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Silver felt like he was dangerously close to leaving Professor Trein's class in all ways but physical. He felt bad doing that to the old professor, but for a reason no one could yet explain, his sleeping problem magically became even worse the moment he stepped into a classroom. His body couldn't handle any class that required him to sit in one place and listen to lectures upon lectures – it was no less than a trap, designed specifically to lull Silver to sleep. The silver-haired boy needed something more engaging. Something that would force him to move around in order to keep his dysfunctional body awake for as long as possible, and History definitely wasn't this kind of class.
Silver's eyes were basically shut when a rumbling sound shook the classroom, a noise so loud it caused the glass windows to shake in their frames, threatening to break them. Silver's eyes opened wide. Even he couldn't sleep in such an uproar – especially an uproar caused by thunder.
He tried to recall, using his still foggy brain, the weather forecast for today. Checking the forecast every morning became a ceremony of sort in Diasomnia Dorm, and Silver was pretty sure they checked it this morning too. And as the fog that engulfed his brain dissolved, letting Silver think soberly again, he grew certain that there wasn’t anything in the forecast about thunders, not to mention a thunderstorm, judging by the amount and intensity of the blasts.
So, some thunders and a tiny bit of rain. Not something that was worth making a fuss about, was it? Only it was, especially since the unpleasant weather caught them unprepared. Weather forecast being inaccurate was something that happened from time to time. You would've expected that Weather Divination foretold by professional mages would be spot on, but on rare occasions they had some misses. And this time was apparently one of them, thus Silver was extremely worried.
The still sleepy teenager tried to move as stealthy as he could manage and pulled his phone out of his pocket. His hands slightly shook as he turned it on and searched for Sebek's name in his contact list – being caught using a phone in Professor Trein's class was in every student's Top Unwanted Things list. But Silver was good – or he thought himself to be good – in escaping Trein's all-seeing glare, as he fell asleep in Trein's class more than once or twice and stayed alive to tell about it. And so, he has managed to send Sebek one quick message that read "Where are you?".
The minutes passed, and no reply came. Needless to say, Silver couldn’t concentrate for the remaining of the class, which was such a waste since he was awake for a change. But he was too worried to focus on anything else except the phone in his hands, waiting to feel it vibrate.
When the class ended and no reply from Sebek came, Silver couldn’t afford to wait any longer. He left his seat in untypical haste, not even hearing Kalim calling after him, and made his way to Sebek's classroom.
He arrived at the first year's classroom extremely fast, probably breaking a record. He scanned the classroom quickly, and there was no need for more than that brief scan. Sebek wasn't there, and anyone could tell that right away by simply listening. It was way too quiet, and a space occupied by Sebek Zigvolt couldn’t possibly be this noise-less.
It was a good sign, Silver realized, and he sighed in relief. However he was still feeling somewhat uneasy, and just as he thought he needed something better than that to ease his mind, his phone vibrated. Silver looked at his flashing phone screen – way too quickly than he would like to admit. It was a reply from Sebek, and all it said was simply "I'm fine. Don't come."
That doesn't even answer my question. Silver thought, feeling dizzy now that the warm feeling of relief spread through his body, and the sleep threatened to take him once again. But he couldn’t afford to sleep just yet. Sebek told him not to come, but he must have been through an uncomfortable experience just now, and Silver simply had to check on him, to make sure everything was truly fine.
Silver forced his body to move, trying to shake the sleepiness away, dragging his legs all the way to the Hall of Mirrors, heavy rain and thunder accompanying him all the way there. Finally, he passed through the mirror that led to Diasomnia Dorm. There, he could get some real sleep, but not before he was certain the green-haired boy was alright.
*****
When Silver reached Sebek's alternative room, his tiredness somewhat passed. Not that he had a choice - he had to brace himself for their little meeting. Sebek usually wasn't exactly in the mood for warm receptions in this kind of situations, and Silver more than often preferred to wait until the storm has passed, quite literally, before seeing him again. But today was a special case. It wasn’t every day that the weather forecast failed them, and he was genuinely worried about how Sebek was coping.
Sebek's alternative room was located at the turret, the very top of the castle that served as the Diasomnia Dorm facility, and Silver knocked on the heavy iron door that connected to it. An elevator operated by magic, like nearly everything in Diasomnia Dorm, made reaching the turret an easy feat. There was no answer from behind the big door - Silver didn’t expect there to be one – so he simply let himself in, knowing the door would be open.
The room was large and finely furnished despite being mostly unused, and it was almost uncomfortably humid. It was dark too, the only source of light in it being a single lamp that emitted powerful heat. Sebek sat underneath it, basking in the artificial light. When he noticed that Silver let himself in without permission, he frowned.
"Did sleeping too much make you lose the ability to read? I told you not to come!" Sebek yelled in a voice that was louder than any thunder.
"You didn’t really expect me to obey, right?" Silver asked, approaching Sebek, his eyes taking in his other form.
Sebek looked… different on thunderous, stormy days, and that difference wasn't something along the lines of the rain ruining his hairdo. No, he looked different because he has actually transformed. The eyes that glared at Silver were the usual golden reptilian eyes, but the gold was more dominant, making the white of Sebek's eyes disappear almost completely. His skin turned a greenish color, and it was covered with scales from head to toe, sparkling under the light. Despite that Sebek's face was unchanged, except for his fangs – they were longer and sharper. The same could be said about his feet and hands, as they grew in size and their nails turned into long claws. And of course, there was the tail, long and pointy and very powerful.
Silver sat next to Sebek, trying to ignore how hot it was under the huge lamp.
"Did you transform in class? Were you able to get out of there fine?" Silver asked, his voice almost devoured completely by an especially loud thunder.
Sebek didn't answer immediately, and Silver could tell he was slightly sulking. The tall boy was very proud of his crocodilian features, but due to the school rules he wasn't allowed to participate in class while transformed. In Night Raven College students weren't allowed to take class while not in human form. Ears or tails like the beastmen's were passable, but anything more than that was not accepted, and so students of different species often had to alter their form in order to make school life more comfortable for everyone.
In Sebek's case though, that wasn’t possible – his transformation was involuntary and he couldn’t control it, unless he could discover a way to control the weather, but even the greatest mages found it to be a difficult task. While advanced mages could create rain or lightning with magic, just like their own King, Malleus Draconia, making them disappear wasn’t nearly as simple. Apparently, even magic couldn’t beat Mother Nature. On top of that, Sebek could barely hold his pen with his big, slippery crocodilian hands. The Headmaster made special preparation prior to Sebek's enrollment, like preparing this very room, for example, and Sebek's classmates made sure to hand him any homework and material from classes he missed.
On the whole, they dealt with Sebek's situation successfully so far, and except for Sebek's pride, which got a little bit hurt every time he had to conceal his "magnificent form", according to him, things were going smoothly.
"I managed to leave class before I transformed." Sebek finally answered, a short reply that revealed his ill-temper.
Silver thought the school rules were purely practical, and they did make sense on paper, but he did feel for Sebek. In Silver's eyes, Sebek's true form truly was magnificent. He liked the way his scales reflected the light like millions of stars, the way his eyes glowed with golden wildness. He adored the elegance the huge, reptilian figure emitted. And he especially liked the thick tail, cold and calming whenever Sebek unconsciously wrapped it around Silver's leg or waist.
Sebek thought it was a shame he couldn’t show off his original form, but Silver secretly loved the fact he was one of the few who got to view it, and probably the only one who often got to see it from up close, so close he remembered the shape of his scales and the different hues of green on Sebek's skin.
A light bump on Silver's thighs got his attention. He shifted his gaze down and noticed Sebek's infamous tail resting on his legs. Silver saw it as both an invitation and permission, and he petted it softly, feeling the cold scales against his skin.
Sebek flinched against the alien touch on his skin. His face wore an expression of true horror when he saw what his tail was up to, and he hurried to pull the rascal away. It seemed like the tail was doing whatever it willed again, and Silver knew Sebek was blushing underneath the scales, even though you couldn’t actually tell. Silver didn’t even know if Sebek could blush while in this form, but he knew it was true. Because he knew Sebek like the back of his hand.
"You don’t have to take it away, I don’t mind petting it."
"Well I do!!" Sebek raised his voice and stood up. He walked around the room a bit, stopping every few steps to stretch.
"Is it okay to be away from the lamp?"
"I got enough heath for the time being. For crying out loud, at this point I expect you to memorize that!"
Silver frowned. Sebek definitely was in a bad mood, and this unreasonable remark proved it. He didn't actually expect Silver to remember the exact time needed to warm his blood, did he? No, when it came to Sebek it wasn’t completely out of the question. After all, Sebek did remember all kind of weird details about Silver, like how many times he swung his sword in training, or how many hours he slept the previous day. The fact that Sebek expected Silver to have such fine memorization skills was actually a compliment, but unfortunately Silver didn’t have such skills. As much as Silver hated to admit it, at this point he realized that Sebek was slightly better than him when it came to using one's brain. Only slightly though.
That aside, Silver wanted to cheer Sebek up somehow. His first instinct was to tease the younger boy, as he usually did when Sebek was feeling under the weather, making Sebek angry and embarrassed at the same by speaking out everything Sebek wanted and didn’t want to hear. However on second thought it might be a bad idea in the current situation. Silver never fought seriously with a transformed Sebek, but he suspected that Sebek might be physically stronger than him, in this form at least. So no, no teasing for him this time. He needed something else.
Thunders still roared outside and thousands of raindrops hit the stone walls of the Diasomnia Dorm like tiny drums. They disrupted Silver's thought process at first, but as the sounds of the storm filled his ears, he was actually struck with an idea. He stepped closer to Sebek, who was still doing his little, pointless stretches, just trying to pass time, and grabbed his wrist.
"Come." Silver uttered, ignoring Sebek's confused expression.
*****
"Stop this right this moment, Silver! We're not supposed to be here!"
Silver dragged a defiant Sebek outside, to the forest of thorns that surrounded their dorm. The forest was dangerous for those who weren’t familiar with it, as the thorns were treacherous and easily wounded unwary individuals. But Silver and Sebek knew the thorns well, as they grew up surrounded by them back in their homeland, and they knew their way well in the forest. The thunderstorm still raged above, and unlike Sebek, Silver had to make an effort to be heard.
"Why not?" Silver spoke as loudly as he could, "The school rules say you can't go to class, but they don’t say you can't go outside, do they?"
Sebek thought about it quietly for a moment, and immediately realized that surprisingly, Silver was correct. It just never occurred to him because, well, whenever he was in his crocodilian form, the weather wasn't very inviting - not exactly the right weather for taking a stroll in the school grounds. Weather that made you feel like closing yourself inside, rather. But standing exposed to the pouring rain and the blowing wind, the cold air cooling his now warm blood, the drops rolling on his scales, covering them with a pleasant sensation of dampness… for the first time since he came to Night Raven College, Sebek felt like himself.
Silver watched as Sebek raised his head to the black, clouded skies, letting the raindrops wash his face, and his troubles along with it. His scales looked full of life, sparkling in colorful lights. A tiny smile appeared on his crocodilian face, numerous long fangs peeking out from behind his lips. At least one of them was enjoying it, Silver thought, as he stood there in his school uniform, soaked to the bone and slightly shivering. But the warmth he felt deep in his chest when he noticed the joy, the freedom in Sebek's movements, was satisfying, like the warmth of a soft flame burning silently in the fireplace.
For the first time in a while, Silver got to see Sebek's true form in all its magnificent glory. His two powerful feet that could carry him long distances in the water and out of it. His tail that stretched on the ground behind him, supporting him as so nearly no force could knock him down. His carefully set hairdo crumbled down and mint colored strands of hair fell on his forehead. And all of that was only for Silver to hold and see.
As a white light flashed from above, warning that another thunder is about to be sounded, Silver closed the distance between them, and wrapped his arms around Sebek. Even through his thick crocodilian skin, Sebek could feel the strong arms around him, and the warmth the human emitted. That, along with this weather created a perfect balance for his ever-changing blood.
Before Sebek could even return a clumsy hug of his own, his tail got a head start on him and wrapped itself around Silver's waist, gluing them closer together. His tail lurching onto Silver on every possible occasion was a bad habit he had to fix. Crocodilians his age should be able to control their tails perfectly, but the wretched thing has always failed him in front of Silver. It was embarrassing and dishonorable, but Silver was the only one in the world who knew about it. He was also the only one in the world who got to see his other form so often, the only one who knew every shape and placement of his scales. The thought was frightening somehow, but at the same time also pleasant. And as to confirm that, he unconsciously squeezed Silver harder with his tail. Sebek looked down at the silver-haired human, but he had no reason to worry – Silver was sturdy for a human.
Silver looked up at Sebek, a spark of mischievousness in his eyes, "Feeling lonely?"
Sebek couldn’t blush while in his crocodilian form, and yet he was still certain he could feel his face heating, "I-Idiot! I simply can't control it yet, you know that!"
"Shame. I thought you wanted some pets." Silver continued, unable to stop himself from teasing Sebek.
"Of course not!!"Sebek's voice could be heard clearly despite the unceasing storm, "You're mistaken if you think this crocodilian can be tamed!"
Silver thought that Sebek was already pretty tame, in front of him in any case, but Silver chose, wisely, to stay quiet.
"Alright, so how about this?" Silver asked instead, and reached towards Sebek's lips. He had to stand on his toes, as Sebek became even taller while in this form, but after a few moments Sebek finally gave in and leaned forward, kissing him back awkwardly. Sebek wasn’t very fond of kissing while transformed – he was worried his fangs would hurt Silver. But Silver actually found the feeling of the sharp fangs on his tongue and teeth to be pleasing, and he enjoyed the thrill of such a high-risk kiss. The kiss this time was also wetter than usual, rain and saliva mixing together Silver couldn't tell the difference anymore. But it was also warmer, softer, both of them trying to be gentle.
"You know I dislike kissing like… like this." Sebek said once their lips departed, his voice muffled as he covered his mouth with the back of his hand. However his tail was still wrapped around Silver's waist.
"But it made you feel better, didn’t it?"
Sebek looked baffled, so Silver continued, "You were feeling down earlier, so I assumed bringing you here would make you feel better."
"Me? Feeling down?" Sebek still looked puzzled, "What made you think such a thing?"
Silver raised an eyebrow. Sebek wasn't lying, he genuinely wasn’t aware of his own feelings sometimes. But that was fine, because as the years passed, Silver learned to read him like an open book, "You were being all grumpy. I could tell. It must have been awful, having to leave in the middle of class and all."
Sebek remained quiet, thinking about what Silver has just told him, and Silver took advantage of that and sneaked a pet to Sebek's tail. Sebek let out an annoyed groan and slapped Silver's hand away, finally releasing the hold of his tail around the human.
Now that Silver was completely sure Sebek was fine, and the adrenaline from the kiss has passed, he was suddenly so exhausted, and this time he felt there was no saving him. He did well to endure until this point, but the hold of the sleep on him was too mighty to stand now.
"Sebek," Silver heard himself saying, like from afar, "I'm falling asleep."
"Hey, don't you dare!" Silver could hear Sebek yelling, the only voice he could always hear, piercing even through the thick walls of sleep, reassuring that Silver was still there in the universe. "I'm not going to carry you, you hear me!?"
Silver chuckled, though he didn’t know if he actually chuckled, or if he was already dreaming. Despite saying that, Sebek has always ended up carrying him. Even Sebek wouldn't leave his boyfriend to sleep in the rain. And then, something else happened. Silver could feel Sebek's lips on his ear, and then there was a tiny whisper, consisting of two simple words: "Thank you.".
Did Sebek really say that, or was Silver's sleep-deprived mind playing tricks on him? He absolutely couldn’t tell. As far as he knew, it was all just part of his dream. But one thing he did know – on that day his sleep was especially warm and cozy, and filled with dreams about wet kisses in the rain.