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When Simon’s eyes fluttered open, the last sight he expected was an angelically pretty boy taking off his clothes. He was inches from Nahyuta’s face, full of concern, with furrowed brows and pursed lips. When he tried to respond vocally, no words came out. His head was throbbing and his mouth was drier than a desert. All he could manage was a groggy groan. The experience was made all the more disorienting for poor Blackquill thanks to his unfamiliar surroundings.
“Ah, you’re awake,” Nahyuta stated in an unreadable tone, draping Simon’s jacket over a chair.
Wanting to reply with attitude, all Simon could manage was weak and raspy. “Trying to get my clothes off?” These words were hardly the life-ruining jab he imagined. His line came out jumbled and wrong compared to the version in his head, but yet he was too exhausted to correct himself.
“Simon, I can barely understand you.” The beautiful monk placed a cool, damp hand towel on Simon’s forehead. “Barely coherent, and yet I can still hear the snark in your voice. You’re in no condition for that.”
“Don’t tell me what to do,” he garbled. Simon slowly became acclimated to the room he was in. The plush mattress beneath him was fancier than anything he’s slept on in years, though it lacked the feel of a well-worn bed. Laying on something so comfortable would have been beyond his wildest dreams during his stint in prison. The furniture around him was generic, yet classy. “Where… where am I?”
Nahyuta poured a glass of water from the fridge. “I took you back to my hotel room after your little heat stroke.” He paced between the bed and fridge while holding the glass. Occasionally he’d extend the glass towards the sorry reverse panda, but Simon was still too disoriented to clasp it.
“Heat stroke? Hotel room?” Simon’s brain felt like mush. Words he’d consider simple in a regular mental state were beyond his understanding. Despite laying down, he still felt dizzy.
“Heat exhaustion, more accurately. Thankfully, it wasn’t any more severe. I was contemplating taking you to the hospital, but then you woke up.” His tone was gentle, almost vulnerable, then suddenly shifted. “What were you expecting? Your getup better suited a funeral than the beach.” Nahyuta shook his head, softly tsking. He was currently the human embodiment of ‘not mad, just disappointed.’
“Psh, whatever.” After a long pause, he continued, “So why’d you take me back to your hotel room, Sad Monk?” Although his words still had a slight slur, Simon was approaching coherence. He pulled himself up to a semi-sitting position, propping himself against the bedframe.
“Because you’re currently in a delicate state, I’ll ignore that nickname of yours.” Nahyuta sighed, though his irritation was mostly for show. “Now, would you please drink this water?” He practically shoved the glass towards Simon, displaying much less poise and decorum than usual.
“I will once you answer my question.”
Simon’s fingers brushed against Nahyuta’s while reaching for the cup, causing the latter to sharply inhale. Sad Monk turned into Flustered Monk. The glass nearly slipped from his slender fingers. Slowly blowing out air through his nose, he attempted to regain his composure. Nahyuta was the pinnacle of grace, and he wasn’t about to let some silly overheated vampire derail that.
“What question?” Nahyuta asked, putting on a coy act.
“You heard me, Sad Monk: why did you take me back to your hotel room?” Simon’s voice was still groggy but had an edge to it. Life was slowly but surely returning to him.
“My, you’re awfully testy for someone still recovering from heat exhaustion, aren’t you?” Nahyuta closed his eyes. With some short breathing exercises, he forced himself to return to his usual state of calm serenity. He wasn’t letting Simon get the best of him, especially not in his current sorry state. “I hardly think that question is worth answering, but if you need it spelled out, allow me to put it into simple words: you were overheating, and I removed you from the heat. Would you please drink your water now?”
He opened his eyes again. Simon nearly made a quip about Nahyuta’s bossy side, but something stopped him. He told himself it was a symptom of his body still recovering when his heart skipped a beat upon gazing into those piercing emerald eyes. Defying him would have been so easy. Any other time, Simon would have told Nahyuta he’d drink water whenever he bloody well pleased. Something about the palpable worry in a facial expression often otherwise serenely stoic changed his mind. It wasn’t much different from how Nahyuta usually looked, but Simon couldn’t ignore his pained eyes and subtly downturned lips. As if under a spell, he took a gulp of water.
Once adequately hydrated, Simon bounced back to his usual temperament. “First of all, I’m taller and heavier than you, so I must admit I find it difficult to imagine how you moved me all the way here. As far as I’m concerned, that’s a whole bloody lot of effort for something that wasn’t an obligation. You told me it would be my own fault if I overheated; nothing was stopping you from leaving me out in the sun.”
Nahyuta scoffed. “Nothing stopping me? I don’t know about you, but my moral compass would stop me from leaving someone to overheat and possibly die.” He fought back blush. Nahyuta tried and failed to convince himself this was his only reason for helping. The reminder of Simon’s size wasn’t helping the redness of his cheeks. On some repressed subconscious level, Nahyuta found it attractive when he was dainty in comparison to another man. He shooed the mental image of Simon carrying him to his hotel room instead, afraid he might enjoy it too much.
“Bleh, don’t even get started about your blasted moral compass, goodie two shoes.” Simon took another sip, finishing the water. He slammed down the empty cup on the nightstand beside him. “You’re not some holy life-saving guardian angel. I doubt I would have died if you hadn’t intervened.”
“There are other unideal outcomes besides death, Simon. Regardless of your feelings on it, I’m thankful I was able to prevent anything worse from happening. However, if you’re feeling better, you’re free to leave whenever you want. I… won’t keep you here if you don’t want to be.” Nahyuta’s voice quivered ever-so-slightly, but he reigned it back to its typical steadiness.
“Actually…” Simon loosened his previously tense body language, sinking into the hotel bed. “Not sure I am feeling better. Damn heat exhaustion got me good.” Despite moaning and groaning, his voice still had more energy and life than before.
“Oh?” Nahyuta approached his bedside, placing his hand on Simon’s forehead.
“Bloody hell, your hand is cold!” Nahyuta swiftly pulled away. “Is the rest of you that cold, or just your tiny little hands?”
“Tiny?” Nahyuta held out his held, fanning out his jade polished fingernails. “Th-they’re not that small…” He cleared his throat in a desperate attempt to pull himself together. Hints of pink popped through the beige skin of his well-defined cheekbones.
Simon extended his hand, an implicit invitation to compare. “You willing to test that, Monk Mini-hands?”
“Ugh… I’d almost rather you call me Sad Monk instead.” The unspoken part of that statement was, “at least that nickname won’t make me blush as much.” Despite his weak protest, Nahyuta still placed his hand against Simon’s for comparison.
“Whatever you say, Sad Monk. I was still right about your itty bitty icy baby hands.” His voice was hoarse, but the obvious mocking condescension dripped through Simon’s tone.
Upon closer observation, Nahyuta’s hand was downright diminutive against Simon’s. He was only two inches shorter than him; standing at six feet, not many people made Nahyuta feel small. However, Simon utterly dwarfed him in terms of finger length and palm width. Before he could overthink the implications or be overwhelmed by the temptation to fill the gaps between Simon’s husky fingers, Nahyuta yanked away.
“Calling me by my actual name is always an option as well, Simon,” he said, picking up the cup again from the nightstand. Nahyuta went for a refill while Simon readjusted the pillows.
“Fine… Nahyuta, can you come back and put those ice cubes you call hands back on my forehead? I’m burning up over here!”
“Whatever you say, but try to drink more water, okay?” He put the cup and his hand back where they were. “I guess you still are feeling a little warm…”
“Thanks for having inhumanly cold skin. Really helps in a time like this…” Simon took a labored breath.
“I read taking a bath in cool water also helps with heat exhaustion. Feel free, if you’re feeling inclined.”
“Not even trying to be subtle about wanting me to strip, hmm?”
When Nahyuta assertively replied, “I had nothing of the sort on my mind!” he was telling the truth. The keyword was “had” - Simon’s words forced the mental picture into his head. Nahyuta shooed away the thought like an irritating fly that kept buzzing into him. Out of respect for Simon’s privacy, he didn’t want to indulge in such thoughts, not even if might enjoy the image more than he cared to admit.
“And why are you standing around? I bet you could cram four people on a bed this size. You’d have room to find a spot on here with plenty of space to yourself.”
“Yes, I suppose that’s true.” As Nahyuta walked around the bed, Simon took another sip of water. As advised, Nahyuta found a spot on the bed with plenty of room between the two of them. “Did you want me to put my hand back on your forehead?”
“Depends: are your hands the only part of you practically made of ice?”
“It’s difficult to say, given that what you consider cold to the touch is simply my version of normal.”
“So you don’t know, is what you’re saying?” Simon interrogated. Being challenged on his knowledge, even on a subject so silly, put Nahyuta on the defense. He gritted his teeth, hoping how flustered he was didn’t leak through.
“I feel chilly more often than most people I know, but I’m unsure if that has any connection to whether or not you’d think my skin is cold. Such a thought never crossed my mind. After all, I hadn’t prepared for being used as a human ice pack.”
Nahyuta put his hand on Simon’s forehead again. His response was a contented sigh. Now that he had a small smile on his face, Sad Monk didn’t look so sad anymore. Simon muttered something mostly incoherent. Although Nahyuta could have sworn he said “pretty little ice pack,” Simon Blackquill of all people uttering those words was a concept beyond his comprehension. His tranquil smile gave way to a perplexed head tilt.
“What did you just say?” Nahyuta asked. “I couldn’t understand.”
“Ah, nothin’,” Simon slurred, suddenly sounding dramatically drunk. “Don’t mind me. This heat exhaustion might have me talkin’ nonsense.”
“If you say so.” He arched an eyebrow, puzzled at how positively out-of-character Simon was acting. The change was so drastic, it would have made more sense if he had a stroke or brain tumor. However, he didn’t consider it worth commenting on, and similar to many other situations in his life, Nayuta let it go.
Simon placed his hand on top of Nahyuta’s to press it more into his forehead. Nahyuta choked back a gasp when their hands made contact. He bit his lip as Simon’s hand crept up the soft and hairless skin of his forearm. Simon’s eyes fluttered half-open, still unfocused and listless. Using the hand not currently caressing Nahyuta, he took turns rubbing his eyes until he was black, white, and red all over.
“Mm, your arm is just as cold,” Simon casually remarked, still slurring his words. “I’m still real warm, so it feels nice.” He paused, lifting his hand from Nahyuta’s arm, now covered in goosebumps. “Was that acceptable? I can stop if you’d prefer.” Out of nowhere, his voice was much clearer, less sloppy.
“Ah, that’s quite all right.” Nahyuta cleared his throat, picking his words deliberately and carefully to avoid floundering. He knew that if he let instinct choose his words, he’d regret it. “No need to stop. I’m happy to hear it’s helping you cool down.” Simon went from rubbing his eyes individually with his free hand to covering his mouth, attempting to hold back a yawn. “Is it possible you’ve recovered from heat exhaustion and moved on to regular exhaustion? I wouldn’t begrudge you for needing to nap before you go on your way.”
“A nap? What am I, a bloody toddler?”
“Regardless of age, our bodies need rest. Sometimes we need more than our typical amount - especially if we’re recovering from feeling unwell. There’s no shame in napping if need be.”
“Preachy even about naps… you really are something else, Nahyuta.” He shook his head, letting out another poorly suppressed yawn. “At most, I may need to rest my eyes for a moment.”
“Do what you must. Is there anything else you need?”
“May as well touch my arms with your frigid little hands, since you wanted to take my clothes off so badly.” Simon flashed a devious grin.
“Only because you thought it would be appropriate to go to the beach dressed downright vampiric,” Nahyuta chided. His lecturing didn’t hold much weight, considering he instantly heeded Simon’s request.
Simon teased Nahyuta as if he stripped him down to his underwear. It didn’t matter that only his outermost layer was removed. Witnessing him in this state was far more intimate than seeing any average person wearing short sleeves. The significance of seeing his exposed arms sunk in while Nahyuta brushed against Simon’s skin with his graceful fingertips. It was enough to make Nahyuta feel tingly. He hesitated, steadying himself with a deep breath.
Simon’s arms had scars, but Nahyuta didn’t fixate on them. The scars were a part of him like any other - nothing to gawk at. Other observations took priority, such as the sensation of smooth and soft rubbing against rough and coarse, or the light pressure of Simon leaning into his touch. One particular detail became increasingly apparent the more Nahyuta’s hand became acquainted with Simon’s left arm, and he hesitated to acknowledge it.
Simon’s statement of being “taller and heavier” than Nahyuta didn’t tell the whole story - he was also much stronger. Nahyuta tried not to become preoccupied with this fact, but his homoerotic curiosity proved stronger. Simon would most certainly beat him if they arm-wrestled. This piece of information on its own didn’t mean much- even Nahyuta’s kid sister could likely manage- but for Simon, it would be effortless. The fight would have been just as one-sided if they were a real butterfly and panda bear. Even if the butterfly thought the panda looked non-threatening and cuddly, it wouldn’t stand a chance from size alone.
Nahyuta shook his head as if trying to eject the mental image. His lavender updo swayed back and forth as he did. The gay thoughts quickly proved stronger than his sense of restraint. Judging by his adorably soft snores, Simon succumbed to his brain in a different way. He may have been strong, but not strong enough to overcome the powerful combination of his exhaustion alongside the comfy bed beneath him. As Simon slipped further into dreamland, he slumped left until his head wound up on Nahyuta’s shoulder.
The blushing monk stayed perfectly still. Because Simon was asleep, he could go longer before seeing Nahyuta in his current state. He didn’t feel prepared for him to know how furiously his heart raced, or how deep the crimson on his cheeks could run. Maybe someday - it would only be fair, since a case of stubbornly self-inflicted heat exhaustion revealed more of Simon than he’d ever seen before, literally or metaphorically.
“Silly panda,” Nahyuta whispered. His silk soft voice was inaudible to anyone besides himself. “You have many qualities, Simon Blackquill, but I’m afraid ‘good actor’ is not one of them.” He let out a quiet, restrained giggle. “Did you think I wouldn’t notice the timing of your symptoms suddenly reappearing? You expected a fellow prosecutor to overlook something not adding up? Be grateful you’re cute.”
He went silent, realizing the circumstances gave him little right to call Simon silly. Not only was Nahyuta whispering to himself while Simon slept beside him, he wasn’t as above it all as he’d like to believe. Even if Simon faked the return of his heat exhaustion symptoms so he’d have an excuse to stay, Nahyuta played along. He was equally as incapable of outright admitting he wanted more time together.
The make believe act may have been ridiculous, but Nahyuta couldn’t bring himself to complain. It was difficult to resent a scenario when it ended with Simon nestled into him. He couldn’t remember the last time he experienced contentment and inner peace as genuine as this. Nahyuta was completely satisfied, wishing for nothing in the world other than for the beautiful moment to continue… and, perhaps, for him to be the one in Simon’s arms next time.