Work Text:
It happened on a particularly rainy day.
Heavy clouds hung low over the Cream Republic. The usually pristine capital looked dull beneath a blanket of storm clouds. Water rushed through the gutters in silver streams, while puddles gathered in every crack. Even the grand white buildings that normally gleamed beneath the sun seemed subdued, their elegant facades blurred behind curtains of rain.
Black Sapphire hated it. Not because he disliked rain itself. He found storms rather charming. No, what irritated him was having to walk through it.
With an annoyed sigh, he adjusted his grip on the magical construct hovering above his head. The dark crystalline creation served as an improvised umbrella, shielding him from the worst of the downpour while droplets hissed and rolled harmlessly down its surface. Even so, the damp air clung stubbornly to his clothes and tangled in his dark hair.
His boots splashed through muddy water as he made his way through the winding streets. The citizens of the Republic hurried around him, heads lowered against the weather. Merchants pulled awnings tighter over their stalls. Guards stood beneath overhangs. Not many paid attention to him.
Good.
The fewer questions he had to answer, the better.
After another turn and a short climb up a rain-slick street, the familiar silhouette of Clotted Cream's mansion finally came into view.
A smile curled at Sapphire's lips.
There it is.
From his back pocket, he pulled out the spare key Clotted Cream had reluctantly given him some time ago. One of his favorite possessions, if only because of how much the Consul hated the fact that he had it.
Sapphire approached the gate leisurely. It clicked open and he stepped inside. The mansion's garden was a mess. Mud covered the pathways and puddles had formed beneath the flower beds. Sapphire crossed the grounds without hesitation, his boots sinking slightly into the wet earth. By the time he reached the back door leading into the main building, his shoes were thoroughly filthy. And then he made absolutely no effort to clean them. With a grin, he entered the mansion and started up the familiar staircase. Wet footprints followed behind him across the polished marble floors.
The Consul was going to be furious.
The thought alone brightened his mood considerably.
At the top of the stairs, Sapphire navigated the halls without hesitation. He had visited often enough that finding the Consul's office required no thought whatsoever. As expected, the door was slightly ajar. He pushed it open.
Clotted Cream sat behind his desk, completely buried beneath paperwork. Documents were scattered across nearly every available surface. Several stacks sat beside him, organized with meticulous precision. Judging by the pile already completed, he had likely spent the entire day working.
"Good afternoon, dear Consul." Sapphire let his voice carry its usual teasing edge.
"Good afternoon to you too." The blonde didn't even look up from his paperwork. His pen continued moving across the page. "You are quite early today. Who can I thank for my misfortune?"
Sapphire placed a hand dramatically against his chest."Misfortune? You're wounding me, Consul."
Still no reaction.
"I walked through this horrible weather just to see your arrogant face."
"Then your priorities are questionable."
Sapphire laughed softly. Crossing the room in a few easy steps, he moved behind the desk and glanced down at the papers Clotted Cream was working on.
"What are you doing, by the way?"
"That is none of your business." The response came instantly. At the same time, Clotted Cream subtly pulled the documents farther away before Sapphire could accidentally make them wet.
Or rather intentionally.
Normally, Sapphire would have found the reaction amusing. Yet something about the Consul seemed different today. His shoulders looked unusually stiff. Every movement appeared forced somehow, as though even simple tasks required effort.
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
Interesting.
Was the dear Consul already upset with him?
He hadn't even started causing trouble yet.
That would be disappointing.
Suppressing a grin, Sapphire circled around the desk and approached him again. "You're awfully tense today."
"I am working."
"And?" Sapphire smiled innocently before placing a hand on the blonde's back.
The reaction was immediate. Clotted Cream flinched. The papers slipped from his hands and scattered across the floor. For a moment, both of them stared at the mess. Then Clotted Cream slowly turned his head and shot Sapphire an unimpressed look.
"You know," he said flatly, "you could help."
Sapphire blinked."Right."
The strange reaction lingered in the back of his mind as he crouched down to gather the fallen documents. Something wasn't right.
Together they collected the papers and returned them to the nearby cupboard. Once the last document was safely put away, Clotted Cream remained standing beside the furniture. His hand tightened around the edge. A slow breath escaped him.
Most people probably wouldn't have noticed, but Sapphire did. Now that he was paying attention, the signs became impossible to ignore. The stiffness. The slight tremble in his hands. The careful way he moved. The exhaustion hidden behind practiced composure. Everything suddenly made sense.
Clotted Cream looked like he was holding himself together through sheer stubbornness.
Which, admittedly, sounded exactly like something Clotted Cream would do.
The realization wiped the amusement from Sapphire's face.
"So."
Clotted Cream glanced toward him.
"How long have you been suffering from chronic pain?"
The question seemed to catch him completely off guard.
The blonde froze. "How did you...?"
The words trailed off before he could finish.
Sapphire hesitated. For a moment, he debated whether he should answer. The information wasn't exactly something he shared openly. It was a delicate subject. Revealing too much could easily create problems in the future. But at this point, backing out would only make things harder.
With a quiet sigh, Sapphire folded his arms.
"My Master suffers from it too."
Clotted Cream stared at him.
"So usually Candy Apple and I help him manage it."
The surprise on the Consul's face was almost comical, after hearing that the Beast could share something common with him."Your Master...?"
Now he looked genuinely speechless. Had he somehow broken Clotted Cream? That would certainly be a first. "You learn to recognize the signs after a while."
The Consul looked away.
Sapphire studied him for a moment. "I could help."
That got his attention.
Clotted Cream raised an eyebrow. "Help?"
"I can give you a massage."
The blonde looked back at him. "A what?"
"A massage." Sapphire leaned against the cupboard. "It usually helps Shadow Milk when the pain gets particularly bad."
There was another stretch of silence. Sapphire almost expected Clotted Cream to refuse immediately.
"Okay." The answer was barely above a whisper. "If you truly think it would help."
Something unexpectedly gentle settled in Sapphire's chest.
His expression softened.
"Take it easy, dove." He stepped closer before the other could protest. "I've got you."
Carefully, he placed a hand around Clotted Cream's arm and guided him toward the couch. The Consul allowed it, though not without obvious reluctance. Even now he seemed determined to maintain some shred of dignity. Once they reached the couch, he glanced down at him. And immediately noticed the faint pink tint spreading across Clotted Cream's ears.
He found it oddly endearing.
However, as Clotted Cream settled onto the couch, Black Sapphire found himself faced with a rather unexpected problem. He had suddenly realized that, despite everything that had happened between them over the past few months, he had never actually seen the Consul without his shirt. For all his teasing, for all the flirtatious comments and stolen moments, there were still boundaries neither of them had crossed.
And surprisingly enough, Sapphire respected those.
So when Clotted Cream reached for the buttons of his uniform shirt, Sapphire turned away.
"You're being unusually polite." The remark was dry, but there was a hint of amusement hidden beneath it.
Sapphire smirked. "Don't get used to it."
He heard fabric rustle behind him.
A moment later, Clotted Cream cleared his throat.
"You can turn around now."
Sapphire did and his smile vanished immediately.
Thin pale lines crossed the Consul's back like faded brushstrokes. Most were old. Years old, perhaps. Time had softened them into faint white marks against his tanned dough, yet they remained impossible to miss once noticed.
Sapphire's gaze lingered. He had a fairly strong suspicion regarding where those scars had come from. The Republic's politics were not nearly as pristine as they pretended to be. Neither was Clotted Cream's history.
Still, he said nothing. The Consul looked exhausted enough already. The last thing he needed was Sapphire poking at old wounds. There would be time for those conversations later.
So Sapphire stepped behind the couch and placed his hands carefully against Clotted Cream's shoulders.
Immediately he felt how tense they were.
"Sweet heavens," Sapphire muttered.
"I know."
"You feel like you've been carved from marble."
A quiet snort escaped Clotted Cream. "That bad?"
"Worse."
The blonde sighed. "Wonderful."
Despite the complaint, Sapphire caught the faintest smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Taking that as permission, he began. His hands moved slowly at first, working gentle pressure into the tight muscles across Clotted Cream's shoulders. Years of helping Shadow Milk had taught him patience.
Slowly. Carefully. Bit by bit.
At some point Sapphire found a particularly stubborn knot near his shoulder blade.
The Consul immediately hissed. "There."
Sapphire paused. "There?"
"Yes."
"Does it hurts?"
"Of course it does." The blond yelled.
"That means I found the problem."
"You…you're enjoying this way too much."
Sapphire laughed. The sound filled the room warmly. Rain still tapped softly against the windows, though the storm had weakened considerably.
Gradually, Clotted Cream began offering directions.
"A little lower."
"Here?"
"Mm."
"More pressure?"
"A bit."
Sapphire adjusted accordingly. The muscles beneath his hands slowly began to loosen. Every now and then Clotted Cream would let out a quiet sound of relief before immediately looking embarrassed about it.
He found the reaction adorable.
"Love."
"What?"
"You know those noises aren't helping your dignity."
The Consul groaned. "I hate you."
"No, you don't."
A pause. "Unfortunately."
Sapphire's grin widened. The familiar banter returned little by little as the tension left Clotted Cream's body.
As he worked farther down his back, he found himself asking quietly, "How do you usually manage this?"
Clotted Cream was silent for a moment. "I manage."
Sapphire raised an eyebrow. "What an inspiring answer."
A faint huff.
"I do yoga, walks,…try not to stress too much."
That surprised him. "You do, what?"
"Every morning."
Sapphire tried very hard not to imagine Clotted Cream attempting elaborate yoga poses.
The result must have been visible because Clotted Cream immediately narrowed his eyes. "Don't."
"I'm not saying anything."
"You're thinking things." The Consul sighed dramatically.
Sapphire chuckled before continuing. "And when that doesn’t work?"
The humor faded. For a moment, only the sound of rain remained.
"Painkillers."
Sapphire frowned. "And?"
"And I continue working."
"That's your entire plan?"
"It has worked so far."
"No. Absolutely not." The response came sharper than intended. He knew that routine. Painkillers. Ignoring the problem. Pushing forward. Passing out. Shadow Milk had done exactly the same thing countless times. Honestly it infuriated him, to no end. "You should have told me sooner."
The words escaped before he could stop them.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Clotted Cream quietly replied,"I know."
Something in his voice made Sapphire's chest tighten. He sounded so tired. The kind of exhaustion that came from carrying too much responsibility for too long. He understood that feeling better than most. So he simply continued working without another lecture.
By the time Sapphire finally stepped back, darkness had settled outside the windows. The rain had stopped entirely. Moonlight filtered through breaks in the clouds.
"And done."
Clotted Cream rolled his shoulders experimentally.
His eyes widened slightly.
"Oh."
"Oh, what?"
"It actually helped."
Sapphire looked deeply offended. "I am wounded by your lack of faith in me."
The Consul's laugh was quiet but genuine. Slowly, he stood up and reached for his discarded shirt. The confidence he'd shown during debates and political meetings seemed nowhere to be found now. He kept his gaze lowered. Carefully avoiding eye contact. The tips of his ears had turned pink again. "Thank you."
Sapphire couldn't help admiring his handiwork. Clotted Cream genuinely looked better. His movements were smoother. His shoulders relaxed. And the strain was gone from his face. For the first time all day, he looked comfortable. Bonus points for the blush. "You are welcomed."
Satisfied, he rose from the couch.
"Well then." He stretched his arms overhead. "I should probably leave before you remember how annoying I am."
Clotted Cream finished adjusting his shirt. "Probably."
Sapphire took a few steps toward the door. Then stopped. A gentle tug pulled at his sleeve. He blinked. Looking down. Emerald eyes met violet. For once, Clotted Cream wasn't wearing his usual composed expression. He looked nervous. Almost shy.
The sight was so unexpected that Sapphire simply stared.
"Will..." Clotted Cream hesitated. "Will you stay the night?"
Silence filled the room.
Sapphire froze.
In all the months since their arrangement had begun, he had never stayed. Usually after Clotted Cream had fallen asleep. Sometimes earlier. But in the end he always left. That had been the rule.
Yet now those emerald eyes watched him hopefully.
Waiting.
Sapphire felt something dangerous twist inside his chest.
Affection.
Attachment.
Things he normally preferred not to examine too closely.
For several seconds, he considered refusing.
Then he looked at Clotted Cream again.
And suddenly the answer seemed obvious.
"Come here." Before the Consul could question him, Sapphire gently pulled him closer. One hand settled against his cheek. The other around his waist. Then he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.
When they finally separated, Sapphire rested his forehead lightly against the other's.
"You should have asked sooner, dove." He intertwined their fingers. Together, they left the office behind and headed toward the bedroom.
Moonlight spilled through the mansion windows as the storm finally gave way to a quiet, peaceful night.