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fire was always beautiful from a distance. the intensity of the flames and the brute force of the heat was always something magical to rodolfo. the light that fire produced was always soft, a gentle spark that he thought should've been more appreciated.
he mostly associated fires with his childhood. with alejandro lighting campfires and roasting marshmallows, making s'mores. the thought made rudy miss it just a little. fires were a source of warmth and comfort— and he enjoyed it.
at least until now. until he was forced to sit right in the middle of it, counting down the seconds until the fire reached him. it wasn't as beautiful as he once thought. in fact, he hated it. he hated how it felt against his skin and he hated how close it was getting to him.
"rudy! i see smoke, where are you?!" alejandro barked into his earpiece, reminding him of what he was fighting for. rudy groaned, turning slightly. just before, he had been hit in the head so hard that everything was hurting and he could barely see anything— his vision only got worse due to all of the smoke.
rudy opened his mouth, but no words left him. alejandro kept shouting at him and it felt like he was going to die right there. he didn't want to. the fire was rising and there was nothing to stop it. he was going to die and this was it. how had he been so stupid? so blind to notice?—
rodolfo gasped, shooting up from his place in bed and panting. he attempted to catch his breath, his lungs burning from the heavy breathing while he clutched his chest. the male next to him squirmed briefly before turning over and sitting up slowly, "rudy...?" he called gently, watching his partner fail to catch his breath.
"rodolfo—what's wrong?"
"too hot." was all rodolfo could get out, his eyes wide and his body sweating profusely. alejandro pulled the covers back and moved, sitting across from rudy and cupping the males face into his hands. "look at me, amor. you're here with me. you're alright."
rudy blinked a few times, his throat no longer feeling clogged as he placed his hands atop alejandro's. it felt cool, calming and relaxing. something he needed. a distraction. something to make him forget about the fire and its intensity. the way it had him in a constant chokehold— there had to be a way to forget it all.
"gracias." rudy whispered, eyes closing as he found comfort in alejandro's hands.
alejandro leaned forward, forehead pressed against rudy's as he connected his lips with the others just for a moment. as a reminder, mumbling against the others lips. "de nada."
the coolness from alejandro's touch was enough for rudy to relax in his hold, his aching body leaned against alejandro, forcing the other male to fall back against the bed.
"you wish to sleep like this?"
"por favor." rudy mumbled against alejandro's chest, closing his eyes and yawning. he needed the coolness to stay, otherwise he'd catch on fire again.
alejandro shook it off, knowing that rudy just needed something constant. and he could provide that. nightmares were never fun and while he wasn't the best at comforting rudy, alejandro didn't let that discourage him from trying. rodolfo appreciated it greatly.
because truthfully, all he needed was this. alejandro under him and the coolness of his skin against his own. that was enough to make rodolfo forget that fire even existed in such a way. that it could ever hurt him. he was untouchable.
"buenos noches, cariño."