Work Text:
Sven sat in his bedroom. He was working. He always worked. With his sort of responsibilities, breaks were few and far between.
In the past, any free time he had was spent in the brig talking to Dave. But things were different now. The new chief, Henry Stickmin, had recognized Dave in their cell. Apparently they had a few run-ins before Dave’s capture. Since then, Dave had been allowed into the toppat clan, and Sven honestly couldn’t be happier with it.
Speaking of Dave, Sven looked over towards his bed to see the ex-prisoner sleeping soundly. Dave slept a lot ever since he was let out. After months of sleeping on the cold floor of his cell, being in Sven’s soft warm bed put him to sleep easily. Sven smiled, taking a moment to watch the mesmerizing rise and fall of Dave’s chest. It was nice to see Dave looking so.. peaceful.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Sven turned back to his paperwork. He was exhausted. But there were things that needed to be done.
“Just a little longer and you can take a break” he told himself. It was something he told himself constantly. An often-broken promise that he never really intended to keep. Nothing more than a way to push himself farther. The phrase itself had almost completely lost its meaning.
But Sven continued. He took a lot of pride in his job. His work had to be perfect or there was no point in working at all. Even when his eyes stung with the lack of sleep that only came after weeks of all-nighters, he continued on. It’s not like he could sleep if he wanted to considering someone else was using his bed. Sven glanced back over to Dave, happy that he slept most of the day.
This is how it was. It’s how it always had been. Sven worked. He never stopped. This was how he had gotten his title as third in command. With the new chief, Sven had gotten a serious demotion. So he worked harder. He couldn’t allow himself to slip.
It wasn’t healthy and he knew it, but risks had to be taken in the name of success. Despite how tired he was, he continued to work for a few more hours, until a sudden voice took his attention away
“Mhmn... Sven...” Sven looked over to see Dave slowly waking up. His eyes were shut tight as he patted the bed, searching for his lover.
Sven smiled and stood up, walking to the bed and putting his hand on Dave’s. Dave did this every time he woke up from a nap. It was a way to reassure him. To let him know that he was still safe and free.
At the feeling of Sven’s hand on his own, Dave’s eyes fluttered open, smiling at the sight of the other man. Sven placed his hand on Dave’s face, smiling wider as Dave leaned into his touch, before moving back to his desk and continuing to work.
A few minutes past before he heard the shuffling and creaking of Dave getting out of bed. Sven briefly looked over to see Dave now sitting up, sleepily rubbing his eyes.
Sven continued his work, now with a small smile on his face. Something about having Dave here with him made things easier. Before he met Dave, Sven had always felt so lonely. Even after they met, Sven only had short periods of time when he could visit the brig. But those days were over. He wasn’t alone anymore.
Sven jumped as he was quickly shaken out of his thoughts by two arms that wrapped around his shoulders from behind. He felt Dave’s head resting on his shoulder.
“What’cha working on?” Sven shuttered as he felt Dave’s warm breath on his neck. It was obvious from how Dave spoke that he wasn’t completely awake. Sven reached his hand back to stroke Dave’s hair, smiling as the ex-prisoner once again leaned into his touch. He loved how easy it was to make him do that.
“Paperwork.” Sven attempted to stay deadpan, but his smile was obvious in his voice.
“Mhm. Sounds boring” Dave joked. Sven’s shoulders shook a bit as he stifled a laugh.
“It is. How are you feeling?” Sven looked to his side as much as he could with Dave’s head resting on his shoulder
“Mmn.. tired....” Dave mumbled, pulling himself closer to Sven.
“You can go back to bed if you want” Sven commented. It would be best if he did. Sven wanted to get this work done and Dave was an easy distraction. There was a moment of silence as Dave considered this.
“Come to bed with me.”
Come to bed with him... Sven genuinely considered it for a moment. He wanted to. He really did. But he had to keep working. It would be wrong to just abandon his duties, even if it was just for a little nap. Before he had the chance to turn Dave down, however, the ex-prisoner spoke again
“I never even see you in bed. How come?”
Now that made him freeze. The question he had been dreading. Sven had to answer this right.
“I’ve.. been busy..”
“..when was the last time you slept?”
Sven had not answered that right. He didn’t respond further, instead looking at his hands and fidgeting with the edge of his shirt. There was a long and very uncomfortable moment of silence.
“Come on.” Dave began to tug Sven out of his chair.
“Let’s get you to bed.”
Sven was easily pulled out of his seat, stumbling a bit as not to fall, he tired to pull away
“Dave- I can’t- I have work to do-“
Dave held onto him tightly. He loved Sven but the man was not very strong.
“You’ll be able to work faster when you’re well rested” now that made Sven stop. Dave had a point. He was awfully tired, so much so that it was effecting his work. And the idea of finally getting to close his eyes did sound Very nice.
It was then that Sven realized just how Hard it was to keep his eyes open. He had been awake for so long and the feeling of Dave’s hands on him didn’t help at All. Sven didn’t feel his body go slack against Dave, only Dave’s reaction to it. The fifth in command rested his head on Dave’s chest as he clung to Sven tighter to support his weight better.
“Yeah... yeah alright let’s go to bed...”
Dave sleepily chuckled and pulled Sven towards the bed before gently letting go of him and crawling in. Motioning for Sven to join him. Sven shot one last tired look to his desk before giving into the temptation. He lifted the blanket and climbed in next to Dave, shivering at the warm feeling that now surrounded him.
Dave opened his arms, shifting closer to Sven and allowing the Toppat to roll into his arms. Sven snuggled into Dave, burying his head in the ex-prisoner’s shoulder. Dave held Sven close to him, his face buried in his lover’s hair. Even though he had been out of his cell for a while now, Dave had gone a very long time without physical contact, so he cherished any moment Sven was this touchy with him.
Considering how tired he was, it didn’t take Sven very long to fall asleep. Dave’s body heat surrounded him in a way that made Sven feel so safe and warm. The last thing he felt before drifting off to sleep was the feeling of his lover’s lips gently pressed against the top of his head.