All For Love [Reth x OC x Jel]

Night Shift

Reth really did not want to get up; the warmth of Azu's body pressed against him, and the feeling of Jel's hand still loosely clinging to his hip, made it so hard to pull away. It took every shred of willpower he could muster to even sit up, sighing softly as he gazed at both of their peaceful sleeping faces. They were beautiful; stunningly haloed in the moonlight streaming over them from the window; like a pair of angels, they were perfect...he couldn't help but wonder what the two of them saw in a nobody like him..

He tried not to think about it, though; not to let it plague his mind, as he carefully got up so as not to wake them, and started to get ready to head into town. Instead, he focused on reminding himself that he was going to come back after his shift; and that if he hurried, he might even be able to sink back into bed with them, and enjoy a little more time in their embrace before the day started..

For now, he had his 'Night Shift' to attend to; and the thought of getting it over with as quickly as possible to come back to them was a pretty good motivator. It was the first time in ages he'd used Zeki's bookcase to get to work; sneaking into the shop and downstairs so that he didnt have to get past Ashura at the inn, heading into the underground's kitchen and sighing when he saw the backlog of deliveries he needed to make..

"Hey, good t'see ya made it~!" Zeki laughed as he saw Reth standing in the doorway of the kitchen, following over from his register to talk to him for a moment. He glanced at the stack of packages and grumbled a little; letting out a sigh before he looked up at the Majiri. "I did what I could t'keep people off yer back; they're gettin' impatient though. Good thing ya came in."

Reth sighed as he glanced at Zeki for a moment, before he went over to look through them; talking to him as he glanced at the different drop points and addresses they were meant for. "I figured...as much as I want to ignore it and take care of Azu, I definitely cant do that if I slack here.."

Zeki shifted as he rubbed his jaw, grumbling a little as he tried to figure out what he could say; if he even should say anything. He didnt, for a few moments; watching Reth sort through things and start planning a route for the night, until he had to say something; it'd eat at him if he didnt. "Listen, Reth.." he started, sighing as the man paused and furrowed his brow at the tone. "That girl'a yours is something else; even compared t' other humans, she's willin' t' push a lotta lines; and I don't mean just down here, as much as she's been a big help t' me. It'd throw a real wrench in a lot of things if she were t' get herself killed; all over Kilima.. Best you go look after 'er, as soon as your finished with that run; dont bother doin' inventory, I've got it handled."

Reth had to pause and furrow his brow, slowly putting the package in his hands down as he locked eyes with the grimalkin. There it was again; that sinking feeling in his stomach that told him she was definitely keeping more secrets than he'd thought. He didnt like how much it mirrored the way he'd kept Tish in the dark; and as he made that connection, a question he was afraid of even asking bubbled up in his throat; forcing him to swallow it back down before he could regret it. "Thanks, Zeki.." he murmured; watching the grimalkin nod and walk off before he shifted to lean against the counter, staring at his hands while his thoughts spiraled around his head like bees, buzzing in his ears so loudly he couldnt even hear his own breathing.

Just how involved was she with Zeki? How many strings was she really pulling on? Why was she so important to keeping things running, all of sudden? What had she been doing right under his nose this entire time?

Was she doing it for him, the way he was doing it for Tish??

It had plagued him all night as he ran around making his deliveries; not even bothering to report back as he finished, since he'd been excused from the in-house work he'd normally do. He was back at Azuriela's plot as soon as he possibly could be, furrowing his brow as he looked around from the gate; watching the sun barely starting to peek over the horizon as he took a deep breath and started to walk inside. It was absurd to think he was that important to her, right..?

They were still asleep when he came in; the clock on the wall reading just after 4:30, and the moonlight that had haloed them was replaced by the first signs of twilight, creating a shadow across their faces...but they were no less beautiful. He had to keep asking himself, as he took off his chef's coat and laid it over the back of her armchair; wondering if she really would, or if she already had gone to such extreme lengths...he couldn't be her reason...right? That was crazy..

Azu groaned a little as she felt the bed shift, sleepily opening her eyes to see Reth sitting down; smiling brightly when she met his eyes and reached up for him, dragging him back down to lay with her as she lovingly cooed at him in a sleepy little murmur, completely unaware of the chefs thoughts. "Baby~..! You're back, we missed you..!"

Jel yawned as he blinked awake too, snuggling into her and reaching for Reth as well; rubbing the man's back as he sank into Azuriela's arms, and smiling sleepily when he melted into them, his body relaxing under their fingers. "Mmm, much better~" he sighed in content, squeezing Reth's hip for a moment before going back to rubbing his lower back.

He couldn't have resisted even if he had wanted to; the way the two of them smiled at him so lovingly as they pull him down into their embrace brought tears to his eyes, sending his heart into his throat as he let himself turn to putty in their hands and snuggled into Azuriela's arms, reaching over her to hold Jel's side. He let out a shaking sigh as he brushed his fingers across the tailor's soft skin, and left a kiss on the hunter's neck; before shifting his head to give Jel a kiss over her shoulder..

Jel hummed a little against his lips, furrowing his brow when he heard Reth sniffle; meeting the chef's eyes as they pulled away and frowning a bit at the tears he saw glistening on the man's face, pulling him tighter against Azu as they both let out a loving sigh, seeing him cry. "Oh, Trouble.."

"Babe.."

Reth shook a little as Azu reached up to wipe away his tears, and Jel's hand settled against the small of his back to keep him pinned there against her; not that he would have wanted to move, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, letting him rest his head against the side of hers. It felt like he was suffocating when he tried to breathe; drawing in shaky little gasps to try and hold back his tears, only to feel more well up as Jel started to kiss them away, gently peppering his cheeks and nose in affection. He couldn't put into words how much he'd longed for this; for someone to come home to, someone to hold him like this; and even if this wasn't exactly his home, he was welcome here; they wanted him here; they missed him here..

"We love you, Reth.." Jel murmured as he kissed away a few more tears from the chef's face, starting to rub his back once more as he sniffled again. Azuriela had told him before that Reth got overwhelmed by their love sometimes; but seeing him silently weeping in joyful disbelief like this, in the light of the early morning...it was starting to make him realize just how starved of affection the man really was..

"We love you so much, baby." It was something Azu had already expected by now, though; so she didn't hesitate to keep adoring him, knowing exactly how badly he needed it. "More than soup~"

"Heheh-" Reth finally cracked a smile, chuckling a little at her lighthearted teasing tone; squeezing Jel's side as he took a deep breath and smiled at the tailor. "I love you two...so fucking much.." he sighed, closing his eyes as he leaned in to give Jel another kiss; blushing a little at the saltiness that lingered on his soft lips..

They were so good to him; so much better than what he deserved; but they loved him...and he was starting to actually believe them..

Maybe he really did mean that much to her..