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Sunshine broke over the horizon, shining gently through the trees of Devilswood. Last night’s snowfall amplified the morning light, letting it shine through the stained glass window of the academy library with a startling brightness. It fell upon the sleeping forms of two academy students, huddled together on a plush couch. The smaller of the two, Gell’deran laid on top of the other, snuggled into her thick sweater. Under his weight, Fig slept soundly, holding onto Gell with an arm around his waist. Her other arm dangled off the couch, nearly brushing the floor, having dropped the book she had been reading.
They had meant to sleep in their own beds last night, but Fig’s insomnia left her roaming the academy, eventually finding Gell in the library, attempting to read. His eyesight was poor, especially upclose, a consequence of having lived underground in his formative years. She offered to read to him, as she had done before. They went on like that for several hours, Gell occasionally asking questions, squinting at the text, until finally his eyes fell shut. Trapped, and not wanting to wake him, Fig too, eventually succumbed to sleep.
With light suddenly on her eyes, Fig awoke, stretching slightly under the weight of Gell. He was small, his fluffy hair tickling her nose when she looked down at him. His skin was a pale blue-green, another consequence of his life underground. These days, darker blue freckles dotted his cheeks, growing in number with the sun's rays. He stirred gently, beginning to wake as well.
Fig yawned loudly, rolling slightly. Gell started to slip off, the movement forcing him to wake fully. He squeaked, the noise loud in the empty library.
“S’rry” Fig mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Gell just grumbled, tucking his face further into her chest, blocking out the sun’s bright light.
“Wah’ time is it?” he asked, high voice muffled by fabric.
Fig hummed, looking at the frost-covered window. “Sunrise?”
Gell groaned again. “Too early”
They laid like that for some time, drifting gently in and out of sleep, finally pulled to wakefulness by the smell of food. The academy was starting to come to life, pulled along by Winnifred’s cooking. Fig rose first, taking Gell with her. He clung on tightly, not wanting to give up the warmth of her body. He finally tumbled off when she stood, falling back onto the couch with a giggle.
It took longer than strictly necessary for them to reach the kitchen, wandering groggily through the academy halls, giggling and stumbling. The sound of frying meat and potatoes greeted them warmly, as winnifred’s cooking always did.
“Fig! Gell! You two are up early, usually I don't see you till noon!” Winnifred welcomed them into the kitchen with a smile.
“Fell asleep in the library,” Fig said through a yawn, leading Gell to a seat.
“You poor things,” Winnifred laughed, “you hungry? I'm just about done with this,” she gestured to the pan on the stove “but there's also porridge if you don't want to wait”
“Porridge please,” the promise of food finally had Gell awake and coherent.
Winnifred dished up a bowl of porridge for Gell, sweetened with honey, as he liked. Fig waited for the meat and potatoes, not nearly as ravenous as Gell was. As they ate, other academy residents filtered in. Constance entered sleepily, creeping behind Winnifred as she cooked, before pressing a chaste kiss to her cheek in greeting. Leofric wandered in after her, snow dusting his hair. He had been up for hours, enjoying the outdoors.
Gell finished his food, and laid his head on the table, pillowed by his arms. With a belly full of porridge, and a few stolen bites of potatoes, he drifted off quickly. Conversation floated around him, indistinct nonsense even to his overly sensitive ears. He felt warm and happy, a feeling that, not too long ago, had been entirely foreign to him.
His life before the academy had been spent underground, serving his creator, scrounging for scraps of food his brothers discarded. As the youngest, and smallest of three, he was often left to his own devices regarding basic necessities.
Fig looked at her friend, soundly asleep on the table, twitching slightly in his dreams. Pushing away her empty bowl, she stood, and rounded the small table. Gell was light, and picking him up without waking him was easy. He stirred only slightly, tucking his face into her neck. She walked slowly, careful not to jostle Gell too much, making a beeline for her room.
Despite having separate bedrooms, more often than not, they ended up sharing. Gell often had nightmares, and waking up alone only made him panic more. Fig found that her insomnia was often abated by the presence of another. It just worked.
Up the stairs, and to the left, Fig nudged open the door, setting Gell down on the bed. She took a moment to draw the curtains, letting the room fall into comfortable darkness. Falling into bed beside him, Fig pulled up the blankets, and settled in. Almost immediately, Gell latched onto her, tucking himself up against her side with a sigh.
The early morning birds sang Fig to sleep.