✧ Honkai star rail oneshots ✧

✧ Support - Boothill x reader ✧

Genre: Fluff, nightmare comfort, domestic boothill

Boothill was everything you'd ever wanted.

He was rugged, strong and protective... But also kind, warm and thoughtful. For years he had been helping you raise your baby sister, caring for her as if she were his own blood. And now, during the evening of the girl's 4th birthday, you felt all of your gratitude wash over you once again.

You could hear his voice from the next room, softly mumbling a lullaby whilst he arranged your sister's stuffed toys neatly beside her bed. When you looked up and peaked into the doorway, you could see him; hunched over the small cot, whispering goodnight into the little girl's ear and tiptoeing out of the room with her snores growing louder behind him. When he noticed you watching him, he smiled... A sheepish, crooked expression that made your insides flutter and your heart throb.

Aeons, I really am in love with him.

...

"Thanks for putting her down..." You murmured as Boothill slid into bed next to you. You'd already been waiting for a few minutes, and were pleased when you felt the mattress dip familiarly beneath his weight. Smiling like a schoolgirl, you curled up and wrapped your hands around him as far as they could reach, splaying out your fingers to feel him beneath your fingertips. He huffed and turned around, placing a chaste kiss on your forehead before returning the embrace.

"I think that cot needs upsizin'." He mumbled into your hair. You hummed in response and breathed him in, loving the way his scent wrapped itself around you and slowed your senses. He was probably right; in the morning you would have to start on building a new one for your sister's fast growing little body. You smiled again, warmer this time, as your chest flushed with pride at the thought of your baby sister growing up. Looking up at the man that was holding you, you sighed affectionately.

She has a good role-model.

"Whatcha thinkin' about darlin'?" Boothill pressed his lips into the crown of your head and you chuckled slightly at the ticklish feeling. Shaking your head, you rested your hands on the warm, smooth surface of his metallic chest.

"Just... You. And us. And our family." A hand came up behind your head and stroked your hair as you spoke. "I'm so grateful for the way you've been helping me with my sister recently. I've seen her face, she looks happier when you're around."

Boothill seemed to hold his breathe a little at that, and when you looked up his eyes were shining. "Ya really think so?..." He grinned proudly to himself and averted his eyes from yours, a little embarrassed at how happy those words made him feel. Sometimes he found it hard to believe that your sister wasn't his own kid... And on occasion, so did you.

You giggled and hugged him tightly, squishing your noses together before planting a gentle kiss on his lips. He smiled into your mouth, still unable to stop his face from lighting up as he thought about the family that the two of you had built.

The two of you rolled around and shuffled a little, but you ended up resting on Boothill's chest with your face sat comfortably in the dip of his shoulder. His hands were sat comfortably around your waist now, his thumb caressing whatever skin it could reach as he moved it back and forth in a comforting motion. You began to nod off, and you felt his movements slow a little as he too drifted into sleep. Smiling bashfully into his skin, you recited your favourite nighttime words in your head.

Goodnight, I love you.

Almost as if he heard your thoughts, Boothill's lips twitched up into a smile.

...

Later that night, you were woken up by strange noises next to your ear. Your eyes fluttered open, and you realised that it was Boothill, panting and writhing, clearly wrapped up in some sort of nightmare. His metal fist was clenching so hard that you could hear the steel grating against itsself, and you winced at the sound. Yawning and wiggling out of his embrace, you began to slowly shake him awake.

"Hey, its okay..." You murmured sleepily as you watched his eyes open in a panic. "You were just having a nightmare, its okay now." As soon as he realised that he was awake, Boothill let out a sigh of embarrassment and wrapped his arm back around your shoulder.

"Sorry darlin', didn't mean to wake ya." He mumbled, his face still flushed and sweaty. You took his hand and held it carefully.

"Are you... okay?"

He paused and considered for a moment, before laughing dismissively. "Yea yea, I'll be fine. I always end up okay in the end, don't I?"

You knew he was making a joke, but you didn't laugh. Drawing him closer to you, you planted a kiss on his forehead and felt his skin warm beneath your touch.

"You know... It's okay for you to say no to that."

He tensed up a little at your words, but you kept talking. "You've been so good to me and my sister, always taking care of us... But you have to let me take care of you aswell from time to time."

"H-huh?!" He startled, red in the face. "What's that supposed to mean!" You laughed a little at his expression, and brought your hands up to the place where his metal armour met his soft skin. Rubbing it gently with your thumbs, you met his gaze and blinked affectionately at him.

"What I'm saying-" You pinched at the tension in his neck and he shuddered a little, his face even more red than it was before. "-is that you don't have to shoulder everything by yourself. I'm here for you... Whatever you need me for."

...

If you couldn't tell, I'm in love with boothill.

988 words