pov- imagines

PROTECTOR- SHANGQI

pairings: xu shangqi x reader
warnings: bruises, physical assault, asshole boss
about: (DA32) "are those bruises?" + (DA19) "touch her, and i'll murder you."
a/n: my darling requester i am SO sorry. it doesn't usually take me this long to finish a request, but i have been exhausted this week fro some reason, and i couldn't figure out how to end this. i hope you enjoy anyway!

you can barely gather enough strength to push the door of your shared apartment open, weighed down by the bags under your eyes and the fact that you were supposed to leave work over two hours ago. your forehead knocks against the cool entrance of your home, eyes shut in emotional exhaustion as the key in your hand blindly tries to find the lock. you groan softly when you continuously miss it, hitting your head a few times in frustration. you're barely lifting yourself off of the door, eyeing the lock, and aiming the key when the door swings open, your boyfriend standing in the frame with furrowed brows. "y/n?"

at the sight of him, you step into your apartment and press your face against his chest, loosely wrapping your arms around his waist as he returns the favor with a tighter grip, still a little confused as he shuts the door behind you. "shangqi," you mumble out, words muffled by his chest, "i missed you," you continue, nuzzling your nose against the soft material of his shirt.

he'd been gone the past few days for a mission, and while you would usually make a bigger deal out of his return–meaning balloons and some poorly made dessert that he'll eat anyways and definitely not you, exhausted, and on the verge of frustrated tears–you had been so tired lately, and you were back home too late for anything, anyways.

"i missed you too," shangqi trails off, pressing his lips to your head as a comfort that works. "are you okay?" he asks.

"i'm better now," you shrug, completely honest considering the way you can feel the energy you'd lost at your job rushing back into you with the smell of shangqi. "'don't even think i need the nap i was gonna take when i came home."

"are you sure? i don't think it'll hurt," shangqi debates, his worries utterly clear in his tone.

you force a breathy laugh from your throat, nodding, "you trying to get rid of me?"

"never," shangqi replies immediately. "but, i am trying to get you to maybe watch a movie with me?" he baits, knowing full well that there's no point in arguing with you when you're so stubborn, instead planning to put on one of the movies that never fails to make you fall asleep, if not only for you to rest a little.

"that," you begin, lifting your head from his chest but not moving from your place in his arms. "sounds like a great idea," you smile, pecking his lips before letting him pull you to the couch, where you sink into him again.

shangqi puts on the movie he remembers katie raving about, dramatically groaning at you each time you fell asleep. none of you had any idea what it was about it, but you were always knocked out cold by the first twenty minutes, less if you were as tired as you seemed to be.

you glance at him when you notice the movie he's choosing, poking him, "shangqi..." you warn, catching onto his plan.

"what?" he feigns innocence, throwing his arm around you to pull you even closer, "'felt like watching it. you know how great the ending is."

you don't. which is why the lie is so damning.

you only grumble and settle in beside him, basking in his warmth and pressing stray kisses to whichever place you can reach, happy to have him back. you're asleep seven minutes in.

-

an hour later, you're shimmying your shoulders in the kitchen, moving your hips to a song you hadn't been able to get out of your head for a while before shangqi left. you're making something for both you and him to eat–nothing too hard, of course; shangqi has made sure to assign you something you can't burn, something you appreciate after the last time you'd almost burnt down the apartment.