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Tommi stares curiously at the sleeping body in his bed. It’s been about a week since the fledgling had arrived. Tommi hopes that by now, he’s warmed up to him somewhat.
Aleksi, he’d learned from the little the fledgling had said to him in the days past, was unpredictable. Though in some moments he could be clingy and almost affectionate, in the next he could panic, hiding away in the dark corners of Tommi’s den.
He’s also learned that it’s better not to give chase. After the first few times of panicking, turning the den upside down to find where the fledgling was hiding, only for Aleksi to be scared and angry when he finally did. No, it was much better for him to sit quietly where Aleksi could find him when he was ready, crawling meekly out of his spot beneath the bed or in the cupboards.
Tommi gently puts a hand on Aleksi’s cheek, checking. The warmth of his feed has almost faded completely. Tommi tucks the duvets around him, smoothing the fledgling’s hair back. He’s not sure what to do. It’s taken a lot out of him to keep letting Aleksi feed on him, but Aleksi gets so cold and weak when he’s hungry, just as he’d been when Tommi had first found him.
Aleksi stirs but doesn’t wake when Tommi puts a hand on his lip, his thumb pushing ever so slightly on his canines. They’re starting to grow loose, and Tommi knows that they’ll surely fall out soon, making room for his fangs. The orange light of the sun filters in through the curtains as it makes its nightly descent through the burning sky, burnishing everything it touches gold. Tommi is glad that his home faces west; the sunlight pouring in does not touch the bed, tucked safely against the wall.
The setting sun means that the fledgling will wake soon, once the long fingers of golden light give way to the cool dark of night. Tommi moves closer, letting the warmth of his body reach Aleksi’s skin. Aleksi hates waking up alone, needing someone to keep close to him, and Tommi is content to stay close to him until he rises. He lays alongside the fledgling, making sure that he’s tucked in well. Aleksi is already starting to shiver in his sleep, his eyelashes flickering.
Sure enough, the orange glow of the sunlight slowly burns out, and Aleksi begins to mumble, shifting under the blankets. Tommi huffs affectionately, but frowns when Aleksi starts sniffling. He can smell fear on his skin, and sees Aleksi’s face twist as a cry escapes his lips. Nightmares came often to him, and Tommi was lucky if they did not result in Aleksi running from him to hide under the bed.
Tommi immediately reaches out for him, his hand cupping the fledgling’s cheek. Aleksi’s eyes snap open, staring unseeing at Tommi’s face. He’s still afraid, still stuck in the dream. Tommi rumbles low, shushing him softly. Aleksi grabs onto the worn-soft cotton of Tommi’s shirt, dragging himself into Tommi’s chest, still crying. Tommi rubs his back, shushing him softly to bring him into the waking world properly, nipping lightly at Aleksi’s ears.
They stay like that until Aleksi settles, Tommi licking cautiously over the weak pulse point in his neck as he soothes him. Aleksi’s stomach growls then, and Tommi chuckles, pulling him to sit in his lap. It’s routine now, Tommi taking Aleksi into his lap, and pricking a cut into his own neck to feed the newborn.
Tommi sighs as Aleksi nurses at the cut, lapping at the warm trickle of blood. It had hurt at first, but with practice there is something softly pleasurable from Aleksi’s feeding, seeping in along the edges of the usual ache. He nuzzles at Aleksi’s hair, breathing in the scent. Blood and melancholy.
Aleksi’s skin warms under his hands, and once he’s full he unlatches with a sticky pop, and there is the now hot press of the flat of Aleksi's tongue as he seals the wound. Tommi's hands close over Aleksi's shoulders, gently urging him off of his body. He's dizzy from the blood loss, and he needs to lay down. Aleksi sucks his lip, but seems to get the idea. He slides off of Tommi's lap, and pads out of the room.
He returns a moment later with a tall glass of water, slipping back onto the bed behind him, guiding Tommi's head into his lap to keep it propped up. He tilts the glass as Tommi drinks from it noisily. Tommi can feel the closed wound in his neck pulling. There is a mess of thin, white scars there now. He supposes that Aleksi's newness and lack of teaching had led him to be clumsy in his healing, leaving achy scars where his tongue should have left smooth, unmarred skin. It's fine – the scars are away from the smooth, unmarked gland at the junction of his neck and shoulder.
Aleksi sets the empty glass down on the bedside table once it's empty, and crawls back down to half lay on top of Tommi. Tommi lets his eyes slip shut. There's the pleasant press of Aleksi's round tummy against his, and he can sense his tiredness. Aleksi's clumsy purring is rumbling right through Tommi's chest, and Tommi thanks the Moon for letting them both be calm and safe, if just for tonight.