Author: Mosh Note: You may not archive, re-post, or alter any of my stories without my permission. Please contact me first. Thanks! |
Conrad had always been a light sleeper, ever since he was a boy and would hear Wolfram sneaking along the hall in search of a midnight snack. Therefore, he was fully aware of the creaking floorboard outside his room that night. Years of being a soldier had also made him adept at recognising subtle signs, picking up on things the average person might miss. Which was why he knew exactly who was lurking outside his door based solely on the pace, weight and intent of their footsteps. But instead of rising to greet his visitor, Conrad's more playful side decided to feign sleep as his door creaked gently open. The footsteps, a little more hesitant now they were inside the room, approached the bed. Conrad continued to breathe evenly and deep, but he could not resist stretching a little, making a soft grunt of sleepy satisfaction, just to see what would happen. "Ha-!" There was a smacking sound, no doubt a hand quickly covering a mouth, cutting off the intruder's surprised shout. Conrad resisted the urge to chuckle, but only just. After a few heartbeats of bated silence he managed to get himself under control, waiting to see what his visitor would do next. It was subtle, but the atmosphere in his room had changed since the door had closed. There was now a very low, faint tension that wasn't unpleasant. More like the static when two conductive materials come into close proximity. The hairs on Conrad's arms stirred from it and a prickle ran down his back. He wanted to open his eyes, but refrained - this was way too much fun. "Uh... um." The voice was so soft, almost a whisper. "Hm." The intruder cleared his throat quietly. "C-Conrad... um." Conrad turned his head towards the voice ever so slightly, indicating he was only on the border of sleep. He stretched again, but still did not 'wake up'. "Urgh," said the voice, in a much louder, familiar manner. There was a shuffle, like feet against the carpet moving from side to side, then back and forth. Unsure. Awkward. "Conrad... I, um. Are you-" Then, finally, came a touch - what Conrad had been hoping for - gentle on his exposed arm. Soft, warm fingers pressed against his skin, much smoother than his war-callused hands. There came the weakest of shakes, and then the hand retreated. It was highly likely the intruder was afraid Conrad would wake in defend mode. If he had been a deep sleeper and not heard the approach, he might well have. In the end, he decided it was time to take pity on the boy. "Your Majesty," he said, as he opened his eyes and sat up. "Is everything all right?" Yuuri's eyes were wide and reflective in the ambient grey moonlight spilling into the room. Their centres were a familiar rich, fathomless black that Conrad thought he might get drawn into if he stared too much. "I... yeah. I just..." Yuuri shifted again, obviously embarrassed. "Wolfram's-snoring-is-keeping-me-awake-so-I-thought-" he blurted out, then stopped and cleared his throat a second time. An immediate, inexplicable thrill ran the length of Conrad's body. There was hint of an apologetic question in Yuuri's tone, although Conrad wasn't yet sure what he was asking for. He knew what he wanted Yuuri to be asking, but those thoughts had never done him any good in the past, only made him feel shameful. He knew the proper thing to say. 'I'm sorry to hear that, your Majesty. Would you like me to help prepare one of the guest rooms for you, if you're having trouble sleeping?' And yet, he found he could not bring himself to say it. He could not turn Yuuri out until he heard the question Yuuri wanted to ask. Instead, he said, "Oh?" and waited, a tightening forming in his stomach, his chest. Yuuri reached up and scratched the back of his neck, looking away - at the carpet, the bed canopy, around the shadowed room, anywhere but at Conrad. "Yeah. So I was thinking... I mean, wondering. If I. And, well. It's just the guest rooms are really cold and-" He was having such a hard time saying it, and as amusing as it was to see Yuuri dither, Conrad realised he would have to make the move, lest Yuuri chicken out and go back to his room. "Yuuri," he said softly, and was awarded a surprised blink from Yuuri at the mention of his given name. "Would you like to get in, before you freeze?" Shifting over in bed, Conrad pulled the covers back a little. He could not deny the nerves rising in his gut, nor entirely make sense of them. Although not the same kind of anxiety he got whenever Yuuri was in danger, they belonged in the same family. A part of him was afraid he had judged this all wrong. Then, a smile spread across Yuuri's face that was a mixture of relief and gratitude, and also a little embarrassment. "Thank you." Conrad didn't know what to say as Yuuri slipped into bed, pulling the covers up around himself. Up until that moment he had almost been like an apparition, with the moon shining through the window onto Yuuri's skin and hair and pyjamas, making him look unreal and ethereal, like a dream. But now he was a solid, warm presence nearby - very close, in fact. Yes, Conrad had been close to Yuuri many times before, but not in such an intimate setting. The realisation set off an unbidden thrill of arousal in Conrad, and he had to force himself not to dwell on it. "Sorry about this." Now it was Conrad's turn to clear his throat. "Not at all." If the lights had been on, Conrad was sure he'd be able to see a blush rising in Yuuri's cheeks, like when he overexerted himself in baseball, or had been out riding for long spells. Maybe Yuuri would have been able to see the colour forming in Conrad's face, too. They lay in silence for a while. Conrad couldn't say he was uncomfortable, but he wasn't entirely comfortable, either. There was something lingering in the air, something unsaid or undone. He took a deep breath as he tried to clear his mind, but the sound of it seemed to prompt Yuuri into speaking. "Thanks again, Conrad," he whispered, voice close to Conrad's ear. "I appreciate this." Pleased, Conrad moved over a little way, until he found Yuuri's hand under the covers and took it in his own, giving it a squeeze. In turn, Yuuri's fingers slipped down between his, loosely entwining them together. Whether that move had been intentional or not, it was too late for them to back out of it. Not for the first time since they had met did Conrad think the boy would one day be his downfall. He was not expecting Yuuri to turn and curl against him, cautiously settling his head on Conrad's shoulder. He felt all tense, like he was approaching a wild animal rather than a friend - again with that uncertainty. Conrad swallowed heavily, three times, wondering what the best course of action was. Another few seconds of bated silence passed, then: "I can hear your heartbeat from here," Yuuri said, his tone of mild wonder. "It's really fast, like you're... um. Hm." Conrad didn't need to see it to know Yuuri was blushing full-force this time, just like he was. He inwardly chided himself for being so affected by Yuuri's proximity. Their fingers were still touching, still woven together. Yuuri's hand twitched. Conrad held it tighter. Yuuri let out a shaky breath. After a few desperate moments during which Conrad's desires battled fiercely with his morals, he closed his eyes and gave in, knowing he might end up regretting things but quite unable to stop himself. Sliding his arm around Yuuri's slim frame, Conrad pulled him close, settling his cheek against the top of Yuuri's head. As he inhaled, he could smell the faint bath potions Yuuri used to wash his hair and found it comforting, like a pleasant memory might smell if memories had scents. Slowly, the boy relaxed, his head growing heavier as he sank against Conrad's shoulder. He mumbled something, too soft to decipher, before falling silent once again. Conrad listened to Yuuri's breathing as it slowed and evened out, and found himself starting to drift into the kind of peace he hadn't felt for a long time. In answer to whatever Yuuri had muttered, Conrad smiled, and then finally let sleep pull him under. ~Fin~ |
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