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The teenager with messy hair crawled into the tent, inhaling rapidly to start to speak, but his vision caught something in the dim depths. It was an oblong shivering bag, with wisps of curly hair sticking out of it. It wasn't hard for Randal to guess that it was none other than his beloved pet. And friend (the other freckled boy didn't think so, however). He silently creeped to Sebastian, who was wrapped in a blanket and squatted next to him.
The ginger timidly raised himself up and sat down in place, letting the soft blanket smoothly slide off his shoulders. The boy looked more miserable than usual.
He was wearing Randal's checkered hat and the warmest sweater they brought with them. It seemed like every cell within his body was trembling in small eractic beats. Ivory could hear the continuous rhythm of clattering teeth. On top of all this, Sebastian's faint embrace around a plush toy that appeared similar to a large and poorly stuffed bunny at first, simply didnt have the exact shape down. The bespectacled boy couldn't help but let out an impulsive chuckle. But not a despicable chuckle, not at all. Quite the opposite, Randal thought it was adorably cute. He had never seen Smith held anything, even a pillow when he slept.
"You look cold."
"I AM cold!" the red haired teen howled pitifully with an apprehensive voice. After those words, he was struck by a momentary and noticeably larger shiver from the cold, knocking out a quiet muffled moan from his lungs. Randal even jumped from the surprise a bit.
Sebastian lowered his head and shrank in size, sighing softly and covering himself in the blanket again. He looked like the most pitiful puppy in the world right then. There were also mittens on his hands, taken from the younger Ivory's closet, as Randal noticed.
Ivory arched an eyebrow a little while making a monotone thoughtful *hmm-m*, covering his mouth with a clenched fist. The freckled boy looked at his blanket-wrapped legs, sniffing constantly.
"And how do I warm you..." Randal muttered audibly. He didn't bring many clothes when he went camping with his brother, especially not warm clothes that can withstand the cold. Yet, Luther insisted that it was necessary to take at least one pair of gloves and a hat "just in case".
Besides why was Sebastian freezing anyway? It's not even that cold, atleast to Randal it isn't.
Ivory had a guess suddenly. He tilted his head to the side and uttered in wonder with a slightly flat tone, which distinctly sounds like the voice of his older brother: "We just arrived and my Sebastian is already ill."
The human could only sound a weakened mumble,
"I dont know."
He wasn't as frigid when they were driving so it was rather peculiar. Maybe his immune system has become weakened due to alleviated stress factors?
Randal retired within his thoughts once again; taking a quick glance on their rather spacious tent in search of something that could lead him to an idea of how to help Sebastian. Of course, he can just walk to Luther, but when he left the other house-like tent they all seemed to already be asleep. Randal was tired somehow, so dreaded going out to check again. Besides, the eldest Ivory would probably want to give his pet a bloodlet or an injection filled with vitamins; and Sebastian already could not stand any sorts of injections. During the last bloodletting, he even blacked out and stained everything with his maroon venous blood.
Randal had fun then, of course, but now Sebastian looks funny.
Randal tittered weirdly.
"You kinda look like a babushka, or granny."
Still shivering from the cold, Sebastian stared bluntly agitated on the boy with glasses. He didn't appreciate the joke. The uproar of giggling turned into awkward coughing then silence.
For the quite long time that Sebastian has been forced to live in the Ivory household, he has gotten used to such embarrassing circumstances; awkward silence while someone gazed at him for prolonged amounts of time than needed. So, the freckled boy just sat and waited until the teenager sitting next to him came up with some terrible idea.
All his ideas were terrible, Sebastian knew that personally.
Suddenly Randal sighs, gets on his knees and starts to creep towards the still-shivering Sebastian. Thus making the ginger twitch in fright for a second. Ivory crawled closer to his pet, gently pushed the plush aside and threw one leg over Smith's own legs that were still covered in a blanket. He slightly sits down on other ones lap without crushing him with all his weight.
Randal then tenderly hugs him by the neck and lowers his chin on Sebastian's shoulder. He then places his gloved hands behind Sebastians bare spine, pressing against him almost with his whole form.
A momentary shiver runs down Sebastian's back as his heart fluttered. How remarkable a caress and simple hug with someone alive is. Someone alive and warm, heart beating and all. And he certainly didn't expect this from the Prince of Darkness himself. Smith forgot about the cold for a lone moment, only blinking often, not knowing where to put his hands.
Randal's warm fingers barely brush his gentle fingers along the nearest vertebrae, stroking inch by inch higher to the nape, causing Sebastian's pale freckled skin erupt in goosebumps.
The redhead felt the steady hot breath of the other boy on his back. It felt hella embarrassing and awkward. Ivory definitely didn't lose his super-ability to make everyone around him feel the most terrible shame they could've ever felt.
However, now Sebastian was more embarrassed than ashamed and he didnt want to sink through the ground. It was quite opposite — he wanted to fall and dissolve into these spontaneous, unexpected embraces, which he hasn't experienced for so long, admist absolutely forgetting whose the other person sharing this warmth with. But his inner conscious barrier simply did not allow it. His cheeks flushed.
After a while without any response or resistance Randal pulled away a little just so he can face his pet.
"Getting warm?" Randal asked softly, blowing hot air on his freckled cheek. Sebastian turns his head halfway around to the younger one, their eyes meet each other. Their faces were so close that they literally could have touched the tips of their noses if Smith had turned completely to the other boy. Randal's face was slightly redder than regular. It was so unusual to see him... flushed? Yeah, it seems so.
Sebastian hesitated and looks away. Awkward silence once again.
"Wanna stop?" Sebastian wanted to kill himself for how quickly he reacted to this phrase, shaking his head in disagreement. So embarrassing... "Okay." Randal replied shortly with a calm voice.
The teen with the square glasses placed his chin on Sebastian's shoulder again and held him tighter. He shifted a little and finally lowered his whole weight on his curly-haired pet, snuggling closer. Thank God that Randal didn't make a single joke about how the redhead basically asked to continue hugging him without any hesitation. It was doubly embarrassing because they were both boys.
His chest ached and stomach twisted strangely, yet somehow in a pleasant way. From his such unusual suddenly surging feelings he began to throw a fever, so he took off his hat. But to remove his gloves, he had to reached out his hands as if he wanted to hug Randal. He took them off as well, placing it near the discarded plush toy.
Sebastian awkwardly buries himself between Ivory's shoulder and gently puts his hands on his sides. Smith had caught a glimpse of a small tremor went through Randal from his simple and light touch.
Awkward.
But warm.
Ivory's hands still caressed the pet's skin under the sweater and traced simple patterns on it. Suddenly, Ivory's fingers lightly ran from his shoulder blades to the neck, causing something to flutter in Sebastian's stomach. Randal situated his palm into the fiery curly hair and weakly grapsed a couple of strands in his fist. Sebastian desperately tried to resist his thoughts that he liked it even though they both were boys.
And the fact that Ivory is sitting so obscenely on his lap, pressing his chest, stomach and groin against him…
Smith sighs heavily and hugs Randal tightly, which an odd blurt sounded from his lungs. It seemed like this was the first time they ever hugged.
Sebastian wasn't cold now. Yet for some reason, he continued to sit in Randal's hot embrace, pressing his slightly pink cheek against Ivory's open and bare neck while he twisted red curls on his fingers. So unusual but so good. For the first time he allowed himself to relax in the presence of the other teen.
They sat here together without saying anything. Sebastian was enjoying a cautiously rare moment and rejecting the thought that his personal sadist is sitting on him right now, and Randal... What about him? His embrace on the fragile human neck weakened, his fingers no longer loomed over Sebastians vertebrae and the boy felt more weight at some point. Sebastian hesitated shyly and poked him on shoulder.
"Randal." Sebastian quietly said as he was raising his head.
Zero reaction.
"Randal," he repeated more confidently while grabbing the younger Ivory by the shoulders. He pulls away from Randal a little and turns to look at him but he starts to fall on the side. Sebastian grabs him and holds him tight. Randal's asleep. His eyes are shut, his face relaxed and he is calmly, even sweetly breathing; as if when he's awake he does not like to wreak chaos, disturb everyone and try to drag Sebastian into another horrible 'game', as he liked to called it.
It was so strange for Sebastian to feel such freedom of action over Randal.
He actually could kill him right now. Smith shuddered at this thought. Yes, Randal tried to kill him more than once, even if not on purpose but he still tried. Randal and his whole family were the causes of all Sebastians troubles, but he wouldn't raise his hand at the youngest Ivory. This wasn't even because he was afraid of blood or the consequences if he would be caught.
Sebastian hugged Randal again, carefully laid down with him on the blanket and pillow that was spread out beforehand. The younger's hands rested under Smith's head as if continuing to hug through a lucid dream. He had slid down and was now lying with his head on his beloved pet's chest. Square glasses slipped off his nose and Sebastian carefully took them off. There was a sleeping place nearby for Randal and the boy reaches for a black blanket so he can cover them both with it.
Yes, they're keeping Smith here against his will. And this stupid name was given to him by Randal. And it seems that every new day at Ivory household is only worse than the previous.
But he still has no way to escape now, right?
Sebastian lightly puts his palm on Randal's tangled hair and says mentally as closing his eyes: "Goodnight..."