TW: Slight Angst, 2nd person POV

He's changed. You can see how he hesitates slightly when near you. It frustrates you, so much. Why won't he touch you like he used to? Like before you left?

You know why. He hates you; he doesn't trust you. You left him and now he resents you for it. He's in the magic room now, making another complicated magical item that you still have no idea what it is. He's talking about why glowstone is a better light source than torches but you're not listening. You're planning something.

Slowly, you creep behind him. Your hands wrap tightly around his waist from behind, causing his speech trail off.
"Zoey?" he whispers. Before you lose your nerve or Rythian could make an excuse to leave, you undo his dark mask, letting it float softly to the cracked marble ground. You've seen his face before, but not since you left. He leaves it on when he sleeps in your bed now, as far away from you as possible. It hurts, a lot.
"Zoey, what are you-?"
You shush him, walking around him to face him. Slowly, you raise your hand to trace the bumpy scars scattered over his cheeks. You linger over the one that covers his lips, smiling when he leans into your hand. You lean in closer, inhaling the scent that could only be described as a mix of the tang of magic and him. It's addicting and your heart aches when you realise how much you missed it, how much you missed him.

"I'm so sorry I left," you rush. "I missed you so much, I know I shouldn't have left, we should have talked." The words aren't enough, they aren't enough to convey how empty you felt at the rebel base without him. You missed his warmth as you cuddled during the nights, the soft chuckles when you said something he found funny or adorable. Most of all, you missed his touch, gentle as if scared of breaking you. He was always scared of hurting you. It made you feel loved. "Please don't hate me anymore." Your voice breaks pitifully at the end and you blink back the tears that threaten to fall.
Rythian grabs the hand that is still caressing his cheek. You're afraid that he is going to push it away and leaves but he laces your fingers together and brings them to his lips.

"I don't hate you!" He sounds so genuine but you know he's good at hiding his true feelings. "I could never, it's impossible for me to hate you." His thumb is tracing circles on your hand and his warm breath is sending goosebumbs over your entire body. You feel weak, but you haven't been this close in weeks. You've been craving it.
"You've not been the same with me since I got back." You wipe the tears that fell quickly with the back of your free hand. Taking a deep breath, you begin again. "We never cuddle like we used to, you always wait until you think I'm asleep before you go bed and even then you keep on your mask and-"

"You're right." His words break you. Your heart drops and you can't breathe. You try to pull your hand away but he hold on. "No! I didn't mean it like that!" He's running his hand through his messy brown hair as his eyes widen in realisation. "I meant I havebeen acting different." His words are swift and quick as he hastily tries to explain. "I've been scared."

You hang on every one of his words. Normally his words relax you but now they are causing your heart to beat loudly in your chest.
"Scared?"
He smiles softly as he carefully tucks a piece of your fiery red hair behind your ear. "So scared. I thought you would want me to stay away, to keep my distance. I didn't want to smother you. I didn't want... I didn't want you to leave again." You can hear that he's struggling to admit his feelings and you understand why. You broke him when you left him all alone in this big castle without a goodbye. You made him feel unwanted and now he's afraid of rejection, because of you. You can't help but throw yourself into his arms as you sob heavily. You whisper sorrys into his shirt as he nuzzles your hair and holds you close.
"Stop apologizing." He says, hands moving to your shoulders.
"But I need to! I hurt you because I was being a coward."
You can feel him shaking his head but you need to finish, you need to let it all out. "I had no reason to be scared. I know you would never hurt me, even though I hid that I was doing science. I was just so worried that you would tell me to leave and you would hate me so I left." You pause, letting out a watery laugh. "It makes no sense but I guess to you nothing I say makes sense"
Rythian let out a chuckle and it makes you feel warm again. "Just another reason why I love you."
You both freeze when the words leave his mouth. You had always felt that he had loved you but hearing the words out loud make it so real. You pray to yourself that he meant it, that it wasn't a passing comment. You couldn't deal with it if it was.

"Y-You love me?" You stutter. He isn't making eye contact but you can see the red blush on his cheeks. You can see the panic in his purple eyes even as he looks at the magical stalactites across the room.
"I'm sorry" His teeth worry his bottom lip as he pauses. "This doesn't have to change anything! I'll move into the guest room and-"
You cut him off by running your hands under his shirt, smiling as he gasps. "I love you, too," You whisper, as if speaking too loud would break the peace in the small room. You can finally breathe freely. This is everything you've dreamed of and more. Smiling at the look of shock on his face, you balance on your tiptoes and lean closer.
He's still in disbelief as he gasps, "You do?"
You nod and run your hands through his hair like you've been dying to do since you had returned. His eyes light up and he grabs your hips to steady you.
"Say it again, please, I need to hear it."
Your more than happy to oblige. "I love you, so so much, you big grump!"
He lets out another wondrously happy laugh and you can't help but join. If it was possible you would die of happiness.
He tilts his head down and he captures your lips. You've kissed before- many, many times- but this is different. It's as if you're both pouring all your emotions into the kiss. He grabs a fistful of hair as he deepens the kiss and you close your eyes in pleasure. The hand on your waist is the only thing stopping you from melting into a Zoey coloured puddle on the floor. You can taste the mushroom soup you made him for dinner on his lips but there's an underlying taste of something purely Rythian. You finally pull away to gasp for air. Rythian rests his forehead on yours and your pants mix and echo across the room. He plays idly with the hem of your shirt.

"You're so beautiful, Zoey. I love you."
You smile as he continues to whisper sweet nothings to you. You're perfectly content to stay like this forever. Well, not forever. You have something else in mind.
"You know, we do have a bedroom."
You both grin at each other and run up the marble stairs and into the main bedroom. As you both collapse on the bed in a messy pile of limbs, you can't help but hope Teep doesn't come home for a while. You have no plans of being disturbed right now.

Credit to Xephin on AO3