The fire crackled softly, casting warm amber light across the stone walls of the Diasomnia common room. Shadows danced behind the ornate candelabras, the space quiet save for the occasional rustle of paper as Sebek turned a page. He was sitting on the couch in front of the crackling fireplace, his boyfriend Eliot curled up against his side. Sebek had an arm wrapped around Eliot’s shoulder, holding him close.

His citrine eyes remained fixed on his book- the latest entry in The Adventures of The Grand Wizard Trysarys. But his posture had softened from its usual rigid stance. The arm draped over Eliot's form was relaxed, protective, fingers occasionally shifting against the fabric of his boyfriend’s shirt. Eliot nuzzled closer into Sebek’s embrace, holding up his own copy of the same book. The series was a shared favorite between them, one of the first things they had bonded over. Sebek had wanted to make a competition out of reading the latest entry, see who could finish first. Eliot had teasingly warned “if you finish before me, I’m not talking about it with you until I’m done.”

The playful threat had made Sebek drop his competitive streak. Now he was simply reading for the pleasure of it, and to bask in the company of his darling. A log shifted in the hearth, sending up a small shower of sparks.

Sebek’s thumb traced an absent pattern against Eliot's shoulder. His brow remained furrowed in concentration at an intense scene, but the usual tension in his jaw was absent. Outside, the distant sound of rain had begun to patter against the windows. The common room had grown warmer, the fire's heat pooling around them like a blanket.

"You're breathing too loud." Sebek eyed Eliot. The complaint held no real bite behind it. If anything, Sebek's arm tightened fractionally, pulling Eliot closer against his side as he continued reading.

"Oh, sorry." Eliot snarked back with a gentle nudge to his boyfriend’s ribs. Sebek's body tensed for a fraction of a second at the nudge—a reflexive bristling that melted almost instantly. He chuckles before pressing a soft kiss into Eliot’s hair and returning to his book.

"You know you make a very comfortable pillow." Eliot chuckled as he laid his head onto Sebek’s chest. Sebek tilted his book slightly as Eliot settled against him. The steady thrum of a heartbeat could be felt, faster than one might expect from someone so outwardly composed.

"A pillow,” Sebek rolled his eyes with a gentle smile. “I’ve been reduced to furni-"He stopped. His jaw worked for a moment, the protest dying somewhere in his throat. The tips of his ears had gone faintly pink, visible even in the firelight.

"...You are fortunate I am in a generous mood."

His free hand came up to rest against the back of Eliot's head, fingers threading loosely through their hair. The touch was clumsy, but not unpleasant. He stared very deliberately at his book, not reading a single word. Rain continued its gentle patter on the windows. Somewhere deeper in the dorm, the faint echo of footsteps faded into silence.

"...The fire is warm enough?" Sebek asked as he glanced down at Eliot, still using him as a head rest. His thumb continued its slow, absent stroke against Eliot's scalp.

"Hmm, perfect." Eliot sighed contently. He slowly lowered his book into his lap, relaxing into Sebek’s warm body.  

"I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be right now." Eliot nuzzled into Sebek, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend to hold him closer. Sebek’s arm moves from his shoulder to his waist. He shifted his position, so he was now lying on his back and pulled Eliot in, so he draped over him like a blanket.

The shift was smooth, almost as if Sebek had just been waiting for an excuse. Eliot's weight settled across him, and Sebek's book found a home on the armrest of the couch, forgotten. Both arms now encircled Eliot's waist, hands folding against the small of his back. Sebek's chest rose and fell in a slow, deliberate rhythm beneath him. The firelight caught the sharp angles of his face, softening them into something tender, and gentle.

"Good." Sebek hooked his chin to rest against the top of Eliot's head, breath stirring through dark blue hair. The rain had grown steadier outside, a constant murmur against glass. The fire popped. Somewhere in the distance, thunder rumbled.

"You... are not uncomfortable? Like this." Sebek asked. His voice had dropped, quieter than usual. One hand traced a slow path up Eliot's spine, then back down. His heartbeat remained quick beneath Eliot's ear. For all his stillness, for all his carefully controlled breathing, something in Sebek hummed with tension. Not alert just... present.

"Stay." The word was soft.

“You'd have to push me off to get me to move from this spot." Eliot lifted his head up slightly to smile up at Sebek before softly kissing his jaw. He nuzzled into the crook of Sebek’s neck now. The warmth of the fire, the steady patter of the rain, and the security of Sebek’s arms wrapped around him, had Eliot starting to drift into a comfortable nap.

 "Don't wake me. This is lining up to be the best nap of my life."

Sebek's breath caught—a small, sharp inhale at the kiss against his jaw. His arms tightened fractionally around Eliot's form, pulling him impossibly closer.

"I wouldn't dream of it." The words rumbled through his chest. His hand resumed its slow, rhythmic path along Eliot's spine—steadier now, more deliberate. A grounding touch.

The fire had begun to burn lower, flames settling into a gentle glow. Shadows stretched longer across the stone floor. The rain's rhythm had become like a lullaby, steady and unhurried.

Sebek's head tilted, cheek coming to rest against Eliot's hair. His eyes remained open, fixed on the dying embers, but his body had gone slack beneath the weight draped across him. The tension in his shoulders had bled away, leaving something softer.

Minutes passed. The thunder had faded entirely. Even the rain seemed to be quiet, as if the world itself had decided to leave them be.

"...Foolish human." Sebek whispered fondly. Barely audible. His lips moved against Eliot's hair—not quite a kiss, just presence. His eyes finally slipped close. The fire crackled its last, settled into a bed of glowing ashes. Warmth lingered in the hearth, in the body beneath Eliot, in the arms that held him.