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Kun came back to his senses, his body laying on the wet asphalt. It was raining, cold drops of rain soaking his hair and clothes, making him shiver. The moon hung high in the sky, reflected in the puddle beside him.
He had been conjured into the human world by the incessant prayers of a restless soul, which had been more persistent than any other human’s prayers, so desperate to actually evoke him.
Kun had helped humans to fall asleep or find peace countless times, but with this one nothing had seemed to work so far. Hypnosis, heavy eyes and constant yawning, altering weather and the length of day and night, even bringing back good memories through dreams. None of those made the human fall asleep. There was something that kept him up, and Kun couldn't wrap his head around it.
“Are you okay?” Someone asked, their voice drowsy and fleeble.
Kun lifted his head, and saw a pair of cat like eyes staring back at him, dark and empty like a sky with no stars.
The man was sitting on the edge of the sidewalk, holding a now wet cigarette between his fingers. He was completely drenched but he didn't seem to mind at all, rain running down the black leather jacket draped on his shoulders and falling on the concrete.
There were bags under his eyes, deep and purple, poorly concealed with makeup, now smudged and washed away.
"Yes, I am. Are you?" Kun asked, pulling himself up and sitting beside him. His knees hurt, red rivulets of blood running from small scratches, his jeans ripped by the impact of the fall, but he could think about those things later.
The man beside him was a shell with the faintest soul, a fleeble flame trying trying its best not to get extinguished, waiting for a spark to ignite it back to life
"I don't know." The man threw his cigarette away and crossed his arms over his knees, resting his head on them and closing his eyes, his lips curved in a melancholic smile.
Kun just stood there, watching him as he let the rhythmic sound of rain falling on the ground lull him to sleep. Kun knew the man in front of him was the one that brought him on Earth, he could feel his soul desperately seeking some rest, unable to find it.
The night was silent, the street was empty, no one in sight, only the two of them sitting on the sidewalk.
The man, illuminated by the white light of the moon looked delicate like glass, fragile as if he could shatter into a million pieces with just one touch. His long eyelashes grazed his bony cheeks, his smudged kohl looked like black tears falling from his eyes contrasting with his pale skin. Kun couldn’t help but think he was the most beautiful man he had ever seen, and felt his heart ache. He gripped at his shirt, as if it could stop the sudden pain in his chest, as if it could make his heart stop beating so frantically.
“Those must hurt like a bitch,” Kun turned back to the man, who was looking at the scratches on his knees.
“It’s okay,” Kun said, raising his shoulders. He could only feel the pain of those who asked for his help, of those who traded half of their lives for peaceful sleep, but he couldn’t feel his own pain. The perks of being a God, he guessed.
The man stood up, holding out his hand. “No way, you have to treat those. C’mon, my apartment isn’t too far from here. I won’t accept no as an answer.”
Kun laughed and took the other’s hand in his, standing up. Despite staying under the rain for long, his hand didn’t feel cold at all. It felt soft and warm, making his own hand and his chest feel warmer too.
“Are you just gonna let a stranger into your house?” Kun asked, worried about the other’s lack of self care.
The man let out a laugh, his lips curled in a bitter smile, “Oh, you’re worried about me. That’s so sweet. You shouldn’t, though. It wouldn’t be the first time, just the first time it isn’t a hazy one night stand after a steamy semi public make out session in the bathrooms of a crowded club. It’s the only way I can forget about the emptiness inside my heart,” he said, a shadow of sadness in his eyes, making Kun’s heart sink in his chest.
He didn’t even know why he cared about it that much. The man was just like a human like any other, but the thought of him being intimate with faceless men in the haze of alcohol made blood boil in his veins. Kun had no right to tell him how to live his life, that much he knew, but he simply thought the man deserved more. He deserved to feel cherished and loved, to be treated as if he were made of gold, to be reminded of how beautiful he was, inside out.
Kun knew, from the moment their eyes had met earlier, that his heart was kind, that it was gripping on that fleeble flame with all its might.
“What’s your name, sweetheart?” the other then added, holding Kun’s free hand in his, noticing how he was lost in his thoughts.
“Kun, my name is Kun.” Kun felt his cheeks heat up as he stared into his eyes, a hint of sparkle inside them.
“Well, Kun. Nice to meet you, I’m Ten,” Ten said, smiling widely, his eyes curved into crescents. Kun smiled back, feeling his heart warming up. “See? Now you know my name, and I know yours. We’re not strangers anymore! Let’s go.” Ten laughed, not letting go of Kun’s hand as he started nowalking towards his apartment.
Maybe it was love at first sight. Maybe it was even something bigger than that. Kun felt like not only Ten needed him to be finally able to sleep again, but Kun also needed him to feel truly happy.
Kun looked at their hands, their fingers intertwined together, and he felt complete. Whole. As if that was where he was meant to be. Who he was meant to be with. And the realisation struck him like lightning, making electricity spark inside of him.
He smiled and followed Ten.
Ten’s apartment was a small three-room apartment, and tidy, a blanket furled on the couch the only sign of someone actually living there. Nothing was out of place in the kitchen, the silver stove shone under the pink light of daybreak.
“Do you want something to drink? Coffee? Wine? Tea?” Ten asked, pouring himself a large cup of chamomile tea. He took a sip, feeling warmer as its relaxing scent hit his nose and sat by the counter.
“Just water will be fine, thanks.”
Ten poured him a glass of water and handed it to him, and then kept drinking his tea holding the warm cup with both hands.
They just stood there without saying a word, enjoying the warmth of Ten’s apartment for some minutes.
Ten put down his now empty cup on the counter and cleared his throat. "You know, I have trouble sleeping at night," he said, resting his chin on both hands, looking at him. "But I think you already noticed that. I didn't do a great job at hiding these eyebags, did I?" Ten rubbed the area under his eyes with his fingers, smearing what was left of his makeup everywhere, on his cheeks and even on his nose. He then ran both his hands through his still wet hair, letting out a frustrated sigh. "Why can't I just fall asleep? I'm so tired, Kun. I'm literally going crazy. I've tried everything: counting sheep, chamomile, drugs... God, I even tried ASMR or some other crazy shit like that, but nothing works! I'm so tired..."
When he heard Ten's sobs, muffled by his hands covering his face, Kun's heart broke into a million pieces. He felt sadness take over him, gripping his heart and squeezing it tightly. He unconsciously started to cry too, silent tears streaming down his face.
Ten looked vulnerable and defenceless in that moment, his shoulders shaking as he let his sadness flow out through his tears.
Kun wanted to hold him close to his chest and tell him that everything was going to be okay, that he could help him. But he knew that Ten wouldn't believe his words, because they were just that, words. Words that a lot of people must have told him a lot of times already.
Kun sat beside him and placed his hand on Ten's back, rubbing small circles on his shoulders to offer him silent comfort.
Ten lifted his head, staring at him with puffy, red eyes, his lips curved up in a tired smile. He took Kun’s hand resting on the counter in his, holding it and squeezing it lightly.
“Thank you,” he whispered, resting his head on Kun shoulder and closing his eyes, his cheeks turning slightly red. Kun looked at Ten, the peaceful expression on his face making his features look softer, and he realised how pretty he looked under the light of the first hours of the morning pouring in from outside the window.
Kun felt Ten’s heartbeat slowing down, his chest heaving in slow and deep breaths, and Ten’s grip on his hand loosen up, signs that he had fallen in the arms of Morpheus. Quite literally , Kun thought, giggling quietly.
Kun placed one hand under Ten’s legs, pulling him up from the chair, the other still on his back and carried him to bed. Ten put his arms around Kun’s neck in his sleep, his face buried close to his ear, a pleased sigh escaping from his lips.
Kun smiled, walking carefully towards Ten’s room. His bed was still unmade, books piled on his nightstand. His desk was full of things thrown there messily: papers, more books, a few small canvases and a laptop on top of that. There were folded clothes piled on the only chair in the room, waiting to be put back into the wardrobe.
Being careful not to wake him up, Kun slowly put him down on the bed, tucking him under the comforter. He tried to get away, but Ten's arms were still wrapped around his neck, his grip too tight, so he decided not to leave. He sat on the bed, but over the comforter, not wanting to get inside Ten's bed with his dirty clothes, and laid down beside him, not too close in case it could weird Ten out when he woke up.
Kun turned to his side, his back to the wall, and started stroking Ten's hair absentmindedly, admiring the peaceful smile on his face, barely visible in the dark of the room.
Ten snuggled into his chest, pulling Kun closer to him and burying his face in the crook of Kun's neck.
Kun froze in his spot, blushing like a tomato as he felt Ten's breath on his skin, his heart nearly jumping out of his chest.
Despite being the God of sleep, Kun had never snuggled with anyone, especially not humans. He never needed to. Humans usually fell asleep with just a snap of his fingers, or with a lullaby, if at all.
But Ten was different. He clearly was, as it had required his physical presence to make him sleep, but being this close to him had also affected Kun deeply.
When Sicheng, the God of love as well as his best friend since childhood, had told him he would find his soulmate soon this wasn't what Kun had in mind. To fall for a human. To feel his heart burst with happiness as he felt Ten's smile on his skin, the tips of his fingers grazing the back of his neck.
Kun hugged him, pulling him closer to his chest, and smiled.
When Ten woke up, the sun had gone down already.
Sometime while Ten was sleeping, Kun had managed to get away from Ten's grip. He had decided to use his time wisely, tidying up Ten's desk, putting the books back on the shelves and his laptop in its bag. He had left the clothes where they were, not wanting to invade Ten's privacy by looking into his wardrobe or to misplace anything.
Kun had just finished another chapter of a book, when he heard Ten grunt, stretching his arms while sitting up on the bed.
"Oh, you're awake! Did you sleep well?" Kun asked, closing the book and putting it back on top of the pile on Ten's nightstand.
"Yeah, I did," Ten seemed to be processing his words for a few seconds. His face lit up, beaming with excitement, his lips curled in a huge smile, "Kun, I did it!!! I slept!"
Then he suddenly blushed, remembering what had happened hours earlier, "I fell asleep on your shoulder. And I'm in my bed, did you carry me here? Oh my God, I also cuddled you up in my sleep, didn't I?" he asked, hiding his face in his hands.
Kun laughed, taking Ten's hand away from his face.
"Yes, to both. But I didn't mind at all. In fact, I can cuddle with you everyday, if it helps you sleep and if you want me to," Kun gave him a reassuring smile, and Ten smiled back, his eyes sparkling as if they held the stars.
Before he could say anything, Ten's stomach rumbled, making him blush, embarrassed.
Kun giggled, "Oh, you must be hungry. I'm going to make dinner for both of us, if you show me where you keep things. I won't accept no as an answer," he said, mimicking the way Ten had said the same thing the day before.
Ten burst into laughter, punching Kun lightly on the arm, pretending to be offended. He stood up and lead him to the kitchen, not letting go of his hand, his fingers tightly intertwined with Kun's.
Days went by, and then months, years. They became boyfriends, moved into a bigger apartment. Made a circle of friends, which also included Sicheng, who had run away from Olympus because he missed him too much.
Kun had dropped to his knee on a lazy Sunday morning, asking Ten to marry him after hearing him laugh at a silly joke someone had made on the TV show he was binge watching.
Their wedding had been one of the happiest days in their lives, they both had cried while exchanging marriage vows, too sentimental and way too in love with each other.
Kun opened his eyes, the light of the first hours of daylight grazing his skin. Ten was still sleeping, looking just as beautiful as the first time he had met him.
Kun held him closer, taking his left hand in his, their silver wedding rings shining as he intertwined their fingers together.
He smiled. They both had finally found their happiness, their place to be, and it was being in each other's arms.