Work Text:
Knock, knock.
Gabriel’s voice sounded from outside the door. “Nathalie, it’s me.” Nathalie took a deep breath before letting him into the room. The suite had an open plan, allowing you to see everything from the front entrance. Gabriel paused just inside the entrance and surveyed the room. His eyes swept over the kitchen and living room, before landing on the bedroom which had nothing but an archway separating it from the rest of the suite.
Nathalie closed the door behind him. She knew he wouldn’t be happy about their arrangement. All day, she had tried to get anything with two bedrooms but she had no luck. There was nothing available on such little notice. Her finger tapped against the clipboard in her hands. Almost half a minute had passed since Gabriel walked in and he still hadn’t said anything.
Finally, Nathalie broke the silence. “I have unpacked your necessary belongings, and the schedule for the weekend is on the table.” She could hear her voice waver as she spoke and hoped it wasn’t too noticeable. She cleared her throat as she waited for him to respond.
Gabriel finally tore his gaze from the bedroom. “Thank you, Nathalie,” he said. His face was carefully impassive, making it impossible for her to tell if he was angry. In fact, he seemed completely unfazed by their sleeping arrangements. Making his way to the bedroom, he collected his pajamas and headed into the bathroom to change.
Nathalie remained by the front door and sighed in relief once he was out of sight. The whole time she had been worrying over how he would react. Surely, she supposed, he would request a second room, or at the very least berate her for not acquiring the correct rooms like he had asked. But he didn’t. Instead, he appeared to be completely okay with this. She wasn’t quite sure how to take his reaction, or lack thereof.
The sound of the bathroom door opening took her by surprise and she struggled to regain her composure. Gabriel still looked imposing, even in his pajamas. Her eyes followed him as he made his way to his laptop that she had placed on the table earlier that day. He looked up at her, catching her staring. “You should get ready. We have to leave early tomorrow,” he said.
When Nathalie emerged from the bathroom minutes later, Gabriel had already turned off most of the lights for the night. The only lighting came from lamps on either side of the bed. There was just enough light for her to navigate to the sofa, where she had put out a set of sheets for herself earlier. As she picked them up she heard Gabriel’s voice.
“Nathalie, what are you doing?” he asked. He was looking at her in mild confusion, one hand still holding the bed sheet, ready to get in. She paused, wondering what he meant. Everything they needed for tomorrow was already packed on the kitchen counter, and she had completed all of her work for the day. He eyed the sheets in her hands. She looked down at them in confusion. “I’m going to bed, sir,” she eventually said.
He frowned. “I will not have you sleeping on a sofa, Nathalie,” he said in disgust, pulling back the sheets of his bed. “You will sleep with me tonight.”
She could feel her face heat up and was thankful for the low lighting. “But, sir,” she said, some of her composure breaking down.
“I won’t hear any excuses, Nathalie,” he said, a tone of finality in his voice. He sat down on the bed and took his glasses off, placing them on the bedside table.
Her thoughts were muddled from the shock of hearing those words. It was a while before she remembered to respond. “Of course, sir.” Her movement felt stiff as she made her way over to the bed and sat down.
Once Gabriel was convinced she would get into the bed, he turned off the lamp on his side and laid under the covers, closing his eyes. Nathalie took a steadying breath and laid down next to him, turning off the lamp and plunging them into darkness. Her body tensed up as she realised she could feel every slight movement Gabriel made. She realised she wouldn’t be sleeping much that night. Gabriel moved around for a bit to get comfortable. “Goodnight, Nathalie,” he said.
Her heart raced at the close proximity of his voice. “Goodnight, Gabriel,” she replied. Turning her head to look at him, she could barely make out his form through the small amount of moonlight coming from a gap in the curtains. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she noticed how relaxed his face was. The stern lines of his face were gone, and he looked completely content to be there, with her.
It didn’t take long for Gabriel to fall asleep. Once she noticed this, and after taking off her glasses, Nathalie rolled on her side facing him. She laid there, watching his chest rise and fall as he slept. Slowly, she began to unwind from the stressful day and she too, fell asleep.
The room was still dark when she opened her eyes, and she could just make out the empty space where Gabriel had slept next to her not too long ago. It saddened her, but she figured he must have decided to sleep on the sofa after all. Reaching out to touch where he lay, she found that it was already losing its warmth. She sighed and rolled over, intent on going back to sleep.
A light under the bathroom door made her sit up and put on her glasses. She could hear someone washing their hands. The light was gone, then the door opened to reveal Gabriel. He paused when he noticed her sitting up. “I’m sorry, I woke you,” he said, his voice low and quiet.
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I was having trouble sleeping anyway.”
He crossed the room and sat down next to her. He ran a hand through his messy hair to try and smooth it out, not realising that he had made it only more dishevelled. She tried to hide the smile from her face. His concern seemed to be only with her, though. “Nathalie-”
“I’m okay, Gabriel,” she assured him.
“I’ve been worried about you recently. I know you say you are healed, but I want you to take care of yourself.” He shifted until he was sitting right next to her, his leg brushing against hers. Nathalie looked down at her lap, trying to squash the hope rising in her chest. She knew he couldn’t mean it the way she wanted; he still had Emilie after all.
“Gabriel, I-” She stopped when she looked up and noticed how close he was. He was closer than she thought, his face just centimetres from hers.
“I don’t want to lose you,” he said, his hand moving up to cup her face. Her eyes began to close automatically. She could feel his breath on her lips and for a moment, she forgot how to breathe. Then she felt him pull away. His fingers lingered on her cheek for several moments. “We should get back to sleep,” he said, dropping his hand away.
Nathalie kept her eyes shut, not yet wanting to open them. She knew it was too good to be true. Once Gabriel had moved away, Nathalie laid back down, removing her glasses once more. She could feel the bed shift with Gabriel’s weight as he lay down next to her. Only, this time she could feel the warmth coming off him from the closeness.
Nathalie rolled over and faced him. He was laying on his side, close enough for her to reach out and touch. Slowly, he moved his hand up and brushed some stray hair from her face. He kept his hand on her cheek for a moment as he gazed at her. His stare made her face burn but he didn’t call attention to it. Instead, he moved his hand to rest on top of hers, squeezing it gently. He closed his eyes once more, completely at ease once again. It wasn’t long before his gentle breathing lulled her to sleep, their fingers intertwined.