Work Text:
It was a cool night in Aubade. Samot laid under the covers with his husband, trying to fall asleep. It had been awhile since he washed up on the beach and was reunited with his love but somehow being here with him still felt new.
He didn’t know how long he had been laying there, just staring out the window. The curtains glowed with the not-quite-light of the star-stuff shield that protected Samothes’ kingdom. The star-stuff… at least some of it had been put to good use. At least Chapter wasn’t…
HIs body had long since been put back together but his mind and his heart were still in pieces. He kept replaying everything that happened over and over again in his mind -- Samothes’ death, Maelgwyn’s death, the attack on the way to the Last University, Samol’s death, the stars, his last moments with Hadrian… The memories raced through his mind, blurring together. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, had to remind himself to breathe. In through the nose, out through the mouth.
Samothes must have been woken by Samot’s shift in breathing. He turned to wrap his arms around him and bury his face in his hair. Then he started to hum a tune -- a lullaby that Samol had written for Maewlgwyn. Tears welled up in Samot’s eyes for his father, his child. But memories of destruction were replaced by earlier memories. Samol coming to stay with them for a month to help them take care of their new baby. Tucking Maelgwyn into bed after a long day of playing with his friend. Samol coming over for dinner and playing his guitar through dessert.
Soon the tears stopped coming and Samot could breathe normally again. He felt his heart slow and imagined it matched the pace of Samothes’. Eventually he was lulled to sleep by the warmth of his husband at his back and the rumbling of his chest as he continued to hum. He would never stop grieving, but at least he could get some rest.