon reacts very briefly to the affection, a shudder running through him even as he presses into the contact, but the reaction is overshadowed by a distressed sort of groan. "Your dad is such an asshole," he mutters, filled with such a sharp loathing for a moment that Meta can't do something as simple as sleep because of him-
"Lo siento," the other whines, and Jecra thinks for a moment he's finally woken up, but no- The demon's eyes are still squeezed shut, jaw set in a grimace. It takes a moment to pick through the little of the other's native language that he can remember before he recognizes the desperate apology. For what, he has no idea, but there's too much pain in the words for him to ignore. A similar grimace forms in his own expression as he shifts his hands to cup the other's face, voice firm and gentle as he speaks up again.
"It's okay Meta, you're having a bad dream. It's time to wake up-"
And wake up the other does.
It's a violent reaction as usual, Meta's eyes flying open, wide and disoriented as slitted pupils struggle to focus on Jecra's face. The other practically jerks away, untangling from the warrior to plant hands on his shoulders and pin him down, wings flaring out in a threat, fangs all on display. It's an instinctive sort of threat born of fear, Jecra knows this, and that's why he stays calm, stubbornly holding the other's face in spite of it. Stupid perhaps, but Jecra isn't exactly known for being the reasonable one in the relationship.
"Hey, cariño, you're okay," he breathes out, the term of endearment slipping out easily. It was a joking term at one point, the result of Jecra asking about some of the words in Meta's native language and settling on the one that meant 'honey' to poke at the other's love for sweets. Meta always looked a bit flustered rather than annoyed though, and it didn't take a genius to figure out he just liked hearing the term from his partners. Jecra and Garlude have made an effort to learn as many terms as possible with that knowledge.
It seems to register dimly in the other's mind at least, making Meta's pupils dilate a bit, his claws digging in slightly as his breaths come out short and ragged like he'd have flown a mile.
"That's it- We're okay Meta, you're okay...we're in our room at the base. Garlude is training the new recruits but she'll be back in the morning," he explains gently, thumbs brushing over the other's flushed cheeks. It takes a few more murmured assurances and seconds of processing before that glazed over panic in the other's eyes seems to finally give way to clarity-
Jecra watches the process happen as he has a dozen other times before. Meta's pupils round out again, finally focusing on him, as a shuddering breath escapes. There's an instance of relief that makes Meta's hold loosen, his expression soften, before a tightness takes its place around his eyes instead. A flicker of guilt, fear, upset, and then his expression closes off entirely , pupils sharpening again while his mouth presses into a thin line.
Meta Knight shifts to pull away entirely, ears flattening, wings drooping, and as usual, Jecra doesn't let him. He drops his hands to the other's shoulders, following him up into a sitting position. Meta's hands circle his wrists like he wants to push him off, but again as usual, he doesn't . There's a tremor in the demon's hold, his claws still poking out, and that's how Jecra knows the other's closed off expression is a ruse. That and he knows how Meta Knight is.
"There you are," Jecra says gently, breaking the silence with an attempt at lightness as he tends to do. Meta's gaze drops lower, his lips pursing in that way that lets him know the other is thinking probably too hard about something. There's frustration in the furrow of the demon's brow, a shimmer in his eyes, though Jecra is sure the other is refusing to let tears actually form.
"...That looked like a bad-"
"...I'm sorry-"
The words tumble out at the same time and they blink at each other in surprise. A wry sort of smile tugs at his lips. As much as he doesn't need an apology of all things, Jecra nods for the other to speak first anyways.
"Jecra," Meta starts after a moment, fang poking out idly as he worries at his lip. Jecra mindlessly brings a hand up to cup the knight's cheek, thumb brushing against blue stubble, pleased that Meta just leans more into the touch without thinking about it. The demon's eyes slide shut a moment before opening and fixing on his face again. The exhaustion in his voice is enough to make something in him ache .
"You...shouldn't have to do this every night. I don't expect you to." Jecra huffs a bit at that. Meta doesn't expect anyone to do anything for him, short of showing basic decency. And sometimes not even that . For such a prideful knight, he seems to struggle so much with the idea of people seeing him as anything good...
"Yeah well...I like to go past your expectations a lot, cariño. They're pretty low after all," Jecra retorts, not unkindly. Meta's wings flick a bit, his hands shifting until Jecra catches them in his own, intertwining their fingers. The other's pawpads are soft, even with his hold so stiff and his claws unsheathed. Meta's eyes sharpen a bit, like he's taking the light words the wrong way, and Jecra sighs softly before trying again.
"You- Meta, you seem to expect very little , when me and Garlude would do a lot to help you feel okay. It's not burdening. We wanna do this for you," he reassures, squeezing Meta's hands again and scooting closer until their knees are touching. "Just like you get all protective of us, we feel the same way about you too, knucklehead..."
Jecra's smile is small, but bright. Not even the drowsiness from before can dull the affection in his gaze, and Garlude has described him as the sunniest of the three of them. With how Meta struggles to look at him sometimes, he would almost say that's the case. Right now though, Meta is meeting his gaze steadily, pupils finally rounded out and eyes suspiciously red.
It must have been one hell of a nightmare to rattle the demon so severely .
"Jecra, this is every night, you can't tell me you are not getting tired of this," Meta finally responds after a few seconds of silence, and past the hardened tone, the furrow in his brow, Jecra can hear the vulnerability there. It's not a statement so much as a challenge , pushing or daring him to leave for some imagined slight. The Star Warrior would probably be offended if he didn't know Meta.
"I'd say you're way more tired than I could ever be." He doesn't rise to the other's challenge, keeps his tone light even as his eyes turn more serious. "And...I think I'd do this every night if it meant you could have a few hours of peace," he continues reaching up with his other hand to brush a few sweat soaked strands of hair out of his partner's face.
And there is a desperate sort of exhaustion haunting the knight's eyes, darkened circles permanently painted on his face. The way he practically lets Jecra cup his face and support his weight speaks volumes. This isn't normal self-doubt- Something must have happened in that nightmare to make him think he needs to try and spook Jecra of all people away.
"...You wanna talk about the nightmare?" He murmurs after a moment, and there is that flicker of almost panic that has him finally giving into the urge to tug the other into a hug. Meta practically collapses against his chest, hands shaking where he brings them up to clutch at the back of Jecra's shirt. "Whatever it was- You don't have to talk about it if you don't wanna, but nothing that bastard puts in your head could make me love you any less."
Jecra's voice is firm, resolute, as he wraps his arms around the other in kind, one hand idly rubbing at the base of his ears. Meta's face is buried in his chest, the tremor in his breath becoming more pronounced. There's a burning behind Jecra's eyes now too as he takes a few calming breaths, settles his chin lightly on the other's head. This is hard for him too, though not for the reason his partner seems to think...
"...Garlude is- was gone-" Meta breathes out after nearly a full minute of silence, and Jecra tries not to let his surprise show at the fact that the other is actually talking about it- instead he just squeezes him reassuringly and offers a soft noise of sympathy. "And you...Nightmare did something. I...you weren't yourself anymore, and I had to- I had-"
The words seem unable to form, the demon's breaths hitching and picking up in distress, and Jecra is quick to soothe him with a soft sound, pressing his lips to the other's hair. There's something horrible about knowing that this isn't just some normal nightmare born out of anxiety- These are nightmares built specifically to hurt, and this one has gone past that enough to practically instill panic.
"You don't have to say it- But...we're okay now, yeah? Gar is out whipping the new recruits into shape, and I'm here with you in the middle of a heavily fortified base- We're safe. We're okay. You're okay, you didn't do anything wrong, Meta." There's a sound like the other's going to protest, but it's overtaken by a choked sort of noise that shakes his shoulders instead. The trembling starts up again, and Jecra's heart twists when he realizes what's happening. "Hey- Hey, it's okay, you can cry, don't have to hide it...Just- Just let it out-"
Evidently the other just needed permission to cry, because the next gasp that escapes is followed quickly by a muffled sob. In a matter of seconds Meta is crying in earnest, though he's clearly doing his damndest to stay quiet, despite the intensity of it rattling him down to his core- And Jecra is a bit dumbfounded considering the other must really be worn down to let him take care of him like this, but it doesn't stop him from babbling reassurances or offering all the comfort the demon could ever want.
Stars, it takes a lot to get to his stubborn partner, so to get to this point...Maybe he should've done something sooner.
Not that there's any use in musing. All he can do now is help with the fallout and let the demon cry it out while his own eyes get misty at the other's misery. Gar would have ditched the recruits in a heartbeat if she knew the night was going to end up like this.
It takes a few minutes for the sobs to turn to ragged breaths and then a few more to diminish into the occasional sniffle or discontent rumble. Jecra holds him through it all and discreetly swipes at the wetness of his own eyes. Meta is practically sagging against him at this point, wings drooping low enough to lay on the bed, and the way his hold is tightening, Jecra would hazard to say the shame over the entire situation is threatening to kick in.
"...Meta. Cariño, could you look at me?" He murmurs, petting idly at the other's ears before he shifts his hands down to cup the other's face again. The demon protests at first, clinging tighter before Jecra adds on a small 'please' that has him pulling away in the slightest. Meta's hold shifts to his shoulders as he allows Jecra to pull him away to get a better look at him and he just...stars, he looks miserable.
Meta's cheeks are flushed, though it's hard to say if it's from tears or shame, and his lips are pressed together like he might stop any embarrassing noises from escaping altogether. Of course, Jecra doesn't care about that, and he doesn't even have to think about brushing away the tears or tugging the other close enough to press their foreheads together. If anything, he'd say it sounded like the other really needed that. Being so emotionally closed off can't be healthy...
Subtlety clearly isn't the way to show the knight how much they love him regardless of any perceived slights.
"...Can I kiss you?" Jecra blurts out suddenly, and he feels the way Meta twitches in his hold, pulls away enough to see the other's eyes pop back open in utter bafflement .
"Can...what? Why would you- I just made a fool of myself," he responds, voice rough, and wings hiking up higher in embarrassment. Jecra's eyes are watery even as he offers a wobbly sort of smile.
"Dunno. Gar cries after reading her books sometimes. I cried when you two met my son for the first time. I'd say crying because of something like this is probably the one that makes the most sense," he reasons, snickering a bit at Meta's expression . "I'm allowed to kiss my favorite demon, right?" Said demon's eyebrows are raised, his lips parted slightly, putting his fangs on display, and sue Jecra if he wants to kiss his partner's handsome face and make him feel loved after a horrible night-
"I...yes? Though I don't know why-" Jecra promptly cuts off that train of thought by tugging the other into the desired kiss. Meta makes a startled noise, rumbles a bit before he's properly leaning into it, tasting like salt and sweets. They don't go much farther than that, though Meta finally loosens up, settles his arms around Jecra's neck and deepens the kiss enough that Jecra can practically feel the demon's building purr in his own chest.
Jecra's stomach shifts from swooping to doing somersaults . Meta's lips are warm and soft, fangs sharp where they poke out, and Jecra could happily kiss the other until his brain shuts off. Or until he makes Meta's brain shut off- Either would be fine, but as a few moments pass, Jecra is pleased to say the demon is looking far less uncertain than he was before this random idea.
Jecra is probably grinning like an idiot when they finally break apart, but it's hard not to be when Meta's eyes are blinking open, his pupils more filled out than a Scarfy on catnip. Even slightly out of breath, with mussed up hair and tear tracks on his face, there's not a thing Jecra would change about his partner. Meta's lips have quirked up a bit in a smile, and this time when Jecra brushes away the wetness under his eyes, the other just rumbles a bit louder and nuzzles into the touch.
"That's why," he jokes a touch more gleefully than before. Meta actually rolls his eyes at the comment which he counts as a win, but Jecra does ease up a bit, watching the other's expression more thoughtfully. Meta catches and holds his gaze this time, expression softening as well, though he looks far more coherent than before.
"...Thank you. I appreciate your...patience, more than you can know," he mumbles a bit bashfully, ears flicking as he threads his claws through Jecra's hair, earning a pleased hum.
"And my kisses?" Jecra prods playfully, earning another exasperated look. Meta makes a point to think this over very carefully before responding.
"Yes. I suppose." He muses, ducking his head a bit when Jecra decides to peck his nose cheerfully with a snicker. "Though you are pushing your luck," he grumbles. And yet Jecra doesn't see him pulling away or shoving him off the bed.
"You love me," the warrior teases with another grin, startling slightly when Meta drags him into a hug this time. Arms wrap securely around his back, his smile softening as he ruffles the demon's hair.
"More than I can express," Meta rumbles, blunt as ever if not a bit flustered. His claws have mostly retracted, but Jecra still feels them a touch as the other's hold tightens slightly. "And you...you and Garlude love me too. I know. For some inexplicable reason...Even if I don't always remember."
And stars the other really is making Jecra want to kiss him stupid for saying such things. He settles instead for hugging the other warrior back just as tightly before tugging him back to lay down with him.
"Yeah, well, we'll just keep reminding you. And annoying you. Because we care about you for a reason . A lot of them actually. That's not gonna change." Meta readjusts quickly to the change of position, dropping an ear to Jecra's chest to hear his steady heartbeat. Jecra is content to play with the demon's blue curls and pet his ears as Meta tentatively goes back to the cuddling that he tends to only do when he's asleep, arms wrapping around the small of Jecra's back to hold him close.
"...I know. I'm...glad you feel that way," the other murmurs, face pressing into the Star Warriors chest. "I'm grateful. You make nights easier than they would be otherwise." And it isn't often that Meta Knight admits to a vulnerability let alone to appreciating someone's help, but he supposes that's the benefit of having a mild emotional breakdown in front of someone. Namely a very caring friend/partner.
"Hope I get to keep doing that for you then, knucklehead," Jecra huffs, wiggling to get closer to the demon as they settle down. Meta might try sleeping again, he might not, but Jecra will stay with him either way. The other looks content and the most at peace he's seen all night just listening to his heartbeat anyways.
"Gar will be back in a few hours if you want to wait up for her," he offers idly, and Meta nods wordlessly. He had a feeling the other might prefer to see that she's safe with his own eyes, but he's extra appreciative that the knight is staying to cuddle rather than disappearing to train or spook the new recruits.
It's easier to feel drowsy now with the previous panic dealt with, and Meta seems to sink against him with his own form of exhaustion- if the knight does decide to sleep again, then Jecra is sure Garlude will wake him when she gets back at least. The other deserves at least a little rest for Nova's sake...
But at least Meta stays to let himself be taken care of. It's the most Jecra can ask of him at this point.
The warmth in his chest and the now soft breaths of the demon laying on his chest are all he needs to be content tonight.