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He was soft once. Ashton knew this. He didn't know how soft, or what kind of soft... just that he wasn't always so hard and rough to the touch. There were times they were thankful for the change. Times when he'd be in a fight, and punches would hurt the other far worse than they hurt him. Time when they'd hit the ground after a strike and still feel strong enough to get right back up again. And there were times when any touch would feel like daggers, where his crystalline hair, and stone green skin would each act as a deterrent for others to not seek any sort of physical comfort from him, which thank the fuckin' gods, because they were not that sort of person.
But then there were times like tonight where it was just a fucking mess. Orym and Ashton had danced around their feelings long enough, and had finally had a conversation about how they felt for one another. There were still some things to work out, but for now, they were happy.
And so, they were happy to try and share a room together.
It wasn't until Orym had gotten in to bed and laid down next to him that Ashton realized how long it had been since they'd slept with anyone. Usually F.C.G would power down by the side of the bed, standing up right against a wall, or something. Milo had given Ashton his own space during their recovery after the fall, and before that it was the Nobodies and the orphanage. That place hardly had enough space for all the kids stuffed in there, let alone having enough beds and blankets. It wasn't strange to find piles of kids all lumped together to keep warm for the night, finding comfort in each other. Everyone did it to some extent... except Ashton. It took very little time for the other kids to avoid him and leave Ashton to themselves. Their coarse and dry skin, rubbing against others as they moved in their sleep. Their body, so firm and tough, was made for a fight. It was not made for cuddles.
So, Ashton doesn't sleep with other people.
Orym, it seemed, was determined to try.
They let it go on for a bit, himself shifting as they got used to another weight on the bed, and Orym moving around as well. They were two shapes not use to fitting together as one, not yet. It finally seemed like Orym found a position they were happy with, but Ashton just stared at him."That can't be comfortable for you," they said, watching as his friend laid there. He was seemingly trying to curl up close, but that was a stupid thing to try with the other's stone-like skin.
"It's great," Orym said as he seemed to settle, though Ashton highly doubted it.
"It looks fucking awful, is what it is." He said, dragging a hand down his own chest and giving it a 'knock' to emphasize the lack of much squishiness. "I'm literally as hard as a rock,"
Orym lifted his head and raised an eyebrow, "Oh, are you?" The fucker smirked and Ashton watched his eyes quickly shift down and back up again. They were half temped to shove the other off the bed at that.
Instead, Ashton let the humor go and let out a deep breath. "Look, all I'm saying is I know I'm not the softest thing to sleep with. After a hard day's travel, or whatever the fuck we get up to any given day, who doesn't just want to lie down in a soft bed and sleep?" They laid back, letting his hands fall to the side and stared out the window of their room.
It was quite for a minute as Orym took in those words. Ashton always wondered at the other whenever he went quiet like that. He was always so conscientious of the others and how often words could be misunderstood. He always seemed to be trying to avoid an unnecessary problems.
"...When Will and I first moved in together, we had some troubles like most young couples do." Orym said, voice thoughtful and more somber than before. Ashton's gaze immediately shot towards the halfling, surprised that he would mention his husband. There would be moments from time to time, but Ashton could tell it was still such a sore spot for the other.
Orym cleared his throat a bit before continuing. "We couldn't decide on a bed. He wanted to move the one from his family home into ours. It was a beautifully carved piece, a gift from one of their family friends. It would have worked perfectly for us," Orym smiled at his next words, "but I hated it."
It was said with a bit more disdain than Ashton was expecting, he couldn't help but laugh a bit, chest bouncing. Orym closed his eyes, getting lost in memory. "It was way too soft. The first time I remember sleeping there, I had overworked myself during training, and Will carried me up to his room to rest. I woke up sore everywhere, sunken into the mattress."
Orym's fingers started tracing random shapes on Ashton's chest, the light touch bringing a nice sensation to them as they laid there listening. "We tried a couple different sleeping mats, but my preference was too hard for Will, and his too soft for me." Light brushes moved further up towards their collar bone, moving with more softness than Ashton was used to allowing himself to have.
Orym moved more on to Ashton's chest, the halfling's body now completely on the other's, "This was a nice solution for us." He whispered, head sideways, listening to Ashton's heartbeat. "The soft mattress for him, the firm toned abs for me," he said with a laugh. Ashton chuckled as well, smiling at his friend. "I could feel him there, always holding me," Orym continued, growing softer again. "We could sleep together like this."
Ashton moved his hand down to grip Orym's, squeezing slightly after hearing his wistful tone. "I think I'm a bit harder than Will was," he stared up at the ceiling, swallowing deeply as too many feelings threatened to overcome him.
Orym shifted and grabbed their hand, guiding Ashton to hold him closer. "You're not hard Ashton... You may look it from the outside, but I think we both know that's not all that's there."
Ashton's face grew almost greyish purple as blush rose to their cheeks. He grunted and lightly pushed the halfling off of him, allowing him to turn and face away from the other. He could almost hear Orym smiling as the other crawled over their side to stay near, "You try so hard to keep it a secret, but I'm close enough to see the truth." He snuggled his way back into Ashton's arms, facing their chest once more. He began running his fingers along their stomach again, pushing gently at the soft bulge that was so often hidden away. Orym kept his gaze lower, knowing his friend was still blushing and not wanting to make him uncomfortable. "You've let me be close enough to see it."
Ashton just grunted again, not knowing how to address the obvious second meaning . He thought for a moment, trying to keep a lighthearted tone as they relaxed further in to the bed. "'I've let you' my ass, you fuckin' leech. No escaping you once you get hold of me." He brought his hands up gripped the other tighter, as if he were trying to bring Orym even closer than he already was.
He was so close, Ashton could feel the other smiling against their chest.
They both laid there quietly, taking each other in and just enjoying being together.
"You sure this is good, Orym? Not too soft" Ashton mumbled, eyes starting to close as he let himself relax.
"This is perfect, Ash." Orym kissed his chest, right where their heart was beating, slowing down as sleep started to over take them. "You are perfect." He shut his eyes too, happy to sleep in the familiar position of the arms of someone he loves.