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“Elias, what are you even doing?” Marius mumbled from their bed, eyelids unable to completely block out the light that emanated from… somewhere in the room. He didn't bother opening his eyes, laying an arm over them instead.
“Shit, I'm sorry, babe. Didn't mean to wake you.” A chair creaked as Elias pushed himself off it, shuffling across the wood floor to Marius’ side.
Marius rotated his arm up to his forehead, peeking one eye open, “What time even is it?”
“Much too late for either of us to be awake. You should go back to sleep.” He gently caressed Marius’ cheek, an apologetic expression painted across his features.
“You should go back to sleep with me.” He said, taking Elias’ wrist in his hands, fingers wrapped around to the back of his hand whilst his thumbs rested in the base of his palm, “Why are you still awake?”
Elias squatted next to the bed, littering tiny kisses atop Marius’ knuckles, “I really didn't mean to wake you, you know.”
“Elias, why are you avoiding my question?” He wriggled closer to the edge of the bed, closer to Elias. His eyes were heavy but both were open now, staring straight into Elias’ soul.
“I…” He lightly sighed, he knew he was no match for that look, “I may have lied to you when I said I didn't have more paperwork.”
“I knew it. Weasel.”
“You're so cruel.” Elias pressed his forehead into Marius’ hands that still encapsulated his own, faking a pout.
“Well, why would you even lie about that?” He shifted under the blankets, finding his foot caught in a loop at the bottom of one of them, “You're lucky you're cute like them too. I'll help you, move so I can get up.”
Elias’ head shot up, “That's exactly why I didn't tell you! You need to sleep so please, my love, stay in bed and close your eyes.”
“You need to sleep too. It will go quicker if I help you, anyway, so we both get what we want, yes?”
“No, wrong. I don't want you getting up, okay? You have to wake up earlier than me, and this is my work. I can take care of it.”
“It's my last day of being on call, and I'm sure an hour less of sleep won't hurt when it's just one day.” He wiggled his foot again, unsure how it got so tangled but finding it wasn't easy to fix. Regardless, he tried to sit up.
Elias held him down, free hand on his shoulder, “No! I'm serious, Marius, you need to sleep! I want you as well as you can be- just because it's your last day doesn't mean there will be any less risks.”
“Oh, that's what this is about, isn't it?” Marius held his hand a bit tighter, settling into the pillow, “You don't want me to get hurt.”
“I'd never want you to get hurt, Marius. You worry me sometimes- I get worried when I'm not out there with you. I know you're far more than competent, but one second of fogginess when facing the people we go against- in training or not- is all it could take for something very bad to happen. We're never guaranteed safety, not even the best of us…”
Elias wasn't sure why he was so anxious today in particular- what he said was true, both parts, but it was incredibly rare for him to get so worried that he couldn't stop thinking about it. He knew Marius was smart and skilled- usually that was enough, but not tonight. He almost felt possessed, the thoughts planted in his head not completely his own. Maybe the recent bursts of internal unrest in the organization had left him uneasy. Either way, he knew he would be the only one he could blame if something happened.
“Well,” Marius moved a hand to Elias’ shirt collar, tugging him close and pressing a tender kiss into the bridge of his nose, “I can't sleep without you, so can you at least work on the couch so I can be next to you?”
“Promise you'll sleep?”
“Yes, I promise.”
“…Alright, then.” Elias stood, and Marius let go of his hand, extending both his arms instead,
“Help me up, my foot’s caught in the blanket.”
Elias obliged, reaching over to wrap his arms around Marius when suddenly… Marius enveloped him in his arms instead, rolling quickly to pull him onto the bed, holding him close.
“Oops. This is really unfortunate.” Marius murmured, nestling his forehead into the curve of Elias’ collarbone.
Elias wasn't annoyed nor surprised, simply sighing and petting Marius’ hair, “You know, I'd like to stay in bed with you, I really would. I just… I can't, I really have to finish this paperwork.”
“You're serious serious? It's that important?” Marius’ voice was muffled, but the sad defeat in his voice was prominent enough to still be heard.
“I'm serious serious, it's that important.” Elias closed his eyes, resting his face in Marius hair, “I wish it weren't.”
With that, Marius let him go a few seconds later, rubbing into his collarbone one last time before scooting back to reach down and untangle his ankle with his hand.
“And your foot really is caught?” Elias chuckled as he stood, staring at Marius for a moment.
“Mh-hm. I was hoping you'd just stay in bed so I didn't have to deal with it.”
He got the loop off of his ankle with one final tug, finally able to slip out from under the heavy blankets. The wood was cold under his bare feet, and he felt a shiver dance up his spine.
Elias noticed, “Regretting wanting to get up, now?”
“Not at all… But let’s get to a rug.” He squinted at the alarm clock on the desk as he padded over to it, having to blink away the blurriness to read it. 03:04. It really was late. He handed Elias the papers off the desk, then loosely brought his arms around the other man once more, and stood on his feet. Much warmer.
“I can't walk like this.” Elias said simply.
“Sure you can.”
“You're not as light as you think you are, Marius.”
“That can't be true. Maybe you're just weaker than I thought, then.”
“Oh, so now you want to play this game?”
Marius yawned, “I have no idea what you're talking about.”
“Mh, sure. I believe that.” Elias tried to walk, finding it much easier than he expected, but not wanting to just give into Marius.
He decided to pick him up instead, wrapping an arm around Marius’ back and lifting him into what was an awkward position until he brought his legs up. Marius rested his head against Elias’ collarbone again, closing his eyes. Elias flicked off the lamp, and left the room.
Marius felt himself start to drift off before they even got to the couch, jolting slightly when his foot hit the cushion, then the rest of his body as Elias lay him down. He stretched his legs out, eyes still closed as he extended an arm to feel for the other man.
“I'm getting a clipboard, hold on…” Elias said from halfway across the room.
“Come back, there's one…” He paused to think, “under the couch.”
Marius heard Elias shuffle back, then kneel to look under the couch. Wood scraped, and Elias chuckled,
“Why is there a clipboard under the couch?” Elias asked, standing back up.
“I was using it, and then I wasn't. I'm often very busy, you know.” Marius tugged Elias by his shirt, pulling him down to sit.
“You're also often very silly. Even on the couch would've been a more understandable spot for it.” Elias clipped the papers onto the board, feeling Marius’ arms fold around his waist.
“Hey, I knew where it was, didn't I? If I left it on the couch, you might have sat on it because it's dark.”
“Did you really think of something like that when you put it under the couch?”
“…Kind of. It was just out of the way, and I needed to go do something.”
Elias lightly chuckled, running his fingers through Marius’ hair for a few seconds, “How thoughtful.”
“Mh-hm.”
Marius rubbed circles into his own palm with his thumb as he lay there quietly, listening to the rhythmic scratching of Elias’ pen on the paper. The repetitive motions and noises quickly lulled him back to sleep, Elias finally feeling a sense of relief once he noticed. He glanced back over at his clipboard, thumbing through the papers he still had to get through. At least when he was done he'd be so exhausted that not even his worry could keep him awake.
He leaned into the couch, putting the pen in his mouth so he could gently pet Marius’ hair, reminding him of a good reason to finish soon.