Archive of Our Own ^beta

the grey drone of pouring rain against the cool stone street was nearly as accepted and forgotten to the bachelor’s ears as the rustling, reedy breeze that sifted through the twyre stalks and through the air, no matter how deep into the town you stepped, away from the fields. he couldn’t make himself care much for the steady pattering sounds that battered against the band of pain that strapped his skull, compressing his brain in a vice grip. the dribbling of raindrops rolling off his nose and cheeks felt all the same as the blood that trickled relentlessly from the nostrils he clutched with his shaking, glove clad fingers, the smell of leather, iron, and rain making him feel all too dizzy. yet he forced himself forward on feeble legs, steps shaky under his own weight, wheezing shallow breaths of damp air into aching lungs, blowing them out in puffs of steam that shrouded his pale face, blotched healthily with purpling bruises and streaks of his own blood.

ignoring the chill that settled deep into his bones, seeping far beneath his coat and his skin, he decided he was somewhat grateful for the onpour. it drew the townsfolk out of the late night streets for the most part, allowing him to shamble along in relative peace. he would’ve been far more miserable if there were witnesses to this sight; to the bachelor dankovsky limping along, bloodied and bruised, looking lucky to even be standing. to be fair, he did spend a good long time on his back, unconscious on the floor; so long so, in fact, that he wasn’t even entirely sure of the hour anymore. all he knew was it must've been quite late, since the town rang with an eerie silence, like everyone had already died and the homes that lined the roads were filled with only wailing spectres.

the endless buzz of the rain was only interrupted once by a large, deep, billowing rumble of noise, sounding like a mountain crumbling apart. it briefly startled daniil, until the sky broke out into a dazzling flash of light, the whole steppe becoming alive with electricity for less than a second, before the scenery dulled back into the flat greys and shadowy blues that he was used to. a sourness grew within him, toiling in his chest, at the realization that he wasn’t going to make it back to stillwater swiftly enough to beat the storm. and with the shape he was in, it was absolutely in his best interest to get out of the cold. he already felt the pelting of water on his back growing stronger, a strong gust of wind gracing the red, raw skin of his cheeks.

the last thing he needed was a cold to weaken his immune system while he was recovering from his injuries, not to mention the plague amok in the streets. he shivered, his jaw clattering slightly with the chill of the air, as he came bitterly to the idea that he might need to find somewhere to stay for the night.

and, much to his own chagrin, he knew of exactly one person who might have been awake in that hour, and would even potentially be willing to help, at that.

he released an arduous sigh, feeling suddenly all too tired, before forcing himself onward on weak legs once again; this time with a destination in mind.

——

artemy burakh’s temporary housing in his father’s old factory was not used to getting visitors. the front room was a tiny space, mainly taken up by the haruspex’s various medical instruments and equipment along with a crude bed where he sat reading, so the sound of the knock rang quite alarmingly loud through the still air.

his head turned instinctively to the closed door of the other bedroom, where he was letting sticky and murky sleep for the night, though his ears had noticed acutely that the knock did ring from the front door, which surprised him. he blinked thoughtfully at the kids’ door before his head turned to glance at the entrance to his home with hard, careful eyes. he sat startlingly still, as if it would make him more silent, trying to hear as much as the breathing of the stranger on the other side of that door. he prayed it was some sort of coincidence; maybe it had started hailing, what with the rain and all. he let out a small, silent breath, thankful he had gotten the kids inside when he did. it ached his chest to think about them in the rain.

his thoughts were interrupted by another pounding knock on the door, this time much more impatient. his frame hardened at the sound, and he quickly swiped his hand along his desk and caught his scalpel in his palm, wielding it carefully in front of him. he approached the door on his lightest footsteps; he hoped it wouldn’t be a useless measure in the instance that the intruder had a gun or any ill intent at all, for the struggle of which would probably wake the children no matter how lightly he tread. he tried to shake the thought away and focus on the issue at hand. there was someone behind that door, and at this hour, it could be anyone, and he couldn’t afford to take chances.

“who’s there?” he called out in a stern, deep voice, hoping to sound intimidating enough to whoever threatened their peace. however, he was greeted with a startlingly familiar voice, although weak and somewhat nasally, but all too familiar nonetheless.

“burakh? is that you in there? i was just about to give up on you—“

before he could finish, the door swung wide open, both doctors in full view of each other at last. the haste took both of them by surprise, a few beats of silence filling the space where they didn’t speak.

“bachelor dankovsky,” artemy finally spoke, his voice laden with slight shock, “what the hell are you doing out here?”

the shorter man responded with a frustrated flick of his hands, water droplets springing from his gloved fingers in rays, his brow stern as he forced a shaky smirk.

“oh, just decided to take a little stroll in the rain, is all. what does it look like i’m here for?” daniil snapped, looking nearly incredulous, and artemy found himself completely void of words. in all honesty, he couldn’t have guessed even close in that moment what daniil was doing on his doorstep; what he wanted from him.

“really, you’re going to force me to spell it out for you? have you no sympathy for me, for my dignity? not that there’s any left worth having, after all. your beloved town has drained me of everything i have. do you hear me, haruspex? everything!” he nearly growled, as much as his small body could muster in his weakened state, his words bitter and miserable, “so, since formalities are still so important apparently, even at a time like this, allow me to ask kindly, i suppose. oh, dearest burakh, would you please lend me some shelter from the fucking thunderstorm i find myself standing in, currently?” he finished his bout with a sharp bite in his words, leaving artemy speechless once again. he took the chance to properly take in what he could not see as well at first from the darkness shrouding their encounter; the bruised eyes on the doctor’s face, weary and begging for mercy, his nose busted and spouting with mahogany blood. he took daniil’s hand in his before impatiently yanking him inside and closing the door behind them.

“pretentious bastard.” he muttered under his breath, strolling over to the heater. dankovsky, seemingly still reeling, stared at him with hard, disbelieving eyes.

“excuse me? care to repeat that?” he asked, clearly offended. artemy scoffed over his shoulder as he threw a log on the fire.

“you could’ve skipped the theatrics and just asked, you know. it wouldn’t kill you to admit that you do need my help, sometimes.”

“i don’t need your help, i could’ve gone to anyone! you just happened to be nearby!” daniil barked.

“not judging by the state of your clothes and hair. you look as if you walked a ways just to get here, didn’t you?”

daniil sat in sudden, stunned silence for a moment, before he grumbled under his breath, his voice shielded by his hand cupping his nose.

“it’s you who’s the bastard, anyway.” he said more clearly, and artemy resisted a small smile from tugging its way across his lips.

“and you need my help because of that nose, don’t you? what even happened to you?” artemy stepped closer to him now, holding his hands out as if to grab daniil’s face and give proper inspection, but not before the shorter man smacked him away.

“well, if you must know...i finally got a look at that abbatoir, like i wanted. wasnt nearly worth the effort, but such are things in this dastardly town, no matter the case, it seems.” he admitted hollowly, his face donning an expression of emptiness and exhaustion.

“oh, bachelor,” artemy replied softly, “you shouldn’t have done that.”

“thank you, haruspex,” daniil sneered, “because i obviously couldn’t gather that for myself.” he punctuated his sentence with a grimace, clutching at his nose with a trembling hand. artemy crowded in closer once again, not making any effort to reach out this time, and the bachelor tentatively allowed him into his space, to his pleasant surprise. he got a good look at the nose as daniil’s hands fell from his face, staring at artemy with intrigue hidden deep in his eyes, far beneath the cold sting of his glare. artemy found that he didn’t mind much being under daniil’s gaze; he had nothing to be afraid of, after all. physically, he had the upper hand in nearly every way, should things go south for any reason. not that he pictured they would; he considered the bachelor a smart enough man not to make any moves as stupid as trying to murder a man like the haruspex in his own home, but the fact of his fighting prowess being stronger than the shorter man before him comforted him. he didn’t plan on defending himself from daniil, though; after all, he had come asking for help, whether rudely or not. he hadn’t given artemy any reason to distrust him so far, so he hoped there was a sort of trust to be formed there, between the two of them.

with that thought, artemy lifted his heavy hand and made ginger work of inspecting daniil’s face; the scrapes and blisters lining his cheeks, the bruising of his eyes, the awkward bend of his nose. he placed his other hand at the cup of daniil’s jaw, and he immediately found himself needing to resist the urge to coo at how small the latter man appeared in his hands, due partially to their own impressive size, but amplified by the doctor’s shorter, thinner frame. if the bachelor’s eyelids fluttering closed was a sign of anything, artemy wasn’t sure. he aimed his index finger at daniil’s chin, where the blood had dripped from his skin, and gently traced it with a feather-light touch, following the Line. he hit the bump of daniil’s bottom lip, then the top lip, just in time before the man parted his mouth slightly, breaking the line. a breathless sigh, barely audible, shuddered out of him. artemy took note; he followed the blood until his finger graced the underside of the curve of his nose. but before he could get any further, daniil winced and pulled away, as if he were a puppet on strings being thrown.

“OW—fuck!” he cursed harshly through clenched teeth, his eyes squeezed tightly shut. artemy blinked at him, trying to appear apologetic with his face, but he was too taken aback by the sudden break of the doctor’s usual formal speech. it amused him, almost, but he quickly felt guilty for that thought and tried to shove it away; only to be presented with the question of why he should feel guilty for this prick in the first place. but he tried to rid himself of the whole thing; pictured wrapping all his thoughts up in a bundle and throwing it all off a cliff.

“it’s broken, for sure. i can set it for you, but it’s going to hurt more than that.” artemy said to ground himself, reminding himself of what he was supposed to be doing. daniil threw his head back and groaned, coming from deep in his throat and sounding truly defeated.

“what are the consequences, if we don’t set it?”

“trust me, you don’t want that.”

another labored groan, practically a sob.

“...okay. you have something for me to bite on?”

“slow down, you’re gonna want to sit,” he gestured to the bed briefly, “and you can just bite your glove.”

daniil looked at him disdainfully, before taking long strides toward the bed to take his seat.

“and put holes through my expensive leather?” he retorted, his eyes narrowed and mean. artemy sighed, tired of this strange little man already.

“...okay, then you can bite my glove.” he said, whipping one out of his pocket and tossing it to the bed. daniil watched the glove as it flopped down by his side, and artemy could swear he saw the man’s cheeks color a bit, and he wondered if—and how—he had flustered him.

he drew closer to daniil once again, who looked considerably smaller then; being seated brought the top of his head level with artemy’s stomach. he appeared frail where he shivered miserably on the bed, which made artemy feel even worse for what he was about to do to him.

“alright, are you ready?” he asked gingerly, only to be met immediately by a scoff, though weak in its delivery.

“let’s just get on with it, burakh.” daniil responded, reluctantly placing the glove between his teeth.

artemy put a finger under daniil’s chin and tilted his head until their gazes met. daniil appeared to be shocked by this action, his eyes twinkling in a way that, for once, didn’t look angry or tired, and it was so unfamiliar that artemy had no idea how to read such a face. so he chose to gloss over it, bracing his other hand on daniil’s nose, his thumb laying long on one side, his index and middle prodding carefully at the other.

“alright. going...now.”

an unnerving crunch sounded, followed by a high pitched yelp from the bachelor.

“jesus...christ!” he spat out painfully through his gritted teeth, his whole body shuddering from the intense pain, “god...fuck.”

artemy gave him time to catch his breath, taking his hands off of him. however, as his fingers fell away, daniil almost seemed to chase his touch. artemy blinked at him curiously, nearly fond, deciding to raise his hand to daniil’s skin again, this time pressing his large palm to his forehead, which daniil leaned into eagerly. he eased and melted into the warmth of artemy’s touch, the glove falling from his mouth.

“you’re freezing,” artemy said distantly, half expecting daniil to sneer at him, but when he said nothing he went on, “take your clothes off.”

daniil seemed to choke on the air he was breathing, his face coloring, “w-what?!”

“your clothes are wet. take them off,
you can wear some of mine while they dry. so you don’t get hypothermia. it’s cold tonight, bachelor.” artemy supplied, simply as ever, like it wasn’t anything to ask. daniil looked like he wanted to argue but couldn’t find anything to refute, so he settled into silence instead, staring down at his lap. artemy stepped away from him and instead busied himself with digging through his wardrobe for something that might even remotely fit daniil. from behind him he heard the shuffle of clothing, along with some pained groans and sighs.

“c-can i smoke in here?” daniil asked feebly, sounding like his teeth were chattering, likely from being undressed. if it were any other circumstance, he would say no, since he hated the smell of cigarettes, but he knew he couldn’t ask him to smoke outside.

“sure, oynon, just keep it near the fire.” he answered warmly, hoping the smoke would blend in with that of the burning logs, and also that it would heat daniil up a bit. he heard him shamble over to the heater on bare feet, a cigarette sliding out of its box into his palm. artemy finished gathering what he felt would work; a ram’s wool sweater, thick and warm, a little shrunk from washing, his old pair of work pants, tough green fabric that matched what he wore then, some wool socks, and a large, old quilt he had held onto since childhood.

he back out of his wardrobe and turned to the now silent man, who only faced him with his bare back, undressed to his undergarments, sitting on the floor before the heater with his legs hugged tight to his chest, a swirling trail of smoke spiraling from the end of his cigarette from the side of his head that artemy couldn’t see. his eyes fell downward, taking in the bruises that riddled the milky skin of daniil’s taut back, flaring red and purple indignantly against his pale complexion.

“oh, dankovsky, your back…” artemy nearly winced at the concern in his own voice, pushing it down to be thought about later rather than in that moment. daniil turned his head passively at being addressed, but seemed not to care.

“i know. it’s fine. i don’t think anything is broken.”

“you have to let me check. there might be something else.” artemy insisted. daniil’s face hardened, like he was afraid.

“i don’t need to be babied, burakh. i’m fine.”

artemy shook his head with a sigh. he wished that man didn’t feel the need to make things so difficult all the time. he took it upon himself to stroll toward dankovsky’s tiny frame where he sat in a ball on the floor, plopping the clothes next to him, before draping the blanket over the thin shoulders of the doctor. daniil refused to make any eye contact, his gaze trained heavily on the fire in front of him, his cigarette smoking from his lips.

artemy turned his back to daniil once more, courteously granting his attention to something else. he never understood the shame of cityfolk, how they felt their bodies to be so private. it’s not like he hadn’t ever seen another man naked before, god forbid, but he tried not to let it sour his image of the bachelor. it just was something he would have to get used to.

the haruspex busied himself with retrieving a cloth from one of his drawers, hearing daniil begin to move behind him. he opened a small pot that sat on top of the heater, dunking the cloth carefully inside and soaking it. even though he wasn’t looking, he could feel daniil’s eyes on his back.

“what’s that for?” he asked, his voice finally easing out of its cynical state and edging on actual curiosity. it made artemy smile just a tiny bit, a slight tug of his lips, but he wouldn’t let the bachelor see that.

“it’s just herbs in hot water. to clean up your blood and wounds, and the strong aromatics will loosen up your nasal cavities and help drain all the blood out.” artemy supplied dutifully. the bachelor seemed to shuffle on his feet behind him.

“oh. lovely.”

artemy suddenly turned, ready to wipe down daniil’s face. he caught him mid dressing, the trousers laying low on his hips and the socks peering out past the hem of the pants, but his upper body still uncovered. his ribs and chest was riddled with bruises and marks of force, which caused the haruspex’s heart to sink in his chest. he couldn’t believe daniil was stupid enough to even try to enter the abbatoir, but he couldn’t help but feel bad for him. daniil blushed helplessly under his gaze, caught off guard, his small body still shuddering from the cold. he rose his cigarette back to his lips and took a hearty puff to ease himself.

wordlessly, artemy found himself drawing closer, his free hand landing on the lines of daniil’s ribs, his fingers chasing the grooves.

“what part of ‘i’m fine’ do you not understand, you fiend?” daniil questioned weakly, but his body swayed and followed along with the warm pads of artemy’s fingers, showing he truly wasn’t protesting. artemy’s calloused fingertips ran gently across the bumps of daniil’s ribs, but he felt nothing sharp or out of place, other than the horrific bruising. various scars scattered the bachelors skin, but a certain couple caught his medical eye. symmetrical scars underlining the flat surface of his chest, small lines that laid where the first of daniil’s ribs began, separated by his sternum. artemy’s eyes lingered on the scars, which looked too different from the rest, too precise, and dankovsky seemed to burn under his gaze, his blush spreading so much so that it appeared even on his chest, though faintly.

“you got your fill yet, haruspex?” daniil asked, but his voice was small and too weak to produce any venom. artemy let a finger run along one of the scars, tracing it gingerly.

“they didn’t do this to you. this was...a procedure.” artemy observed quietly, feeling the rigid line of sliced and healed flesh, hardened into a crystalline scar that jutted out slightly from the skin. he could tell immediately what type of procedure it was. he felt lucky; he had never seen an example of it for himself before. however, daniil quickly turned away from him, facing him with his back again, grabbing the dry sweater and pulling it over his head.

“yes, i know. i got it back in the city. it doesn’t really matter.” he hurried his answer, evidently not wanting to dwell on it any further than they already had. artemy stood by silently, the cloth still hot and damp in his hand while he watched daniil finish dressing himself. his eyes wandered carefully over him, wanting not to seem too prying or obvious, but he desired to get a long, real look at the bachelor. not as an outsider, not as an inferior, not as the strange man he thought he knew...but as a person, just as tired and worn to the very same bones he was; after all, in one way or another, they were fighting the same thing. and for neither of them could it have been an easy task, nor would it be for anyone else. even the most capable of doctors would be stretched thin by the sand pest and it’s bizarre ways.

the moment that daniil turned and showed his face again, his cigarette back between his lips, artemy made his move to enter his space again, grabbing his chin. daniil looked up at him in his grasp, his eyes glittering strangely with yet another unfamiliar stare, his neck hugged neatly by the turtleneck collar of artemy’s sweater, which hung around him loosely; still far too big. he had to cuff the pants a few times for the sleeves not to be stepped on or dragged on the floor.

“what the hell did they feed you growing up?” daniil grumbled beneath his breath, which made artemy finally break into a small laugh, his lips drawn into a pretty little smile, which instantly made daniil’s face soften. artemy couldn’t remember if he had ever smiled in front of the bachelor before, which made him distantly feel a little embarrassed. he tried to distract himself from it by raising the hot cloth to daniil’s nose, beginning to dab at the blood drying above his upper lip.

“you know, i always sort of wondered about that. when i was studying in the capitol, your cityfolk portions could never satisfy my appetite. whenever i went to restaurants, i had to order two or three things. and it was brutally expensive, of course.” artemy said, his voice deep and oddly sincere, as if they had been friends for years. it was daniil’s turn to laugh, a small scoff of a thing, but warmer and more genuine than anything artemy had heard him make before.

“well, i guess that explains it. you beast.” he said, though his words lacked any bite. he winced slightly as artemy scrubbed away at the thick blood that caked his skin, as gently as he could. artemy didn’t know what to say, so he continued with his work in silence, and daniil followed suit, not saying another word for multiple minutes.

“you were right,” he suddenly said, his voice soft, “that stuff did loosen up my nasals. i can...feel the blood going down my throat. and i can breathe better.”

artemy blinked at him, slow and thoughtful, “it’s a special blend. i can show you how to make it, sometime. not that it’ll be of much use to you, when you go back to the city.”

daniil’s eyes suddenly fell to the floor, and he didn’t speak. he put his cigarette to his lips and drew in a long breath, blowing out downward, trying to avoid artemy’s face as much as he could warrant. artemy stared at him with unrelenting, soft eyes, wanting desperately to understand this man. to know him, to study him...to understand the inner workings that guided him, to know his lines.

“listen, um...bachelor. i’m sorry if i invaded any boundaries, pointing out your scars. i meant nothing by it, i was just intrigued since, you know, i haven’t gotten a chance to see those types of lines for myself before.” artemy explained almost bashfully, but he tried to remind himself of what he had held onto before, that he had nothing to be afraid of when it came to the bachelor. but somehow still, this little man instilled a unique nervousness within him that no one else had been able to prior in his life, and it unsettled him slightly.

daniil suddenly met gazes with him, regarding him with flurrying, nervous eyes.

“it’s...it’s fine. i just...don’t want you to think of me any differently now—now that you know.” he said, sounding almost miserable, and artemy’s heart ached in his chest.

“daniil,” he pleaded, and he recognized how noticeably affectionate it sounded once it came out of his mouth, but he couldn’t bring himself to care anymore about his own unpredictability around this man as it seemed neither of them had control over what was said as the night’s events were clearly being driven by fate alone, “no, i would never let something like that change my image of you.”

“and what exactly is your image of me? what am i to you, haruspex?” daniil wasted no time in his reply, looking up at artemy with dull, yet pleading eyes. artemy stared back at him with as much sincerity he could muster through his face alone.

“a respectable man of medicine,” he answered simply, “and my colleague.” daniil looked at him with a disbelieving gaze, but artemy only returned his look with steady, honest eyes, which forced a silence between the both of them, thick in the air like fog. daniil blushed healthily, his cheeks turning pink as he averted his gaze, taking another long puff of his cigarette.

“well then,” he started quietly, “good to know we hold each other to a similar regard.” he still avoided eye contact with artemy, who looked at him now with warm, fond eyes, doing everything in his power to fight the smile that wanted to wrestle its way onto his face.

“yes, that’s a good thing.” he said out of a lack of anything better to say, but he had to say something in order to keep himself from smiling. daniil glanced up at him with warm eyes for a moment, before bashfully turning back to the floor. artemy sighed contentedly, regarding daniil’s frame with gentle, caring eyes. suddenly he stepped away, and he could sense daniil following him subconsciously, just for a split second before he leaned away and pretended it didn’t happen. for his sake, artemy pretended he didn’t notice.

he grabbed a loaf of bread from a cupboard, unwrapping it from the cloth that donned it. he cracked it in half, quickly making his way back to stand before daniil. he extended his hand with one half of the bread to the shorter man, who regarded it carefully.

“it’s not much, but you really should eat something.” artemy said, his gaze trained hard on daniil’s face, which was distracted with staring at his hand, deciding. artemy wasn’t going to wait for him to decide, though, and shoved the half of the loaf into daniil’s hand, not giving him any time to refuse before he was taking a bite of his own half. daniil just stared at him with incredulous eyes, but he eventually gave in and sighed, taking the cigarette from his mouth and lifting the bread to his lips. artemy watched, pleased with himself for a little moment, before he turned and went to sit on the bed. as he settled into his seat he stared at the bachelor expectantly, his eyes unblinking and demanding. daniil, seemingly all out of energy to refute anything, silently made way to his side, sitting with him on the thin, stiff cot.

they sat and ate together in a small silence, the only sounds being their chewing, the crackle of the fire, and the droning patter of pouring rain on the roof.

“i apologize for it being a little stale,” artemy broke the silence after a while, “i would break the fresh one for you, but it’s for the kids, for breakfast.”

daniil’s head snapped to him quickly with interest, “kids?”

artemy instinctively looked to the door to the bedroom again, “yeah, the kids, i guess i’m…keeping them safe, for now. otherwise they’d be on the streets, and i couldn’t live with myself if they were out there, the way things are lately.” he answered calmly, though his voice was edged with a certain sadness, like just the thought was enough to send him to worrying. daniil glanced at the door now, his intrigue making itself evident in his perked posture.

“oh, i see. what a kind heart you have, burakh. to lend your home so freely to others. i admire that.”

artemy found himself taken aback by daniil’s sudden, soft spoken words, so much so that he couldn’t speak for a few solid beats of silence. he wasn’t sure if daniil had ever given him a direct compliment before, and the idea made him feel an unfamiliar burning sensation in his gut; a feeling that he felt could easily drive him mad.

“thank you, oynon. i appreciate that, coming from you.”

daniil seemed not to have a response for this, so their silence returned, pouring to fill in the spaces in the air around them, making their ears ring as they avoided eye contact. daniil took the last puff of his cigarette before standing to toss the butt into the fire. artemy watched him with caring eyes, silent but warm and present, and daniil could definitely feel it as his eyes crawled up his back. he couldn’t help it; there was something about daniil wearing his clothing, looking so small and vulnerable, that he couldn’t get enough of, now matter how long he looked. it was foreign, but not entirely unwelcome.

daniil returned to his spot by artemy’s side. neither of them looked at each other and neither of them spoke, but artemy could sense against his side that they were mere fractions of a centimeter away from touching. he could sense the heat radiating off of the bachelor, how his hands curled and unclenched over and over in the hem of the sweater. he felt charmed by the smaller man’s nervous habits, for some reason. it made him feel better about this own bundle of nerves that he nursed in his stomach just beneath his chest, warm and persistent no matter how hard he tried to ignore it.

for a long while artemy found himself lost in thought, eating his bread absentmindedly as he stared at the floor with blank eyes. he didn’t know how long he had been spaced out for until he was gently prodded out of it by a weight landing against his side, suddenly grounding him once again in the real world. he turned and, much to his surprise, found the weight to be daniil’s body leaned against his shoulder and side, fast asleep, his jaw fallen slightly slack and his tense brow finally easing into a softer expression. artemy blinked at him with slow, surprised eyes, before he allowed himself finally to break composure, his face softening into a fond smile, warm and kind. he lifted a hand, gingerly tucking a loose lock of daniil’s raven black hair behind his ear, his fingertip tracing a faint line along his forehead, gently as to feel the smoothness of his soft skin roll along under the callused tip of his finger. his hand fell away carefully, and he let out a sigh, staring upward at the ceiling now. he released a heavy breath again, the pressure in his chest still pounding and feeling all too overwhelming. he swallowed; his adam’s apple clicked, and his eyes slid closed.

“what have you gotten yourself into, burakh.” he whispered to himself, breathy and desperate. he couldn’t find an answer. instead, he turned his face downward, taking to observing daniil’s sleeping face again. he found himself always turning back to this man, like a sunflower always turns with the guide of the sun. he hated it, sort of. he couldn’t tell anymore. he didn’t even want to try to tell anymore.

——

daniil, once surrounded by peaceful darkness, suddenly found himself lying still and awake on one of his sides, staring directly at the wall. the orange glow of the fire flickered behind him, outlining and dancing on top of the shadow of his head, and the image seemed to prove itself most interesting to him for a long time. he stared at his shadow burning on the wall for a good while before he even realized the coldness of the lack of a body behind him. he suddenly whipped around, and was met with the fact that the warmth that shrouded him was from the quilt alone, and that artemy was not in bed. daniil made quick work of standing up, despite the dizziness of sleeplessness and the ache of his face and chest that slowed him down.

he looked around the room with somewhat frantic eyes, searching for artemy. he found his own clothes, that which were once folded haphazardly were now hung with care over a few chairs, in an attempt to let them dry from the rainwater that soaked them through. artemy must’ve hung them up, while he was sleeping. it made daniil’s heart ache.

“artemy?” he called out gently, quiet and frail, and he he cringed at himself for how easily the name rolled off his tongue. he was embarrassed that that had to be the first time he addressed artemy by first name alone. he would blush, but he hardly had the energy to.

besides, his attention was quickly drawn away from that idea altogether when artemy suddenly emerged from behind the door to the bedroom, closing it quietly behind him, his eyes caring and searching.

“bachelor, what’s wrong?” he asked quickly, with genuine intent, and that was enough to properly make daniil blush.

“”i—n-nothing, just i...i didn’t know where you were, that’s all.”

“sorry, i went to watch the kids. you fell asleep,” he answered simply, his eyes quickly scanning the room, “is something wrong?”

daniil suddenly felt like an idiot, and if there’s one thing he hated the most, it was feeling like an idiot. and, somehow, artemy was the only person in the world who could make him feel that way.

“oh, uh, nothing is wrong, really. it’s just, well, i just,” he stammered uselessly, his tongue tying in knots the more he tried to speak, “i just didn’t want to be alone, that’s all. but if you’re busy, that’s fine, i don’t want to take you away from—“

“no, it’s okay,” artemy quickly supplied, “i’ll, um. i’ll stay with you. if that’s what you’d like.” he poised it like a question, looking expectantly to daniil for a response. the latter just turned away, making his way back to the bed.

“okay, good. i would like that. thank you.” he replied, quickly burying himself and his embarrassment in the quilt on the bed again, sinking into its warmth. he watched on as artemy followed him, stopping to stoke the fire and raise the temperature of the room.

he wondered silently to himself about the wordless loyalty of this strange man. he questioned how he managed to do everything with careful attention and a calm expression to his face that gave the impression that he knew how to do everything with an ancient wisdom and confidence that perplexed him to no end. the entire time that he had known him, all the haruspex had done was repeatedly and impossibly impress the bachelor, over and over without failure. he had a certain grace to his touch that he never saw in another man in his life; something he admired, and possibly envied. he stared long and hard at the stark shapes of artemy’s calm face, his expression focused and attentive to his work, illuminated brightly and starkly by the orange beams of the fire’s glow. daniil wondered distantly when it was that he had grown so fond of the delicate touch of the surgeon, of the careful glitter of his green eyes when he dedicated his attention to something. it mildly horrified him as he came to the realization that it had happened over the course of that very night. but he was given no time to dwell on it before artemy was turning to him again, their gazes meeting with intent.

daniil blinked up at him, bundled up to the neck by the quilt. he threw it open as best as he could, and gestured for artemy to come in.

“...c’mere.” he said, almost guiltily. artemy stared at him with a long, strange look, like he couldn’t make any sense of what he was being demanded.

“um.” he uttered finally, but he couldn’t seem to muster any more than that. daniil responded by flapping his hand a few times down on the mattress, lifting his eyebrows and staring at the taller man with anticipating eyes.

“get over here, come on.” he insisted, putting his shame aside. he could always pretend he didn’t remember any of this happened the next morning, should it be brought up. so he decided it didn’t matter anymore.

artemy stepped cautiously toward the bed, before reluctantly kicking off his boots and climbing under the quilt. he settled onto his side, the mattress creaking under their combined weight, and they stayed laying on their sides for a moment, staring long and hard into each other's eyes.

artemy looked much different when their faces were level, and that close together. daniil felt as if he could see every blemish and every curve of artemy’s surprisingly handsome face. his brow looked softer and his face gentler than how he was used to seeing him, and for the first time, the strange silent giant of a man that daniil always knew seemed uncharacteristically vulnerable, completely to his mercy.

the feeling gave an overwhelming rush of heat to his face, which he promptly attempted to hide, leaning forward to press his head under artemy’s chin, nosing at his neck. much to his near startlement, artemy gasped, a slight hitch of breath, hardly anything, but enough to send daniil into a flustered flurry. the mere idea that he could elicit such a noise from the brooding haruspex, that he alone could cause such a significant fracture of his composure with just his touch, made his stomach explode with such a foreign heat he thought he might actually be sick. they laid together, their touch burning hot against each other, yet neither seemed comfortable, both stiff with held breath.

“god, you’re so warm.” daniil commented, shifting into artemy’s heat. it was true; he was emitting heat like a fire, to the point he almost felt too hot to touch against the chilly tips of daniil’s fingers. artemy shuddered against him, a sigh leaving him in shaky rolls of breath down the back of daniil’s neck, making him feel light headed.

“s-sorry. i’m, uh...i’m not used to this.” he tried to explain with a hit, airy voice. daniil considered his his words carefully, lolling them around in his head as he thought about what they could mean. not used to...what?

“artemy,” daniil started easily, “when’s the last time you were this close to a person?” the words were spoken into artemy’s chest, followed by a nervous gulp on daniil’s part. an uneasy laugh rang through artemy’s chest, and daniil could feel it’s vibration under his palms.

“i don’t...i don’t know. it’s been a long time. listen, i don’t understand why this is importa—“

artemy was quickly interrupted as a breathy gasp shuddered out of him, following the movement of daniil’s hands as they ventured up under his shirt. he immediately placed his hands firmly over artemy’s heart, familiarizing himself with the way his heartbeat began to thunder and speed under his touch, loud and present, thrumming under his fingertips. artemy’s skin burned, flushed bright and hot from his embarrassment, his breath ragged through his desperate attempts to hide it. the bachelor felt charmed, his own cheeks coloring at the sight.

“just as i suspected. you’re starved of touch.” daniil said, his voice sounding breathless and mildly hopeful. artemy swallowed, thick and nervous, before he spoke.

“‘starved of touch?’ don’t be ridiculous…” he tried to argue, but his words lacked much of anything. he sounded thoroughly defeated.

“i know how important quarantine is right now, of course, but i think we’re already well past that wall by now. we are animals, us humans, and we need touch from one another just like all animals do, after all.” daniil argued, more to himself than to artemy, before he slid one of his hands out from under his shirt, allowing it to creep up artemy’s clothed abs and chest and draw out a few noises from artemy before landing finally to cup the back of his neck. daniil pulled him in impossibly closer still, maneuvering himself until they met eyes. artemy looked into his gaze with a near pained expression on his face, begging the bachelor silently, ‘please, whatever your point is, just get on with it.’

so daniil wasted no more time; his hand still under artemy’s shirt shifted from the center to one side, cupping his chest and the beat of his heart in his hand still, absently letting his thumb flick over artemy’s nipple on accident. the taller man full-body shuddered, the bed shivering with his reaction, which pleased daniil quite a bit.

“save the venom, burakh. i know that you aren’t so displeased by this, at least not as much as you wish you were.” he said, his own voice all too breathless, too unforgiving to his demeanor, but he found it useless to pursue such anxieties. after all, there was much else to focus on, with the haruspex spliced open and laying vulnerable in front of him, in his own hands, at his own mercy. the idea excited him to no end, for some reason.

“are you sure it isn’t you who’s enjoying this too much?” artemy finally replied, his voice beating against daniil’s face in hot puffs of breath that made him dizzy all over again. however, he was never one to take a challenge lightly, and he responded by pushing the back of artemy’s head until they were mere fractions of an inch away from each other. artemy’s eyes blew wide open, his breath turning shallow, but their gazes never broke once. daniil seemed pleased with himself, letting a smile dawn on his face as his hands made easy work of untying the haruspex’s knots. his palms scanned over tough skin in slow, tantalizing movements, abusing his access to skin as he skirted once again beneath the protection of artemy’s shirt, feeling up along his sides, the ridges of his ribs, feeling the movements of his breathing. artemy burned and squirmed in his grasp, doing everything in his power to avoid making his small noises; little breathless sighs of relief and shuddering gasps of surprise, a little cycle that seemed to repeat itself as daniil made himself familiar with the terrain.

“while i wouldn’t discredit that this does amuse me as well, i don’t think i’m as flustered as you.” daniil said, his voice barely above a whisper. his hands slid up to grasp artemy’s neck now, holding the strong man in place in his hands, but he seemed in no way willing to fight anymore.

artemy seemed like an entirely new person as he became undone in daniil’s hands. a blush was ripe on his face, his flesh impossibly softer and warmer with each new touch. he was a man of unending mystery, one who just kept unfolding and untwisting before daniil in all the ways that intrigued him, made him want to press deeper and deeper until he knew him inside and out.

“daniil,” artemy keened breathlessly, “please.” daniil knew not what he begged for, only that the sound of his own name on his breath in that way made him feel woozy and light headed. he hummed inquisitively, as if he were asking artemy whatever the matter was.

“you’re embarrassing me.” he answered gruffly, and he seemed to tell the truth, if the blush on his skin was anything to go by. this only pleased daniil more, the admission going straight to his head, hungry for more.

“there’s nothing to be ashamed of,” daniil reassured him with the movement of his hands, rising now to cup artemy’s face, his thumbs dancing over his cheeks with an airy touch, “it’s only me.”

with that, artemy’s face seemed to wash over with a sort of grim acceptance; like he knew that they had already gone this far, and it was too late to do anything about it now. his eyes fluttered closed with a breathless sigh, and he looked, for once, slightly at peace. he gave himself silently to daniil, willingly, waiting for whatever was to come next.

daniil took great pleasure in his advantage. he decidedly wanted to let up a bit on his insistence, to give artemy a chance to properly ease into him and let go. his touch slowed and swayed along the curves of artemy’s skin, memorizing every imperfection and detail that was etched into his body, trying to make sense of the complicated story of lines that decorated him.

his palms returned and lingered along the front of artemy’s clothed chest again, feeling his pulse strum beneath the pads of his fingers. he sighed contentedly, leaning into artemy’s broad shape, taking comfort in the way he could shield all of him so nicely.

“you’re a funny man, oynon.” artemy said, seemingly beyond himself or his own reasoning. it’s something that he’s told daniil before, but it sounded different then; it held a different air. the raven haired man looked upward to regard artemy, who had his eyes open now, hooded and heavy with a strange look in his gaze.

“no funnier than yourself, my friend. here, try it.” daniil grabbed one of artemy’s hands, and immediately felt some foreign pang in his gut as he realized how small his hands were compared to artemy’s. he tried to ignore it, placing artemy’s hand over his own chest, letting his heartbeat thump into his large palm. artemy stared at him with gentle, steady eyes, falling particularly silent as he shifted all focus to daniil’s heart, as if it were trying to speak to him. daniil felt the sudden shift of attention, the crushing weight of artemy’s full acknowledgement. daniil’s heartbeat sped like a mouse’s in artemy’s hand, while his beat hard and steady like a bull’s in daniil’s. it was brutally intimate, crushing both of them under the weight of their silence, of their mutual understanding. artemy was looking at daniil in a way he never had before, and, in all truthfulness, it scared the shit out of him.

he broke their eye contact, he needed to, to wrap one arm around artemy’s back, hugging him close until their chests met, his other hand unmoving from artemy’s heartbeat, their hands squeezed between each other’s bodies. artemy sighed into the hug, lurching forward against his will into daniil’s arms. the latter couldn’t help the smile that pulled across his face, warm and fond for whatever soft side he was able to draw out of this man. his hand began to explore the wide expanse of his back, broad and tight with muscle, yet he still shivered under even the feather-lightest of touches.

daniil continued that way, stroking artemy’s back in long, slow movements, drawing mindless shapes and curves into his skin with the tips of his fingers. he felt suffocatingly warm up against artemy’s body, which burned hot where he laid, undone and unresisting, finally easing and melting into the grace of daniil’s fingers. he found that he wanted to smile again, unwarranted and surprising to even himself, not understanding what it was about having artemy like this, in such an intimate way, that excited him in such a specific and unfamiliar manner.

but he finally just abandoned questions altogether and decided he had much more waiting for him if he let himself escape fully into artemy’s influence; into his warmth, the core of him that burned so hot and bright. he wanted to see it; to touch it.

daniil let his hand wander under artemy’s shirt again, letting himself be greedy with the way he searched and cherished every centimeter of the flesh he could come in contact with. he had no time for shame; this could all be a dream, after all, and he could be due to wake any minute. he needed to make haste, if he really wanted to make his way under artemy’s skin.

and so daniil indulged, drinking artemy in with his hands and breath, desperately clinging to him with all his soul, wanting never to leave his comforting warmth, if it were up him. and artemy felt lost in daniil, too; in the movement that lit up every nerve in his back with the unfamiliar and intoxicating grace of another human’s touch. he didn’t want to admit it then, but the doctor was right—he was very, very starved of touch. it took everything in his power not to keen and whine into every move of the bachelor’s hands. it was embarrassing, he thought somewhere distantly, but there was no room for embarrassment. especially not when daniil was so close, and so present.

not before long, artemy fell deep into sleep, his breathing leveling into full, quiet breaths, leaving his nose in gusts that tickled daniil’s neck. the sleeplessness that haunted artemy since he arrived back home finally dissipated in the air between them, blown out of focus by the breath that they shared together, silent and warm, clasped together under the quilt, the pour of rain hitting the roof being the only sound to guide them into their dreams.

——

when daniil awoke again, he immediately was filled with the fear that he had dreamed everything. the idea struck and woke him so suddenly that he nearly bolted straight up out of bed. that is, until he came to realize that something was preventing him from doing so, holding him down firmly.

after giving himself a second to properly wake up, daniil quickly noticed that artemy was latched onto his back, spooning him snugly with both arms wrapped around him tight, his face pressed into the back of his neck. the pressure was almost suffocating, but strangely comforting in the way that artemy’s unresisting strength squeezed the life out of daniil, and he melted into it a little bit. mostly, he was just rejoicing in the fact that he hadn’t imagined the whole night before up in his sleep. he startled, just slightly, at the idea of it; of the night before. it felt alien to him still, being allowed so close to artemy in a way he was sure close to no one else had been before. it made him feel kind of special, though he tried not to dwell on the thought for long. it always led to bad things, when he felt himself to be special. the last thing he wanted at that moment was to ruin all he had accomplished.

he reached a hand behind him, cautious and slow, until he eventually blindly found the top of artemy’s head. his reach was slightly awkward, what with the position and all, but he didn’t mind, opting to smile as he felt the haruspex’s coarse blonde hair between his fingers. he coiled the lock playfully around his index, feeling it constrict his flesh, his pulse pumping beneath the pressure. he felt bound to artemy; apart of him, or at least becoming apart of him. he couldn’t see his face, but he could picture it in his mind: all stern and sharp lines, but finally eased into a state of rest, his eyelashes drawing thick dark strokes over his pink flushed cheeks. he wanted to see him, to touch him again, like he had the chance to do the night before, but his back was locked too tightly to artemy’s strong, dense chest, his grip too enticing, that daniil decided he was willing to resort to just playing with his hair.

the room was dark, as the fire had slowly dwindled to nothing but embers overnight. there were very few places where sunlight could sneak in, but where it could it did, filling the room with the beginnings of the signature cool glow that came often in the steppe from the frequently overcast skies.

he imagined waking up, cold and alone again under the thin sheets of his bed at stillwater, as he had every other morning until then. he imagined the way he would’ve groaned into his pillow, desperate to cling to the last minutes and seconds of sleep he could scramble together before it was back to business as usual. he imagined changing out of his sleeping attire and grabbing his bag, setting out to start his day with the bitter coldness of the night still making itself known between the joints of his fingers.

but then, in that moment, he was so warm he thought he could start sweating, a feeling he had not known since long before he left the capitol. he welcomed it greedily, wanting to stay in the protective, surrounding force of artemy’s strong arms for as long as he was permitted. he knew the haruspex was a busy man, as was he, and they needed to get on with their respective errands at some point. but, for the time being, he decided it wouldn’t be selfish to relish in the new, unexpected companionship and closeness of a once so distant stranger.

his fingers swirled absently in artemy’s hair still, easily fascinated with the way his breath would hitch and ease whenever he gave a small tug or graced his scalp with his fingernails. each gasp and fluttering breath rippled down the back of his neck like stones in a pond, spreading shallow shivers all throughout his body at the heat of his breath. it was mesmerizing; intoxicating. he couldn’t get enough, feeling suddenly very emotional and desperate, his heart heavy with admiration. his fingers trembled in artemy’s hair.

almost as if on queue, artemy squeezed daniil closer, nosing sweetly against the back of his neck with sleepy little movements, a sigh breezing out of him. daniil grinned, warm and happy, feeling giddy at the unfamiliar gift of being able to wake up in a certain burakh’s arms. artemy responded by raising one of his hands, placing it on top of daniil’s in his hair, lacing his thick fingers between daniil’s and gripping his hand tightly in his. daniil promptly blushed, not knowing artemy was awake. he blinked, waiting for one of them to speak. he shivered as artemy let another sigh down his neck, deep and content.

“good morning, dankovsky.” he said at last, his morning voice impossibly deeper and rougher; his words were so small and gentle, yet riled the doctor up inside in all kinds of silly ways. he felt artemy’s hand on his, large and stable, intent on keeping him pinned there. something about it made his stomach feel fluttery.

“good morning, burakh.” he replied dryly, not knowing what else to say. ‘good morning, my love’ came to mind, but he quickly disregarded it. artemy seemed satisfied with his answer regardless, sighing once again into daniil’s skin, the arm around his thin waist tightening even more. he felt invited; like he was at home in artemy’s arms. he squished back into him, pressing his back hard against him, wanting nothing more than to be absorbed into him completely.

artemy groaned, a sharp little noise, as he quickly drew his hips back, away from daniil. the latter, meanwhile, reeled with hot cheeks from the sensation of something hard pressed up against his rear, for just a second before artemy had the chance to react. it wasn’t much contact, but it was long and substantial enough to leave daniil thuroughly flushed. if artemy was embarrassed, he did a good job of hiding it, quickly easing back into the mattress and into daniil’s heat, his breath even and warm.

“s-sorry.” daniil apologized quickly, quietly. artemy shook his head, the movement tiny but certain, before he let his lips brush at the nape of daniil’s neck. the latter froze; knowing artemy, it was as good a guess to say it was a kiss as it would be to say he was just simply acknowledging him in some kind of way. but, either way, it felt all too intimate and close than anything he had ever experienced before. he never knew a touch so simple could spread so much fire beneath his skin.

“no need to apologize, oynon.” artemy spoke in sleepy words, slurred by his drowsiness, strangely comforting. artemy’s hand squeezed daniil’s once again, tiny and gentle, but enough that daniil noticed. he stared long and hard at the wall across from him, wanting nothing more than to turn and face artemy then, just to see what his face looked like in this light, at this angle.

“it’s not due to my doing, is it?” he suddenly found himself asking before thinking, sounding guilty even as he spoke. he felt like an idiot as soon as the words left his mouth. he had no right to ask such things. they hardly knew each other, if he looked at it logistically—something he had purposefully neglected doing for multiple hours straight. but artemy just huffed a laugh, small yet sincere, his nose brushing against daniil’s neck, driving him mad with all the subtle touches.

“mm. morning wood. don’t flatter yourself.” artemy said in an amused tone, seemingly unfazed by the question, unlike daniil—and he was the one who asked it. the fact of the matter made him only blush deeper, feeling like a fool for putting himself in his situation entirely on his own. and, again, it made him feel uneasy; artemy was the only person in the world who could make him feel like an idiot.

daniil couldn’t resist, and squirmed in artemy’s grip until he had himself spun around to face the latter. artemy’s arm didn’t leave daniil’s waist, just loosened to allow him to move, but stayed there as they settled back down. their gazes met with an unspoken but mutually understood intensity. daniil finally got a good look at artemy’s sunrise kissed face, features soft and relaxed from the sleepiness that clung to him still, leaving red rims around his eyes and wide brushstrokes of purple beneath the sockets. his mouth was parted barely, just enough to catch the slight glint of teeth behind the cupid's-bow of his thick lips. and, beyond all better reasoning, daniil reached out a hand, one of his fingers gently running across the line of artemy’s forehead to sweep a stray strand of hair out of his face.

artemy watched him complete this action carefully, before he broke into a smile; it was minuscule in size and easy to miss, but for daniil, it felt like the earth was taken from beneath him and he began free falling. as far as he knew, smiles from artemy burakh were undiscovered territory. he tried with all his might to commit every detail of the image to his memory forever.

artemy regarded him in return, his eyes heavy and full of something hot and unidentifiable, but it steamed from his eyes in a mist that shrouded the space between them. daniil felt himself getting lost in the deep viridescence of artemy’s eyes, and watching them search through him in turn. he felt open, seen, laid out on an autopsy table for just the surgeon’s eyes to see. his skin tingled with static electricity, enticed by the fog, wanting to fall into it entirely.

daniil didn’t notice he was moving closer until artemy was pulling away. it hit him like a brick to the head; artemy was pulling away. he must’ve gone just one step too far. he tried not to make his panic evident as artemy broke their eye contact, clearing his throat nervously.

“um, i’ll be right back. i need to handle the children.” he said, as if he had just suddenly remembered. daniil did his best to appear unfazed, nodding simply in response, because if he spoke he was sure his voice would break mid-word, which would crush him even more than he already felt he was.

he bundled himself up tightly in the quilt as he watched artemy leave the bedside and quickly disappear into the other room, the door closing quietly behind him. and, just like that, he was suddenly all alone. he felt even more lonely in those few moments he spent without artemy than he did every other morning he spent alone combined. the miserableness of it nearly squashed him beneath its unrelenting weight, making him feel sick, and all too small for the world he was in and the clothes he was wearing.

he took it upon himself to sit up for the first time since he woke. as soon as he was upright, he was sourly reminded of the break in his nose as his head was rushed with a warm wash of pain, drowning his whole skull in sharp achiness. he groaned without meaning to, a hand raising weakly to cup his forehead. he found it almost funny that as soon as artemy was gone, he instantly felt horrible, cold, and lonely. he almost wanted to laugh at himself, but his pride stood too tall. he didn’t know why; it wasn’t worth it anyway. he was stupid to pry the way he did. it wasn’t fair to artemy as a friend...or as a stranger, for that matter. he felt foolish to think he could force artemy to accept him, let alone like him, in just one night. he would’ve lent his home, his bread, and his warmth to anyone in need who would've happened upon his door in that storm. to his credit, he sort of already did; he was housing two children from the rain before the bachelor even came by. he suddenly felt so, so foolish.

not even a moment of thought further was granted to him before the door was swinging open again, and daniil’s eyes quickly rose in anticipation of artemy’s return. when he was met with nothing, he let his eyes fall further downward, until he met gazes with a small child, hair ragged and clothes tattered.

“we meet at last, b-b—uh—badgler dacowsky.” she stuttered childishly through his name, and it roused a small bout of affection within him, unlike how he’d typically react if someone...older were to mispronounce his name.

“daniil, is fine, please. are you…?” he began to ask, before it quickly dawned on him that couldn’t recall what artemy said the names of the children were. it was something strange, and short, like misty, muddy—

“murky!” she answered swiftly, proudly, with all the confidence of a young child who picked their name all by themself, which daniil began to assume as their encounter continued.

“i see...murky. may i ask how you knew my name?” he inquired gently. he didn’t exactly know how to talk to children, much less the children of the steppe. they were always mysterious to him; they always spoke like they knew something he didn’t, like they were always a few steps ahead of him.

“artemy told me. he said not to be afraid, since you’re a friend, so here i am, not being afraid of you.” she replied simply, honest as can be; a trait in children that daniil often envied.

“did he really say that? i’m a ‘friend?’” he asked, disbelieving, his eyebrows knitting together. murky looked back at him with suspicious eyes.

“why? are you not actually a friend?”

“n-no, i am! i just didn’t know that he considered me—“

“murky, stop talking to the prick!”

daniil snapped his head to the new, unfamiliar voice that came from the door. another young face, peering from behind the nearly closed door, his eyes wide. suddenly the door was being swung open, nearly taking the boy off his feet with it, and artemy towered in the doorway, his face red.

“sticky! what did i say about name calling?!” he said sternly, and the change of tone from his usually soft voice nearly made daniil jump.

“what do you mean name calling? that’s just what i hear everyone else in town call him!” sticky retaliated, to which daniil huffed a small, defeated scoff.

“what’s a prick?” murky inquired, her voice all too innocent. artemy turned to her, a pained expression on his face.

“murky, please don’t repeat after your brother.” he pleaded, sounding tired, however it was evident that, despite his exhaustion, his attention was devoted solely to the children. daniil admired it, distantly.

“alright, both of you. i have work to discuss with the bachelor, so i have to ask you two to give us some privacy to talk.” he announced to both sticky and murky, his gaze flitting momentarily to lock with daniil’s. the latter instantly felt his skin color at the mention of his presence, feeling awfully seen under the gaze of three different people.

“you’re kicking us out? for him?” murky retaliated incredulously, sounding thoroughly shocked. sticky looked all too surprised himself, regarding artemy with a quirked eyebrow. one of artemy’s large hands rose to his face to pinch his brow between his eyes, evidently trying to keep his composure as best as he could.

“please, you two? it’s important. it’s for work.” he nearly begged, his voice sounding so different when he talked to the children; much more alive and expressive. murky and sticky exchanged glances, speaking to each other through their eyes, before nodding and shrugging respectively, looking back to artemy.

“alright, whatever, i guess. i’ll go into the fields and make some worms get married or something. they’ll be out, because of the rain.” murky said, suddenly seeming much less interested in staying inside.

“see you tonight though, right, artemy?” sticky asked, his head tilting inquisitively as he did. artemy was quick to nod, placing a strong hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“yes, yes, of course, should you find your way back here. oh, and here,” he ushered to the counter, grabbing the wrapped fresh loaf of bread, peeling back the cloth and snapping it in half, “take this with you. don’t share it or brag about it, because then everyone will want to take it from you. eat it when you are hungry, and alone, or with each other.” he gave one half to each child, who took it with gracious little hands and sparkling eyes.

“yes, artemy, thank you!” murky cried, throwing her arms around one of his legs, and he patted her head with his large palm, smiling fondly down at her. daniil couldn’t help the way his heart sped in his chest at the sight.

“alright, get going, you two. be safe, look after each other. and what else?”

“don’t do anything you wouldn’t do.” they said dutifully, in unison. artemy grinned, ruffling the hair of each child with each of his hands, before guiding them to the door.

“behave! love you!” he called after them as they finally made their way up the road, only after a few more pleasantries and kisses at the door for good luck. artemy closed the door, immediately throwing his head back to sigh, labored and tired. his head lolled to the side, finally making eye contact with daniil again.

“okay, finally. sorry about them. they’re...i imagine you would label it, ‘backwards.’” artemy said, his voice soft and warm again, like the sensation of standing near a bonfire. it immediately made daniil’s body temperature rise, feeling like he was blushing from the inside and slowly to the outside.

“oh—! no, don't apologize for them. they’re lovely, the little ones. you do good with them.” daniil found himself speaking before thinking, the words dribbling past his lips without resistance. but he didn’t regret it as soon as he saw the smile that spread across artemy’s face, wide and pleasantly warm.

“ah—thank you. i do what i can, you know…” he replied sheepishly, his gaze stuck to the floor. he seemed caught off guard by that, his cheeks coloring a slight shade of pink; it made daniil smile, against his better judgement.

a silence fell between them, the sound beginning to become familiar as they often found each other speechless for one reason or another. their gazes were respectively trained on the floor, doing whatever they could to avoid each other. it felt awkward now; there was electricity sparking in the air all around them, threatening to explode if either of them moved or spoke too quickly. daniil swallowed nervously, his eyes turning dry from how long he stared at artemy without blinking.

“those kids,” daniil started, his voice soft, sincere, his eyes still focused hard on the floor, “this town...they’re all very lucky to have you, artemy.”

the taller man looked down at him with an expression of shock; not that daniil expected much else, but it still made him feel strange, knowing he was probably one of the few people on the planet to catch the haruspex far enough off guard for him to express it outwardly. he once again tried to prevent letting himself feel too special.

artemy looked as if he were about to speak just as daniil took it upon himself to get out of bed, shrugging out of the covers and planting his feet on the floor softly. the cold stone chilled his skin to the touch, even through the socks that artemy lent him.

“well, i do imagine it is getting to the time where we should part ways for the day, burakh.” he said, his voice low and gentle, as if his own words would break from his lips if he spoke too quickly or loudly. artemy regarded him with careful eyes; his gaze spoke far louder than he ever could, suggesting a conflict behind his eyes that daniil couldn’t make much out of on the surface. he decided it wasn’t his business anyway, quickly turning his attention instead to finding his shoes.

“i’ll be out of your hair soon. then we’ll be on our ways, each of us.” he spoke again, as an attempt to banish the silence that began to fill the room; not so comfortably this time, feeling rather suffocating more than anything. the tension of the air was enough to make daniil feel like he couldn’t breathe; even if neither of them spoke of it, there was an awkwardness, a misunderstanding, that lilted through the air like a moth, one they were both painfully aware of.

daniil laced his shoes in silence, opting not to look at artemy anymore. the feeling that resonated through him whenever he did was enough to make him dizzy all over again, and he wasn’t sure he had the strength to meet eyes with him any longer.

“your clothes,” artemy spoke suddenly, his voice seeming timid, “when would you like me to return them to you?”

“ah,” daniil began, slightly surprised by the idea that he would have to wear artemy’s clothing out for the day, “w-whenever...at your earliest convenience, i suppose. there’s no rush.”

“right,” artemy replied, “i’ll, uh...i’ll stop by stillwater in the evening, then. and if you aren’t home, i can just leave your things with eva, i assume. she’ll keep them for you.”

“you may,” daniil was quick to answer, “but you won’t have to, since i will be there.” he would make sure of it; any chance he could, he would ensure that he could see artemy. the latter seemed bashful, sensing the sincerity in the bachelor’s words.

“right,” he echoed himself, “that works out just fine, then.”

daniil grabbed his bag, clutching it in both of his hands nervously, “right.”

they shared a moment of silence, the air between them standing somehow even stiller than they did; they held their breaths respectively, each waiting impatiently and uneasily for the other to say something.

finally, daniil made the first move, making his way to the front door, feeling awkward but walking with dignity nonetheless. artemy was quick to follow him, meeting him at the doorway, before both of them stopped and froze up again, suddenly too close for comfort.

daniil cleared his throat, his eyes trained on the floor, “i have to thank you, artemy. for everything. if it weren’t for you, i don’t know where i would’ve ended up last night.”

artemy bowed his head politely, “it’s the least i could’ve done, bachelor. can’t have you risking your health in times like these, can we?”

daniil smiled against his will, small and fond, “it would be unwise, yes. thank you again, burakh. if ever there’s something i can do for you to return the favor, please do let me know.”

it was artemy’s turn to smile, “i’ll keep that in mind. thank you.”

the silence stretched on even further, neither of them particularly looking forward to leaving the other. but, alas, duty calls, and they had no time to waste. daniil shifted on his feet, his heart thundering in his ribs so loud he could feel the pound of his blood in his ears and cheeks. he took a step forward, closer to artemy, so close he felt he could hear his heartbeat, the fan of his breath. the proximity drove him mad; he wasn’t even sure why he drew closer still, but he couldn’t stop himself. artemy didn’t draw away; he just kept his gaze steadily fixed on daniil’s eyes, watching him with careful attention.

daniil lifted himself onto his toes. before he knew what he was doing, he was pressing a kiss to artemy’s cheek. it was a soft ghost of a touch, his lips practically hovering above skin, but contact was made nonetheless, and daniil’s eyelids fluttered closed with the heat. when he pulled away, artemy was scanning his face with frantic, incredulous eyes. he felt himself filling with guilt, like it was being poured into him from above, making his head and face feel hot from the shame that washed over him. he didn’t know why he did it; all he knew was that he needed to. that he couldn’t leave artemy without giving him one last chance to see what he was really feeling. he knew it was unfair to push himself onto the man like that, but nearly everything he did over the last twenty four hours was against all his better judgment anyway, so he really didn’t see why it would matter anymore.

he didn’t even realize how lost in his own thoughts he was until daniil was suddenly being brought back down to earth by the sensation of a pair of strong, large hands being planted on either side of his face. he only had a moment to drink in artemy’s face; the burn of passion behind his crystalline green eyes, the wash of a blush over his tall, handsome cheekbones. the moment was over as soon as it started, daniil’s view obstructed immediately when artemy surged forward and caught his lips in a sudden kiss.

it took a few beats of time before daniil’s brain caught up with him, realizing he was even being kissed and that he should return the favor. as soon as he did, though, his entire world seemed to split at every one of its faults, lightning and confetti bursting out of the cracks and spilling into his bloodstream, setting his whole body on fire.

artemy’s lips were surprisingly soft, the pressure behind the kiss gentle but still exuding a desperation, a hunger that daniil felt all too strongly himself. he let himself melt into artemy’s touch, his hands instinctively finding the latter’s broad chest, pressing into artemy’s frame, eager for whatever he could get his hands on. artemy matched his intensity, sighing into the kiss and sharing daniil’s breath, his scent occupying the air. daniil swallowed up the sound, though it was so soft and small, and he couldn’t get enough, his hands wandering, trying to elicit whatever pleasing noises he could out of the taller man. everything that artemy did was absolutely darling in his eyes, but something about how he sighed and melted into the bachelor’s touch was particularly intoxicating.

they pulled away for air at last, panting between their mouths and sharing one another’s breath. daniil felt light headed, his knees weak and wobbly where he stood. he felt grateful that artemy kept his hands cupped around his face; it gave him some feeling of stability amongst the chaos that his brain had turned itself into over the course of their exchange.

“wow. sorry.” artemy said between panting breaths, but he didn’t sound sorry. daniil smiled at his tone; he wasn’t sorry either.

he answered him by pressing yet another kiss to his mouth; this time soft and with all the control he could muster, his lips only gracing artemy’s, but strong with intent. the latter returned it eagerly, sucking a breath in through his nose, his fingers lacing into the raven black strands of daniil’s hair; the sensation made him want to shudder helplessly in artemy’s hands.

time faded into a mere concept as they lost themselves in each other. the next few minutes were filled solely with the exchange of kisses, passing their affection back and forth amongst themselves in warm bursts of tongue and skin, giving each other hardly enough time to come down from each high before hungrily diving back in for another serving. distantly somewhere in his mind, daniil couldn’t shake the idea that he was wasting precious sunlight, precious time for his work; but he was quickly quelled of each worry by artemy’s lips, reminded gently and warmly that he would rather be nowhere else in the whole world than where he stood in artemy’s protective hands.

somewhere along the line, the kisses faded from desperate and prominent to something gentler, slower; like they were spelling each other’s names with their lips, trying to tell secrets through touch alone. artemy led a trail of kisses from the corner of daniil’s mouth downward until he reached the shorter man’s neck, kissing softly at the sensitive skin there, making daniil blush, helpless and completely at artemy’s sole mercy. he had no control over himself anymore.

artemy pulled away, his eyes full and brilliantly warm, oozing with affection and admiration. daniil once again felt completely splayed out and seen for everything he was, in simple terms and beyond. he felt understood; and, in turn, he felt he knew artemy in a new light, as well. it made him feel warm and fuzzy on the inside.

“danya.” artemy said, his voice low and breathless, like he was seeing daniil for the very first time all over again. the affectionate nickname made daniil squirm, his gut toiling so violently with butterflies that he couldn’t keep himself from practically keeling over with how much he admired artemy. his face flushed hot and pink, and he felt like summer in a person.

“artemy.” daniil replied wistfully with light breath, his affection evident in his words. artemy sensed it, and responded by pressing a kiss light and warm to daniil’s forehead.

“i’d been waiting for you to come around, bachelor. i didn’t think you ever actually would, though.” artemy whispered against his skin, his lips lingering where he spoke. daniil sighed, his eyes falling closed under the contact.

“i didn’t think i would, either. i was scared.” he said back in a whisper that matched artemy’s, light and airless like the beat of fairy wings. artemy kissed his forehead again, the pressure reassuring and kind.

“i would’ve waited for you, one way or another.”

“i don’t doubt you would’ve.”

artemy pressed a searing kiss to daniil’s lips; it felt final, like a seal, a promise. it was weightless, tender, so much so that daniil felt himself to be floating. he wanted nothing more than for artemy to swallow him whole; for them to become one.

artemy gave himself only enough space necessary in order to speak, “i’ll see you this evening, then?” his words batted against the wet lips of the bachelor, though he barely spoke above a whisper. there was a faint feeling of suggestion, and it colored daniil’s cheeks as he tried to formulate his response.

“you will. come hungry; i’ll cook for you.” he said in a soft, weak voice, and he pondered distantly if he had ever spoken to anyone in a tone like that before.

“you don’t have to worry about that.” artemy’s deep voice rang through his chest under daniil’s palms. he let his hands fall to daniil’s hips with purpose, his thumbs massaging at his hip bones. daniil smiled, unable to resist the tickle of butterfly wings in his stomach trying to turn him inside out. he felt silly, but in the same way he felt silly when he was drunk. and, well, the bachelor did enjoy his liquor.

he popped up on his toes to press a kiss to artemy’s lips, his head leaned back as if he were taking a shot, drinking in artemy’s affection like his life depended on it. and artemy gave it willingly, his hands traveling again, ghosting over daniil’s sides and back, pulling him closer and closer still. daniil sighed, his eyes rolling back in his head behind his eyelids, slipping away in the bliss of artemy’s large, steady touch.

“we have to get going.” artemy said against daniil’s mouth, punctuating his statement with a kiss. daniil groaned in the back of his throat, kissing back in retaliation.

“i know, i know. i’m going. i’ll see you tonight.”

he finally pulled away, instantly feeling cold with the thought of having to wait all day to see artemy again. alas, they had a job to do. there was no extra time for personal affairs.

he turned, grabbing the doorknob with intent. he wasn’t sure he wanted to look back at artemy, because it would make him want to stay. so he wordlessly pushed the door open, taking a deep breath, preparing himself for the daylight to sting his eyes.

his headache gave an eager reminder of its presence, making him want to groan. well, back to business, he thought.

but before he could make it very far, artemy’s hand was suddenly clutched in his collar, pulling him back. daniil could only make a muffled sound against artemy’s mouth as he was crashed into another kiss, tender and passionate, making him feel steaming hot all over again. they lingered in the doorway with connected lips and closed eyes, and it was difficult to sense when one man ended and the other one started.

“be safe,” artemy breathed, “don’t do anything stupid.” his hand loosened from daniil’s sweater, leaving him to back away on shaky legs, his face red all the way across to his ears.

“have some faith in me.” daniil retorted, unable to stop the smirk that spread across his lips, his gaze nailing itself to the floor.

“okay,” artemy smiled in return, “i do. see you tonight.”

“okay,” daniil said, breathless, “goodbye, artemy.”

“goodbye.”

as daniil started on his way, he realized he felt...strange. he felt like a different person in his old skin, like a cicada stuck in its molt. the ground he walked on, as well as his own footsteps, seemed entirely new to him. he couldn’t make heads or tails of himself, or his new feelings, or his new relationship with the haruspex. he couldn’t quite convince himself completely that he wasn’t dreaming; it felt entirely possible to him that, any moment now, he could wake up in his bed at stillwater, cold and alone. it terrified him, and he tried to brace himself for it, for the inevitability of returning to reality, but it never came. with each step he drew further and further from artemy’s home, but he didn’t wake up. the leaves crunched beneath his shoes, his head stung on the rare occasion that the clouds rolled by and the sun made a show of itself, the town woke up around him as he made his way, but he still didn’t wake up. at some point, he began to accept that he wouldn’t. that something very significant had happened to him; something wonderful.

as soon as he was absolutely sure he was long out of sight of the haruspex, daniil laced his hand in the collar of his lent sweater, pulling it up over his nose and taking a deep inhale. it smelled like artemy; who smelled like nothing else in the world. he smelled like twyre and sweat, and something else too, something like the smell of a forest in the rain, earthy and rich. it made daniil feel warm inside, filling his lungs with a tingling, burning sensation. he sighed into the fabric, pressing it against his nose and cheeks, wanting to bury himself in it. he checked again with flurrying eyes to make sure no one was watching him, a blush on his cheeks, his heart racing in his chest at a rabbit’s pace.

and it was a good thing for his pride that he made sure, too, since artemy had watched him walk away until he was absolutely, totally out of sight. and, if he had saw it, he would have likely used it to tease daniil one day...some day far in the future, when he wouldn’t expect it, which would embarrass him even more. but daniil escaped his gaze that time, to his luck. artemy had only gotten to watch his back until he disappeared, sighing at the lack of his presence, before heading back into his home to get dressed.

he donned his traditional garb and his gloves, leaving his home and locking the doors behind him. he gave one last longing glance over his shoulder, hoping that maybe daniil had forgotten something and was making his way back. but, as he looked (and he searched as far as he could), he couldn’t find any evidence of it being the case, so he reluctantly gave up. he turned, releasing a sigh through his nose, and headed along his path, toward the fields.

he proceeded on his own, his gaze nailed to the ground before him where he walked, but his mind was elsewhere. he was thinking of daniil, of his skin and his voice and the complexity of his mind. he dwelled on it long and hard, passionately, too. he reassured that he would get his chance to properly unravel and understand the bachelor. he wondered distantly if his chance was later that night, at dinner with daniil, and who knows what else. he smiled at that thought.

yeah. maybe he could make tonight his chance.