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Lukas was freezing. The dirt hut did little to provide any warmth, even with their fire,
which was becoming pretty dim. No one dared go outside to collect more wood, so they had to do the best they could. Axel and Olivia had been talking with their backs to the wall, but it appeared that both had decidedly clocked out for the night, Axel’s head seemed to have fallen backwards and was snoring slightly. Olivia had slumped down and curled up in a little ball to conserve as much warmth as she could. Lukas had resigned himself to the corner furthest from everyone else, still feeling the tension from his interaction with Axel earlier.
He understood Axel’s feelings; Lukas was an outsider in their friend group, so maybe he had overstepped by suggesting a plan, but if they were going to work together, they were going to actually have to do things as a team. Hopefully.
Lost in his thoughts, Lukas didn’t notice it as Jesse made his way over to the corner of the hut. Jesse, quiet as to not wake the others, kneeled down next to Lukas.
“Hey, are you awake?” Jesse whispered in his ear. Lukas shivered slightly, and this time it wasn’t from the cold.
“Kind of. It’s a little hard trying to fall asleep on the cold, hard grass,” Lukas joked, wanting to keep the mood light. He really was uncomfortable on the ground, but what other choice did they have? He looked up at Jesse, making eye contact before averting his eyes. Having Jesse so close to his face was not what he expected to see.
“I feel that,” Jesse fidgeted, seeming a little nervous. “Hey man, I don’t want this to be weird, but would you mind if I bunked with you? It’s really cold in here and I don’t want to get sick if we’re going to save the world and everything.” Jesse was rambling, but Lukas understood. He put his hand on Jesse’s arm to get his attention. Jesse stopped talking and looked up as Lukas nodded. Smiling ever so slightly, Jesse started to lower himself to the ground next to Lukas, who turned on his side, facing the wall. Behind him, Jesse had finally settled, leaving a few inches of space between them seemingly for Lukas’ comfort. Feeling very over the cold, Lukas scooted a little bit closer, closing that space. If they were going to stay warm, they might as well do it right. No point in being awkward about it.
Now, Lukas’ back was pressed against Jesse’s chest, warmth sparking from every inch of contact. He could feel every breath Jesse took, which seemed to have picked up in pace. Minutes passed like this in silence. That is until Jesse slowly, ever so slowly brought his hand up and wrapped it around Lukas’ waist, drawing him even closer. Lukas could feel a warm breath on his neck, raising the hair there. Even though they were this close for sleeping purposes, Lukas was so awake. Jesse must’ve felt him tense up.
“Sorry. . . I just, uh, sleep a little easier when I’m holding something. Normally I have a pillow but. . . well, you know.” Jesse laughed quietly. Lukas smiled, and scooted ever closer. The warmth of Jesse’s embrace was starting to calm him down. He could feel his eyes getting heaving as the rhythm of Jesse’s breathing gently lulled him to sleep. Before he completely dozed off, he felt Jesse bury his head against his back and sigh, content himself. Whatever was going on outside their hut, it could wait until tomorrow. Right now, they needed to sleep.