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Paul sighs and shifts slightly, almost imperceptibly so as not to disturb Hugh. He glances away from the text on his PADD, his eyes following the curve of Hugh’s head for a moment. His breath had evened out a while ago and now he is deep asleep and where his beard isn’t prickling against Paul’s thigh, his breath is softly whispering across his skin. All the lines of Hugh’s body are relaxed, so relaxed that Paul is not quite sure when he has last seen him like this. For a moment, Paul wonders if Hugh is also smiling the soft smile that used to steal onto his face when he was really relaxed. Before….everything. And suddenly wishes he could see Hugh’s face, but it’s turned away from him. He shakes his head resolutely, shifts again carefully and then returns his eyes to his novel. He’s been slow at reading ever since they’ve settled down, his eyelids uncharacteristically heavy, even though the story was just the right amount of suspenseful.
When Hugh had first slipped his right arm underneath Paul’s knee, snuggling his face against his thigh, Paul had huffed, trying to pull his leg away.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting comfortable.” Hugh had turned his head, glancing up at him through lowered lashes, his eyes glittering. “I love your thighs. I don’t think I tell you enough.” Paul had made a skeptical noise in response to that, but had relented, allowing Hugh to settle down, his left hand slipping in between Paul’s back and the pillows he was resting against.
“This is nice.”
“Mmmmh,” Paul’s right hand had moved up Hugh’s back, coming to rest just below the nape of Hugh’s neck so that their arms were pressing against each other. He’s kept it there all this time while reading, not moving it much. He knows how sensitive to touch Hugh has always been in this area and how much more so he is now, so he is careful not to let his fingers wander further up, especially now that Hugh is asleep.
He blinks, realizing that he’s re-read the same sentence twice, without taking in any of its meaning. He closes his eyes for a moment, then drags them open again and looks back down at Hugh’s sleeping form, the expanse of his broad, strong back, exposed to his eyes because Hugh hadn’t bothered to pull the sheet up further from where it was flowing over his hips and legs.
He smiles again, stifling a yawn the next moment. The heating in their quarters is set to keep them comfortable even in their undressed state and Hugh is giving off delicious heat, too. Heat that radiates up from where Hugh’s head is resting on his thigh to the rest of his body.
He tries to go back to his reading but has to fight his eyes from fluttering shut. After he almost drops his PADD for the second time, he places it gently onto the bedside table.
Hugh makes a soft sound of protest, when Paul starts to wriggle his way further down the mattress, but he doesn’t wake, instead, he snuggles closer to Paul once he has settled down, pressing his face into his tummy and slipping his arm across it. Paul feels his right arm slide lower on Hugh’s back as he relaxes, his eyes finally fully closing.
When Paul wakes again some time later, it is to a feeling of calm and happiness that he hasn’t felt in a long time. Hugh’s head is still resting against his stomach and when he opens his eyes, Hugh is looking up at him with a smile. A smile that only widens when their eyes meet.
“Hey,” Paul says, his voice rough from sleep.
“Hey to you, too,” Hugh replies, still smiling.
They stay like this for a while, just relishing each other’s closeness. Until Hugh’s stomach grumbles audibly making Paul chuckle.
“I think I promised you dinner,” he says, trying to push himself up. Hugh seems reluctant to move, but then lifts his head and torso, allowing Paul to slip out from underneath him.
“Do you need a hand?”
Paul turns around to him on his way towards the bathroom, walking backwards towards the door. “Why don’t you stay right where you are until I’m back.”
When Paul emerges from the bathroom fully dressed, Hugh is still sprawled on the bed, but Paul can feel his eyes follow him as he walks out. When he comes back from the trip to mess hall pushing a trolley of food, Hugh is sitting on the bed, his nose buried in the t-shirt Paul had worn underneath his uniform earlier.
“Miss me already?”
Hugh looks up at him and smile again, but this time, there’s almost a tinge of sadness mixed in with the brilliance.
“I always miss you.”
Paul stops for a second and then pushes the trolley over to the bed more resolutely.
“It’s a good thing I’m here, then,” he says as he sits down next to Hugh, who leans against him immediately.
“It is.”