Archive of Our Own ^beta

"I'm back."

Shulk snapped his attention towards the tent's entrance, caught off guard by Rex's voice. He must've been more focused on the Monado's maintenance than he realized, though the broad shouldered man's footsteps did have a knack for being light, despite his bulk. 

"Welcome back," he replied from his seat. "How did the extermination go?" 

"Would've been faster if you had been there. Skeeter nests are infinite, I tell you." Rex said, rubbing the back of his head. He pointed towards the sword on the table. "You're still at it?" 

Shulk chuckled embarrassedly. "Yeah. I'm almost done, though. I’ve been thinking of some extra tweaks to make catching the enemy’s attention easier…" 

Rex gave an appreciative hum in response. He pulled out a chair out of the dining table—turned into Shulk’s own work desk—and roughly let himself down on it with a sigh. Shulk knew his partner was tired, just as he was. They both appreciated the peaceful moments of quiet as he continued to tinker with his weapon while the other watched him, head resting on his crossed arms that settled on the table.

This part of the colony was quiet, almost eerily so. Most activity occurred near the Central Plaza and the Command Center, but here in the outskirts they could mostly hear the wind and creak of the old structures around them, the running of the water below and the sounds of the creatures surrounding their settlement. To Shulk, it was comfortable enough. To both of them. They needed a place to get a respite from the constant, attentive gazes of the rest of the Liberators. Being one of the people everyone looked to for answers drained him out, sometimes. He was grateful to have Panacea and Linka to help with some of the load. 

The tent itself wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, but it was enough to fit what they needed. His desk, which would sometimes double as an actual dining table, a few chairs, and a screen dividing the area in half that worked to cover their bed—a makeshift bedroom, he supposed—from the eyes of whoever came in through the entrance.  

Shulk did consider using Dunban’s house, but it felt… invasive, because his friend wasn’t there to say no—even though he would have most certainly said yes—and he knew the nagging thought would never leave him alone. He preferred letting Riku make use of it. 

"Have you always been like this?" Rex asked nonchalantly. 

Shulk shot him a look, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Absorbed in your own little machine tinkering world." Rex explained.

Shulk smirked, putting the tool in his hand down on the table. "Funny way to put it." he said. Memories of his days locked up in the lab flashed through his mind. "I guess I have, though." 

Rex hummed thoughtfully. "That's cute." 

Shulk raised his brow, though amused. "What?" 

Rex smiled up at him softly, shrugging. "I don't know. It just is." 

Shulk was glad to see his expression soften up. A smile suited him much better. He shook his head fondly. "You must be really tired." 

His partner huffed amusedly, but his smile caught a tinge of sadness. "Yeah." he said.

Shulk's eyes softened. "Just one of those days, huh?" 

Rex nodded against his arm. "One of those days." 

The blonde considered him for a minute. Those days were inevitable. They shouldered a heavy duty, both of them, and it couldn’t always go smoothly. It could feel especially heavy in the dead of night, when you're reminded of how far from home you are.

"Shall we call it a day, then?" he asked gently. "I could use some sleep myself."

He knew the dark circles under his eyes weren't getting any smaller, but there wasn't much he could do about it. Rex smiled fondly up at him, before straightening up in his chair, arms stretching and crossing behind his head.

"Yeah, I believe that." he said. 

Shulk smiled back. “Why don’t you go ahead? I’d like to review our supply for–”

“Oh no, you don’t.” his partner interrupted. He looked at him, confused. “We ain’t stuck in time for nothing. You can do that tomorrow.” 

The taller man rose from his seat. Shulk observed him, and noticed him stop just behind his chair. 

"Rex…?" 

The blonde felt the hands of the man in question gently starting to comb through his hair. 

"It's gotten so long…" Rex murmured. 

Ignoring the abrupt change in subject, Shulk wondered out loud.

"Does it look bad?" 

"No." Rex quickly replied. "It looks good on you. And it's so soft… Maybe we could braid it or something."

Shulk smiled. "Are you offering?'"  

His partner's hands brushed through his hair, and then reached up to his scalp. Rex started humming as he massaged it, as if considering it. The pleasant sensation made the Monado wielder close his eyes, leaning his head back against the body of the man behind him to fully appreciate the gesture. 

"You need rest..." Rex said softly. His hands traveled down to gently massage his shoulders.

"Not any more than you do." 

"And not any less, so let's get some sleep, alright?" Rex leaned down to kiss the top of Shulk's head.  "We'll sort things out tomorrow," he added. 

They had gotten so used to each other that Rex became too good at detecting when he couldn't put something down, and reminded him to not push himself. Shulk put a hand on top of one of Rex's, and squeezed it lightly. 

"All right." he conceded. He lifted the hand and kissed his palm. 

The tall man chuckled. "Come now," he insisted. 

Shulk acquiesced, finally standing up from his chair. He took a moment to stretch, his muscles finally protesting at the long period of stillness. 

A hand landed on his waist, and he turned around to meet its owner face to face. Rex pressed himself close while his hands explored the small of his back. Shulk wrapped his arms around his neck, a familiar motion at this point, and looked up at him.

Rex stared at him with warm, loving eyes, such a precious feeling that made his heart melt every time. 

"I've been craving this all day." Rex said, a playful smirk on his face. 

Shulk chuckled fondly. "That so?" he replied, a flirty edge adorning his voice. 

The brunette hummed in affirmation. His face steadily leaned down, gaze locked onto his mouth, until finally their lips met, and Shulk's heart fluttered with joy. He loved having Rex close, running his hands along his face, tracing his stubble as it grazed his palm, taking in his warmth and affection and his familiar scent—stopped by the bath first, it seemed—and feeling the other’s strong hands press him closer by the waist as if he could never get close enough.

Rex was a very physical man, he found. It didn’t take long for Shulk to find himself seeking his constant displays of affection. They were precious to him. He was precious to him, living in their present, even if what they have might never be permanent.

After a long, heated kiss, they finally parted, and pressed their foreheads together, still holding on to each other.

"I think I just caught a second wind from that." Rex said, a cheeky tone to his voice, although the effect was soon mitigated by the yawn that followed.

Shulk chuckled, kissing him briefly again. "Use it to make it to bed then. If you pass out here, carrying you will be a job and a half." 

Rex laughed. "Yeah, yeah, you got it." 

Shulk meant to pull apart then, but before he could do so, an arm hooked under his legs, and he felt himself being lifted into the air, an ungraceful, surprised yelp leaving his mouth. 

The former salvager laughed. 

“Um… Rex…?” the blonde questioned, face warm with what he wasn’t sure was embarrassment or… something else.  

“Turns out you’re not hard to carry at all!” Rex said with a grin. 

Shulk sighed exasperatedly, placing his left hand over his racing heart. “Don’t surprise me like that.” 

Rex laughed again. “Aw, c’mon. Nothing wrong with this.” He tossed the man in his arms up slightly to get a better grip on him, making the defender wrap an arm around his shoulders to steady himself. 

“Nothing wrong, I just—I, um…” he said, still too flustered to put a proper sentence together. Rex really made it look so easy … A very smug smirk adorned the Alrestian’s face. 

“All right, off we go.” Rex declared, pressing a kiss to his cheek, sparing him from having to recover from the shock. 

Shulk smiled fondly, though still red in the face, and hid in the crook of his partner’s neck. Rex took it as his cue to get them out of there and into bed. Not that he had to go far, this was only a tent after all. The bed was comfortable enough, though, and just big enough to fit them both. 

Rex put the man in his arms down on the bed carefully, all while leaning in for another kiss. Shulk's left hand held on to his neck as he was lowered down all the way until his head hit the pillow, his right hand being used for support. 

Rex parted for a moment, hovering over Shulk, his elbows planted to either side of his frame to prop himself up with a pleased look on his face. With one hand he reached out and started running his fingers along the blonde strands of hair, tenderly brushing them out of the long-haired man’s face. 

Shulk couldn’t help but reach out with his left hand to trace the contours of Rex’s face, relishing in the way the man leaned into the touch. He looked so lovely, so peaceful, a look he wished he could always keep on that face.

“Are you thinking about something?” Shulk asked. 

“You, obviously.”

Shulk laughed. “I’m serious here.” 

“So am I.” Rex replied earnestly, and then leaned down for a kiss. “I’m thinking about how grateful I am that I met you.” Another kiss. “About how my day gets better just by looking at you.” One more. “About how adorable your face looks when it’s flushed.” 

Shulk could only imagine the dumbfounded look on his own face, stunned by the sincerity and affection that laced his words. With a smirk on his face, Rex pressed their foreheads together, and then proceeded to press their lips together once again, in a longer, more passionate kiss that he more than welcomed. 

“All this…” Shulk managed in the brief moment they split. “Comes too easily for you.”

Rex laughed, and Shulk felt it reverberate where their stomachs pressed together. “What can I say?” he said. “I’m a smooth man.”  

Shulk laughed, and let Rex go as he sat up. 

“Let me turn off these lights. As much as I’d like to keep this up, I really am tired.” he said, standing up to do as said. 

“Agreed.” Shulk added. He sat up, moving to unlatch his prosthetic arm to set it down on a nearby chair that mostly served as a bedside table. He took his time to stretch out and massage his right shoulder while Rex finished getting ready for bed. 

“You good?” Rex asked. 

Shulk nodded. “Yeah.” Good enough, at least.

Soon after, they found themselves finally fully in bed. Rex worked on settling under the covers, and Shulk watched him. He propped himself up on his left arm to lean down and press one soft, good night kiss on his partner's lips.

"Good night." he murmured with a lazy smile. 

Rex kissed him again. "Night." 

With an extended arm, Rex beckoned him closer, inviting him to cuddle up to his side. Shulk liked resting his head on his chest, finding comfort in the beat of his heart, while his partner rested his head on top of his. He hugged him close, his warmth melting away all the stress from his tired body. 

Eventually, they fell asleep, in a peaceful corner of the colony, dim light filtering into the tent, safe from the chill of night under the covers and close to each other.