What Is Love? | My Inner Demons x Reader

Chapter 39: A Little More Time {Pierce's Route}

~Third Person PoV~

Pierce enters (Y/n)'s bedroom, glancing over at their sleeping figure beneath their blankets. The others had yet to decide who would be best to watch over the human, but Pierce managed to slip away from the group in the midst of their fighting. He gently shuts the door behind him and walks further into the room.

He tries to keep a bit of distance from (Y/n), not wanting to disturb their rest. Instead, he wanders over to their work desk, littered with scribbled checklists and notes. While he was a bit interested their thoughts, something else on the desk caught his eye. In the corner of their desk, there were printed photos of the Daemos that had been posted on Ava's Instagram. They were in a messy pile, but the pictures themselves were quite nice: the colors were vibrant and Pierce thought they managed to catch the essence of each of the Daemos without even meaning to.

He smiles slightly at the pictures, a bit curious to what drove (Y/n) to make physical versions of them. Not that he minded, of course, but he was a bit unfamiliar with the human's sentimentality.

Pierce looks away after a moment, his eyes instead catching the photo of him and (Y/n) from the arcade, hanging up on their mirror. He walks over to look at it closer, recalling easily how they had made him smile; just the thought of them gave him the urge to smile now.

His eyes linger on the photo for a long moment, more specifically on (Y/n)'s bright smile and eyes alight with excitement. It took him a long moment to break out of his thoughts of admiration toward the human when he turns around to find them staring at him from their bed, still laying down.

~Pierce's PoV~

I turn fully to face (Y/n) once I saw they had woken up. "How are you feeling?" I ask, softly, not wishing to cause them any further stress than they may already be feeling.

"I'm a little better..." (Y/n) spoke up in a quiet voice. "Still tired, but better."

I slowly approach them, watching as they lift their head to look up at me. "Do you need help getting back to sleep?"

(Y/n) shook their head at me. "N-No, I don't... want to go back to sleep yet." They state with no explanation of why, but I decide not to press. Their eyes flicker over my shoulder to look at their mirror. "We're you looking at that picture?"

"Yes." I state. "I also saw the ones of your desk."

They smile slightly at that, turning their attention over to the desk. "Yeah, I had those printed so I could hang them up on my walls."

I tilt my head at them in confusion. "Why?"

"Because... we're all friends." (Y/n) replies as though it should have been obvious. And perhaps I should have realized that sooner as well, that we have all forged a bond with the humans.

(Y/n) gestures for me to come closer and I comply, walking over and sitting down beside their bed as they prop themself up on their arms. "I hope this isn't too weird to hear, but... you all mean a lot to me..." They speak up again. "I really... value having you guys around. Maybe more than I can lead on sometimes..."

I'm rendered speechless by their kind words, but they don't give me a chance to reply as they keep talking.

"Speaking of which... I'm really, really sorry for getting mad at you all last night." (Y/n) let out a small sigh. "I was just so... exhausted, I wasn't thinking straight. And when you guys said Ava was dead, I just... panicked..." Their eyes fall downcast. "She means a lot to me too..."

Slowly, I reach out to lift their chin and their eyes meet theirs. I'm not entirely sure what possessed me to take such an action, and I nearly pull away, but (Y/n) leans into my touch. "You're kind for caring so much." I tell them. "You have no need to apologize for that."

(Y/n) shifts a bit, now only leaning on one arm as they place their other hand over mine. "Well... I still care about you all too, y'know? I can't help but feel guilty for yelling..." Their hand grips mine, gently removing it from their face. "I'll make it up to you sometime, okay? I promise..." They look down at our connected hands as they link their pinkie finger with mine.

I feel my skin flush, but I look back to them without hesitation. "Thank you, Prime (Y/n)." I murmur, and they seem to giggle at the title I give them. "Now sleep. You will feel better."

(Y/n) nods in agreement, lowering themself back onto their pillow. Their hand releases mine and I can't help but notice how empty it feels now without the warmth of their skin.

Their eyes flicker closed, and I lean against their bed, reaching up to stroke their head as they slip away into their slumber. They lean up just a bit, just for a moment, into my hand, and I feel my heart race.

"Can you stay for a little longer...?" They whisper, eyes not opening. "Just until I fall asleep?"

Their voice makes my heart ache and I realize I cannot say no to them. I whisper in return a small "Yes" and they smile as they begin to doze off.

Still, even as they fall asleep, I remain at their bedside, petting their head and watching them rest peacefully before me. Something about seeing them in such a state makes me feel at peace as well. When I am alone with them, my mind wanders to unfamiliar places, and I find myself recalling their gentle words and touches.

I never feel quite deserving of their affection, nor their kindness. Not with the horrible things I have done on Daemos as a General. Yet, even with these thoughts, I can never seem to pull myself away from (Y/n). When they are kind to me, I want to reciprocate. When they treat me like I am truly good, it makes me want to believe them...