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The night was chill and long. It had been nice earlier, but now freezing sleet was beginning to come down outside and the few customers were either going home or getting to their rooms for the night. Simon hummed as he cleaned off the tables and swept, and Rook smiled as he listened from the kitchen, washing the dishes.
“I’ll go salt the steps,” Simon said, running a hand along Rook’s back as he walked past.
“Ah – I was going to,” Rook said, quickly finishing up and putting the last pot on the drying rack. “You’ve been working harder than I have.”
“It’s no trouble!”
“Well… don’t freeze.”
Simon laughed as he took out the can of rock salt they kept by the back door. He went out to the front first and scattered a few handfuls outside, making sure to get a good amount on each step. Then he locked the door and sprinted back through the kitchen to do the same in the back. When he closed the door and put the can down, he was shivering. An arm slowly curled up over his shoulder, and Rook pulled him close.
“Would you like some tea?”
“Mm, that does sound good,” Simon murmured. Rook kept his arm around him as he put the kettle on the stove and stoked the fire, then took down two mugs from the shelf and spooned some honey into each. He scooped a bit from two different canisters into the strainer, and put that into the tea pot. When the kettle whistled he poured the boiling water in, then wrapped both arms around Simon, swaying slightly back and forth as he waited for it to steep.
“I’m much warmer now,” Simon offered. He didn’t move, and Rook didn’t let go.
“Good.”
In a few minutes, Rook poured two cups of tea and stirred in the honey. The two stood leaning against each other, sipping their tea as they watched the sleet coming down outside.
“Have you ever been ice skating?”
Rook shook his head. “I’ve seen other people skating.”
“We should try it tomorrow. I think I’ve still got our old blades in the cellar. You can wear Daniel’s.”
“It looks so graceful,” Rook whispered.
Simon smiled, leaning his head back. “It won’t be. It’ll be slippery and cold and hard to keep our feet under us. But it’ll be fun. …How are you liking that book?”
“I like it.” Rook smiled softly, taking the empty cups and quickly washing them. “It’s much… lighter than I was expecting. But there are so many layers to the story.”
“Maybe I didn’t describe it well – I’m glad you like it, though.”
“I used to read when I had time, but it was mostly… factual accounts of events.”
“Those are useful. …And they can be just as interesting as fiction sometimes.”
“Not in my experience,” Rook murmured. “Yours is just… written purely for enjoyment.”
Simon nodded, smiling up at him. “That’s useful too. You have to be able to relax sometimes. And step out of your life into another.”
Rook returned his smile. There had been relaxation before, but it was highly structured and nothing like this. He didn’t want to bring it up. “The story is interesting,” he said instead. “Though I worry what will happen when Viola eventually has to reveal herself. It must happen soon, I’m almost finished.”
Simon paused. “Could – I don’t know if you’d want to, but if you don’t have much left, I could read it to you. It’s been a while since I read it, but I like the story. I saw the play once, it’s very good.”
Rook stared at him. He was perfectly capable of reading, he understood it well and didn’t find any names difficult to sound out. But… it wasn’t about what was necessary. Just for enjoyment. “If… you want to. I’d like that,” he said quietly.
They went up to Rook’s room, and Simon wrapped thick blankets around them as they sat on the bed against the headboard.
“’When came he to this town?’ ‘Today, my lord; and for three months before…’”
Rook listened to Simon’s voice rise and fall in the rhythm of the verse, felt the faint vibrations and movements as he spoke, and closed his eyes in contentment. He was half asleep when Simon finished, but still listening, and he smiled as Simon kissed his temple.
“Ready to sleep?” Simon whispered.
“Mm. I hadn’t thought to disguise myself by wearing a dress, but that might have made me harder to track,” Rook mumbled.
“And I still would have taken you in. And loved you just as much. …And you would look stunning.”
Rook laughed softly and leaned into Simon.
When Simon had returned to his room for the night, Rook stretched out in his bed. It was bigger and far more comfortable than the ones he’d slept in before.
…But colder now somehow. He wasn’t sure – no, he knew exactly why. He turned on his side and curled up, conserving his warmth as if that would help.
It was easier to fall asleep these days, not just from exhaustion but… peace. And knowing that the morning would bring a return of warmth.
Oddly, it was a clear night when they were both tired that it was harder to fall asleep.
It was after midnight when they finished cleaning up. The good weather was encouraging travelers, and most of the rooms were full. The guests were fairly quiet, with a few lights on and a few quiet voices to be heard, but mostly soft breathing or snoring by the time Simon and Rook went to their rooms. They paused at the top of the stairs and pulled each other close, Rook bending down to rest his forehead against Simon’s.
“Goodnight, love.”
“Goodnight, my darling.”
Rook lay in bed listening, as he usually did. His incredible hearing had made him overly anxious growing up – it took time to learn to focus on what he wanted to hear, to block out what he didn’t. But years of training and practice meant he could ignore the guests, the stray cats outside, the last bar patrons heading out down the street. There were no serious threats, nothing to be suspicious of. What he wanted to hear was just on the other side of the wall. Simon’s breathing, deep and a little louder than usual – his mouth was open a little. If he focused more, he could hear the steady heartbeat. It was, as always, a comfort.
But not enough tonight. He lay curled up in the soft, warm bed, listening to the heartbeat and the breathing for a few hours. Then the breathing sped up a bit. Simon inhaled deeply, and was silent for a moment.
“Rook?” he whispered.
Rook patted the wall softly. Simon wouldn’t hear him if he spoke softly, and he didn’t want the guest on the other side of the room to hear if he spoke louder.
The bed creaked and soft footsteps padded over. He sat up as the door opened, and Simon closed it softly behind himself before coming over to sit by him.
“Did you have a nightmare?”
Simon shook his head. “I think I was dreaming something about being underwater, but it wasn’t scary. I just… woke up.” He shrugged. “You?”
“I haven’t slept yet.”
Simon wrapped his arms around Rook, nestling his head in his chest. “What can I do?”
Rook shook his head. “The bed is comfortable, and you’re nearby. It… just happens sometimes. But you should get back to sleep if you can.”
“Do you mind if… I stay for a while?” Simon murmured. “You’re soft.”
Rook chuckled and hugged Simon. “I’m always glad to have you closer. But soft is not something that’s ever described me.”
“Mm, because you don’t show people.” Simon rubbed Rook’s arm with his fingertips. “Doesn’t make you any less strong. But you’re comfortable too.”
“I – that…” Rook shook his head, unsure what to say.
“Like… an extra firm pillow. Lots of down.” He giggled under his breath, and Rook couldn’t help but laugh softly too.
“I love your… different perspective.”
Simon smiled and tightened his grip on Rook, then pulled him backwards. Rook hesitated, then let himself be drawn down.
“I’m going to crush you,” he whispered, shifting off Simon a bit.
“No you’re not – wait, just roll over a little.” Simon muffled a laugh in Rook’s shoulder and pushed him on his side, curling around his back. “You’re not that heavy. …And you know I’m not made of glass. Better?”
Rook curled in on himself just a bit. It was probably the most vulnerable position he could be in, and instinctively it made him feel exposed, but with Simon wrapping around him… it was like being shielded, protected somehow. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly.
“Rook?” Simon whispered. His hand drew back to rest lightly on Rook’s shoulder. “If you want me to move, let me know.”
He fumbled a bit finding Simon’s hand, and pulled it back around, holding it to his chest.
“Okay,” Simon murmured, shifting a little closer and pressing his lips lightly to the back of Rook’s neck. “Just tell me if you’re uncomfortable. If anything’s wrong.”
What could he say? He was overwhelmed, he was at a loss, he wanted to make himself smaller so every part of him could be surrounded in this cocoon of warmth and safety. …Could he do that, if he tried? He could, he was sure, it would just be a matter of -
No, that kind of thing led to terrible problems. No, he wouldn’t try to alter his physical being just to magnify this sensation. He curled up a little tighter though, and squeezed Simon’s hand. His throat tightened, and that didn’t make sense, he was fine, he was safe, he was happy.
Simon’s free hand shifted free and he gently rubbed at Rook’s scalp and combed his fingers through his hair. His breathing was even, and Rook focused on that. After a few minutes his own breathing was able to match it. Gradually he relaxed, bit by bit.
“You okay?” Simon mumbled sleepily into his neck.
“Mm-hm.” Rook’s thumb rubbed lightly over Simon’s hand.
“Do you… would it be okay –“
“Stay,” Rook breathed.
Simon squeezed him from behind, curling a little closer.
Hours passed before Rook next opened his eyes. They had both shifted a little in their sleep, but Simon was still curled around his back. Had he not known instantly, it would have been disconcerting. He lay still, focused on the soft breaths on his neck and the heartbeat at his back. When the breathing changed, he smiled and waited a moment for his love to wake up.
“I haven’t fallen asleep before you since the first night I came.”
Simon stretched, then fell back into place against him. “And I wouldn’t count that time. But maybe we should… do this more often.”
“I think so,” Rook murmured fervently, bringing his hand up to kiss softly.
The day was busy, but they finished up earlier than the previous night. When they headed upstairs, Simon caught Rook’s hand and pulled him towards his room. It was light enough that Rook could have pulled away with just the slightest effort, but he gladly let himself be drawn in.
After a couple weeks, they lay facing each other one night. The bed was big enough for them both if they didn’t scoot too far apart, which suited them perfectly.
“Business has just been getting better and better,” Simon murmured, and yawned widely.
“It has,” Rook agreed quietly. “We’re… doing well.”
“We are.” Simon smiled. “And I was thinking… it’s entirely up to you, of course. I don’t want to pressure you either way, we’re certainly not hurting for funds anymore. But… would you have any interest in… consolidating a little, so we had another room to open up?”
Rook stared at him for a moment. “Are you… asking out of good business sense, or would you like me to… move in with you?”
Simon laughed and snuggled into his chest. “I want you to move in with me, I want to hold you every night and wake up to you every morning, I want to be as close to you as possible. …But as I said, we’re doing well, and we can afford to keep our separate rooms.”
Rooks arms tightened around him. “I want to stay,” he whispered. “I want to feel you close to me, to be wrapped up in you and to wake up with you and… and yes, I… I would very much like to stay here.”
“Good,” Simon breathed. “…I do want to leave the room open for a while, though. Daniel can stay there when he comes.”
“You’re fairly sure he will.”
“Oh, he’s probably on his way already.” Simon pulled away a little. “Give him some time. He’s going to absolutely love you, but… he’s careful and doesn’t trust easily.”
“Not like you.” Rook smiled fondly.
“No, not like me.” Simon grinned. “So we won’t tell him that’s been your room.”
Rook laughed softly. “All right. I… I hope you’re right. That he likes me.”
“As soon as he’s willing to give you a chance, he will. How could he not?”
“That isn’t… necessarily true.”
“Name one person who knows you well who doesn’t like you.”
Rook frowned slightly. “That’s not entirely fair, not many people know me very well."
“But of those, of the ones who really know you, how many hate you?”
“I… suppose none,” Rook mumbled.
“Because you’re wonderful.” Simon leaned in and kissed the tip of his nose. “And Daniel will see that, and so will anyone else who’s worth knowing.”
“I hope so,” Rook whispered. He turned over and Simon scooted closer to latch onto his back. “But truthfully, I could accept it if no one else did. I have you. And Connor. And… that’s enough.”
Simon hugged him tightly, nuzzling into Rook’s hair. “Then you’ll always have more than enough.”
“I know,” he breathed, closing his eyes.