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The heating had been shut off about two days ago. It cut out the same time as the power did, and Sunny had made the observation that sleeping in his bed last night was much colder than usual. His body was never the best at producing it's own heat (and there's definitely a reason for that, but he's going to ignore it) and therefore no matter how much he clung to the blankets, he was still shivering.
So no, he was not going to jump at the opportunity to spend another night alone in bed when there's a perfectly warm blanket fort being set up right next to him.
"You're sure about this? I can just sleep on the floor if you need." Hero tried to clarify, but Sunny already had his mind made up.
Kel responded for him, laying pillows down all over the floor, "you heard him the first time, you can have the bed. Don't understand why, Sunny, but hey it's whatever you want."
"Fine- but if you get uncomfortable in the middle of the night, just wake me up, okay?" Hero made the offer, but Sunny figured he probably wouldn't need it. He nodded his head in confirmation anyway.
Kel had done a pretty good job of arranging the pillows and blankets, actually, something Sunny was not initially expecting. It looked like a sustainable fort, one that wouldn't collapse on top of both of them in the middle of the night. The only issue was that it looked a bit on the small side. Sunny himself was fairly small, so maybe it wouldn't be an issue, but he didn't want Kel to be uncomfortable. Maybe it wouldn't be an issue. Hopefully.
"Sunny? Are you gonna sleep or just stand there?" Kel prompted, bringing Sunny out of his thoughts. He had already made a place for himself on the left of the pillows, under the blanket.
(Why had he only put one blanket? Are they just supposed to share?)
Taking the hint, Kel moved a few pillows aside to make room for himself. He was right, turns out. The fort was indeed quite small, with barely any breathing room between Kel and himself. One wrong move and he would end up elbowing him in the face. Even worse, he was still cold. He assumed this would have been fixed, seen from other experiences he knows the boy currently laying next to him to be practically a heater, but the warmth was just not transferring. Unfortunate.
Kel seemed to notice his uncomfortable shifting, "You okay over there?" he asked. He tried to move the blanket to get a better view of Sunny's face, but his hand stopped as soon as it made contact with his shoulder. "Sunny! You're freezing!" Kel said, stating the obvious.
Sunny shrugged, best he could from laying down on his side. Indoor heating issues aside, he was practically always cold, even in the middle of the summer. Unfortunate, seeing as how he was named after a giant ball of fire, but whatever.
"No you're like, really cold-" Kel remarked again, seemingly considering his options before his face lit up. "Wait. Idea. Let me help you."
The only warning that Sunny was given was the sound of fabric shifting before there was a very warm weight on top of his body. His first reaction was surprise- even flinching a bit at the suddenness of it. He tried adjusting for a second, before realizing that it was pretty much useless seeing as he was much weaker than Kel.
"This better?" Kel asked. Initial shock aside, this was actually a lot better. Instead of near freezing under a thin blanket, there was a strong heat all around him. Kel had one of his hands on his back, tracing soft circles on the fabric of his shirt in a comforting motion. His other hand was placed on the back of Sunny's head, almost to hold him in place so his neck didn't get sore from the odd positioning. He could distantly feel Kel's leg hooked around his calves, but it wasn't quite as clear as the inviting warmth that radiated from the rest of his body.
Sunny couldn't remember the last time that he was held like this, that someone had wrapped their arms around him and pulled him close like this. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to cry, thank him, or something else entirely. Instead, he decided to bury his face in the space between Kel's neck and shoulder, trying to savor as much of the warmth as he could.
"I'll take that as a yes?" he answered his own question. With every word he spoke, Sunny could feel the vibration in his chest. He could feel Kel's heartbeat, so relaxed and evenly paced compared to his own, which was currently racing. He knew he shouldn't panic, but with Kel's breath against his hair every time he exhaled, it was a bit hard not to.
He didn't know how Kel was staying so calm, breathing steadily and almost absentmindedly playing with the uneven hair at the back of Sunny's neck. Sunny could hardly keep himself from shaking, his hands gripping the back of Kel's worn shirt almost aggressively. With how tight he was holding, Sunny probably would have hurt him if he wasn't so weak in comparison.
Kel was obviously strong, most people who play sports as a regular hobby are, but the way he was carefully accommodating for Sunny's comfort was gentle in a way that he never would have expected. Kel was solid; warm and comforting, but the way he carefully placed his leg on top of Sunny's in a way that wouldn't cut off any circulation was soft in a way that contrasted any sort of judgement Sunny would have previously made.
Rather quickly, Sunny felt Kel's hands still, his breathing and heartbeat started to slow and even out. Had he fallen asleep already? How? Was it just that easy for him?
Sunny didn't dare move his head from Kel's shoulder, even as his tried to make an effort to actually fall asleep himself. He tried to match his breathing to Kel's, already feeling his nerves calm as he let himself fall victim to the quiet heat that was Kel's embrace
Given the chance, Sunny would have loved to just spend every night just like this- secure and protected from any horrors that lie directly outside his door, but even now, he can feel it slipping away. Such security is a luxury, one that Sunny felt that he did not deserve at all. For tonight though, he could breathe in the scent of a friend he left alone for too long and take solace in his dreams