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When they were first choosing their beds, Forever was the buffer between Pac and Mike, and Cellbit and Felps. It mattered in a way it didn’t not too long after. And Forever was dying to know, but it took a while before anyone would tell him the history.
There were other reasons for it, too, anyway. Out of all of them, Forever had the least amount of combat training at the time. It made sense for him to be in the middle. To be protected.
Forever can’t quite remember who suggested moving the beds together, but he’s sure it was at least somewhat Tazercraft’s fault. They were already doing it before the rest of them joined, after all. Lying in the middle of their two beds, curled up against each other.
Forever would say the rest of it was their fault, too, honestly. Specifically Pac’s. Because he remembers Pac’s hand stretched out across the pressed together mattresses in his. And that felt like the permission he didn’t know he was waiting for to search around to grab Cellbit’s.
And Cellbit and Felps were already… not cuddling, exactly. Not like Pac and Mike. But they had taken the lack of space between the beds to give themselves a lack of space between them. They barely needed to shift for Felps to sling an arm around Cellbit’s waist when Cellbit turned to cling onto Forever’s hand more solidly.
Throughout the night they had drifted closer together. Pac’s forehead pressed against Forever’s shoulder with the rest of his body stretched back towards his bed. Mike plastered so close against his back that Forever wasn’t surprised to find Mike’s bed completely empty in the morning. Cellbit had gotten close enough that he could hug Forever’s hand to his chest, allowing Felps’ hand to join the mix, too.
It took a while of that before they decided to just start off that way.
Now, Forever hasn’t had all of them in the same place for years. And he sleeps a lot less than he did back then.
But also, now, Cellbit is finally back. And Forever is in his office, because there’s always work to be done and no one’s hurt badly enough to drag him away from it.
Which is good, of course. But Forever’s thoughts keep wandering to Cellbit—if he’s settling in okay, if he needs anything—and he’s been trying to read this same sentence for half an hour. Probably.
If Forever was anyone else, he could go catch up with his family. Put the work aside for the night, and just bask in their presence.
Forever isn’t anyone else, though.
There’s a knock on his door. Forever takes a moment to drag his hands down his face and wonder what the fuck is about to be brought to him now.
“Yes?”
It opens to reveal Felps. The tension quickly drains from him.
“Felps!”
“Hi, Forever.”
“I thought you’d be with Cellbit.”
“I was. I am.” Felps confirms. “He’s just out in the hallway, but I wanted to talk. If you’re not busy?”
“Nothing that can’t wait a moment.” Truthfully, he could use the distraction. Maybe getting an update on the state of his family will calm him enough to focus again. He beckons Felps into the room. “What’s up?”
“Can we have a sleepover?”
“A—What?”
“A sleepover.” Felps repeats, unbothered to explain much more. “In your office.”
“We don’t—” They don’t have the beds for that, but it’s Felps so Forever will at least entertain the idea. “Who?”
“Us.” Felps moves his finger around lazily in a circle. “You, me, Cellbit, Pac and Mike.”
“Felpopinho, you’d know I’d love to, but—”
“You said you weren’t busy.” Felps interrupts, pointing the finger at him in a way that’s too casual to be properly accusatory.
“I said it could wait a moment.” Forever absently swipes a thumb over the beads of his friendship bracelet as he thinks about how to proceed. “Fuck, Felps, you know I want to—of course I do. I just… There’s so much to be done, you know?”
“Please?”
Forever buries his face in his hands and lets out some muffled curses. He’s way too weak to Felps nowadays. Not that he minds, generally, but this is important stuff. There’s no good excuse to slack off on it. He wouldn’t want to be given an excuse either, because those only come when the people he loves are hurt so bad they might not make it.
“I just thought it’d be nice to spend our first night back together together, you know?” Felps continues.
And… okay. Maybe there’s one good excuse. The worst part is, it’d probably even fly fine with the rest of the Order. Unless something goes horribly wrong due to his absence. Which it very likely could. But…
He groans into his hands. And when he looks up Felps is smiling like he knows he’s already won. Smug bastard.
“We don’t have enough beds.” He says instead, trying to delay the inevitable. “Man, I don’t even know how we’d get them in here if we did!”
“Pac and Mike are looking for spare blankets now. For the floor, yeah?” Felps shrugs. “It might not be entirely comfortable, but we’ve all probably slept in worse places.”
“And what’s Cellbit doing, then?”
“Asking Philza very nicely if he can take the time sensitive paperwork off your hands.”
“Fuck.” Forever stands up and strides towards the door, brushing past Felps. It’s easy enough to spot Cellbit and Phil talking just a couple of metres down from his office door. “Philza, don’t listen to him!”
“Forever!” Phil turns to him with a shit-eating grin on his face, and Forever wants to shake him by the shoulders until he falls apart. “Cellbit was just telling me about this great idea he had.”
“Don’t—It’s fine.” Forever turns to Cellbit, whose face is carefully neutral. “You guys can stay over, and I’ll join you when I’m done. Okay, Cellbo?”
Cellbit opens his mouth to respond, but Phil gets there first. His expression has fallen into something softer.
“Seriously, Forever, I don’t mind.” He puts a hand on Forever’s shoulder, and squeezes gently. “I’ve got it, king, go spend time with your family.”
If he wasn’t already worn down by Felps, maybe he’d keep resisting. But as it is…
“Ugh. Fine!” He wraps Phil up in a tight hug. “You suck. Thank you. Come and get me if there’s anything important, okay?”
“Will do. And no worries, mate.” Phil chirps. “Try and get some sleep, okay?”
No promises.
“I will.”
When he pulls away, Cellbit is smiling. Forever punches his arm.
“Hey!” Cellbit exclaims, rubbing where he was hit. “What was that for?”
“I bet this was your fault.”
“It was Felps’ idea, actually.”
“You’re just saying that because you know I won’t be mad at him.”
Cellbit just grins at him.
It takes a little bit to set everything up. Forever has to sort through the paperwork so he can give Phil everything that needs to be done—apologising at every new bit he adds to the pile no matter how much Phil tells him he doesn’t need to.
Halfway through that, Pac and Mike appear, carrying a truly absurd amount of blankets and pillows. Forever lets them set the room up. Half-listens to the casual chatter. There’s not much space, but they never needed much, anyway.
By the time Philza leaves, Pac’s prosthetic is off and charging, and the bedding is ready—a thick layering of blankets as a makeshift mattress with one being used as the actual blanket. Forever wonders if it’s enough to keep Felps warm.
“Felpopinho, can you go in the middle?” Forever asks.
“Sure.” Felps gets situated, then tilts his head. “Why?”
“To keep you warm, man.”
Felps hums in acknowledgment, and Forever is glad that at least one of their family isn’t adverse to this kind of coddling.
The others settle into place like puzzle pieces around him. Cellbit lies down practically on top of Felps, and—for all intents and purposes—looks like he’s trying to merge their bodies into one. He murmurs something that Forever can’t hear, but has Felps laughing softly and bringing his hand up to card through his hair.
Pac curls into Felps’ side—Mike right behind him. Forever takes a moment to adjust the blankets around them all. Then he puts himself on the other side of Cellbit, throws an arm over him and Felps both, and tries to relax.
After a moment, Cellbit shifts to face him. Wraps an arm around him, too, and tries to pull him in closer.
“I’m really angry at you.” Forever murmurs.
He’s sure the others could hear easily. But Pac and Mike are probably caught up in their own silent-to-everyone-but-them conversation, and Felps has likely already fallen asleep. Cellbit smiles at him, but it’s grim.
“I know.”
“I’m so glad you’re back, Cellbo.” The words come out tearier than he wants. He presses his face into the pillows underneath him. “It’s been so…”
“I know, I know.” Cellbit rubs his hand soothingly against Forever’s back. “It’s okay. I’m here now.”
He doesn’t promise anything. In this line of work they can’t. Still, it makes Forever feel better.
“I missed this. Us all together at night.” He turns to look at Cellbit again. “Whoever’s idea it was, it was a good one.”
“It was actually Felps’.” Cellbit confirms, a quiet laugh entwined in the words. “We didn’t just send him in because you play favourites now.”
“Hey, what the fuck’s this? I don’t play favourites!” Forever responds with mock-hurt in his voice. Cellbit laughs a little louder. “Fuck you. I’ll play the opposite of favourites now. I’m giving you so much paperwork tomorrow. I was going to ease you into it, but nope!”
“Man, seriously?” Cellbit sighs, but the despondent expression he puts on only lasts a moment before a grin cracks through it. “Alright, I’ll take it. I have a lot to update you on, anyway.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me.”
“C’mon.” Cellbit squeezes his shoulder. “That’s a tomorrow problem, yeah? Try to get some sleep, okay?”
“Alright, I’ll try.”
Really, he expects his thoughts to keep him up, as they do most nights. He makes peace with it, though. At the very least, he can bask in the knowledge that his family is safe, and in the comfort of having them all in the same makeshift bed. Not quite all in arm’s reach, but close enough.