Work Text:
✰ The young man's dark hair fell over his eyes as he leaned over his desk, quill in hand. His violet eyes, heavy with dark, shadowy rings beneath, darted across the page. The early morning sunlight streamed in through the open window, casting a soft, gentle glow over the room, yet the pale face of the man remained a picture of fatigue and exhaustion. Despite his weariness, he continued to write, his elegant handwriting filling the page with flowing, looping word's. Fyodor sits in the chair, a beautiful oak writing desk in the corner of a circular room. His long sleep-deprived face is lit by the candelabra sitting on the desk. his gaze fixed to the page even as a door creaks behind him. His eyes are a deep shade of purple, flickering softly as he continues the flow of writing, ignoring the interruption. A cheerful young man bounces into the room, his long messy braid trailing behind him and banging against his back with every energetic step. His eyes are mismatched; one a light blue, and one a vibrant cyan, though he seems unfazed by it. He moves swiftly around the chair, gently grabbing the man's thin shoulders. "Wake up sleepy-head!" He calls out with a grin He had expected the interruption the moment he heard the door handle being twisted, and Nikolai's footsteps bouncing against the floor as he entered the room. Without looking up from the paper, Fyodor continued writing as he called out to Nikolai in a tired yet fond tone. "You know I'm already awake, Koyla," he spoke, his gaze fixed intently on the page as he continued writing. Nikolai chuckled softly, gently shaking the man's shoulders in an attempt to get his attention without disturbing his writing. "Sure you are, you look like death." Fyodor sighed, finally glancing up to give Nikolai a half-hearted glare. "I could say the same about you. When was the last time *you* slept properly?" Nikolai laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Ah, you know me... I never sleep." Fyodor rolled his eyes, returning his attention to his writing. "And whose fault is that?" he said dryly, the corner of his mouth twitching with a faint smile. Nikolai chuckled and walked around the desk, sitting on its edge. "Oh come on, you can't blame me for *that*." Fyodor smirked, setting down his quill and leaning back in his chair to look up at Nikolai. "And why not? You're the one who drags me out of bed at all hours for your little 'nighttime adventures'" Nikolai grinned, unrepentant. "Hey, those 'nighttime adventures' are what make life interesting. You can't just stay cooped up in here all the time, Fyo." Fyodor raised an eyebrow. "And why not? It's quiet, and I can actually get some work done." He gestured to the messy stack of papers on his desk. Nikolai shrugged, picking up one of the papers and scanning its contents aimlessly. "Work, work, work. You're such a boring old man." Fyodor rolled his eyes, snatching the paper out of his hand. "And you're a reckless child. Someone needs to keep you in line." Nikolai laughed and feigned offence, dramatically holding a hand over his heart. "Me? A reckless child? That's hurtful, Fyo. I'll have you know that I am the epitome of a responsible adult." Fyodor gave him a skeptical look. "Yes, because sneaking out of the house at 2am to explore the city is definitely something a responsible adult would do." Nikolai grins mischievously. "Speaking of being responsible, when was the last time you ate a proper meal? I don't think caffeine and sugar counts as a balanced diet, you know." Fyodor sighs, not even denying the accusation. "I've been busy," he said, gesturing to the growing pile of papers on his desk. "I don't have time for more than a quick bite here and there." Nikolai rolls his eyes. "Oh please. That's just an excuse. You know you have a bad habit of neglecting your own needs when you're focused on work." Fyodor groans. "I have a lot to get done. Food is not exactly a priority at the moment." Nikolai frowns, his mismatched eyes narrowing with concern. "Not a priority, huh?" He leans forward on the desk. "You do realize that starving yourself is not a productive way to get work done, right? Your body needs fuel to function properly." Fyodor sighs, reluctantly acknowledging the truth in Nikolai's words. "I know I know, I just...get so wrapped up in work that I forget to eat." Nikolai crosses his arms. "Exactly. You need to take care of yourself, Fyo. You can't keep overworking yourself like this." Fyodor runs a hand through his messy hair, looking down sheepishly. "I know, I know. I just...there's so much to do, and not enough time to do it all." Nikolai softens his gaze, the concern in his eyes still present. "But you can't keep sacrificing your own wellbeing just to get everything done. You need to take breaks, eat properly, and get some rest." Nikolai stands up from the desk and grabs Fyodor's arm, pulling him to his feet. "Alright, that's enough work for now. You're coming with me." Fyodor protest weakly, but Nikolai ignores him, practically dragging him out of the room. He leads him to the dining room, pulling out a chair and forcing him to sit down. Nikolai grins, walking to the kitchen and returning with a cake. "I was supposed to prank Sigma with this, but I think it's better suited for you." He sets the cake down on the table in front of Fyodor, pushing it closer to him. "Eat. You need it." Fyodor furrows his brow in confusion as Nikolai pushes the cake towards him. Before he can protest, Nikolai takes off one of his gloves and grabs a large chunk of the cake, forcefully shoving it into Fyodor's mouth. "Hey, hey! What are you doing-" Fyodor protests, but Nikolai ignores him, making sure he takes a bite. Nikolai's eyes widen at Fyodor's surprising reaction. He expected some resistance or protest, not for Fyodor to start eating the cake so enthusiastically. As Fyodor begins to lick and suck the icing off his fingers and palm, Nikolai's cheeks flush with embarrassment and he quickly pulls back his hand, completely flustered. "Wh-what are you doing?" Nikolai stammers, cheeks turning even more pink as he watches Fyodor continue to eat the cake. Fyodor glances up at him, a hint of a mischievous smirk on his face. "You're the one who decided to feed me cake with your bare hand." Nikolai flushes even more, embarrassed that he didn't think this through. "I-I - I didn't expect you to just...start licking my fingers like that!" Fyodor chuckles, finishing the last of the cake and licking the remaining icing from his lips. "Well, you did force-feed it to me. What did you expect?" Nikolai crosses his arms, trying to regain his composure. "I expected you to protest, not start...lapping up the icing!" He pouts a little, still a bit flustered by Fyodor's actions. Fyodor smirks, enjoying Nikolai's flustered reaction. "And why not? It was your idea to feed me cake by shoving it into my mouth. If you didn't want me licking your fingers, you should have used a fork."