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It wasn’t like Nicholas was unhappy in his relationship with Danny, truly it wasn’t. Despite what any outside person may assume based on his behavior.
Sure, he never kissed Danny in public, but it wasn’t because he didn’t want to kiss Danny. It’s just that living in a tiny town meant talk. He learned the hard way that giving his partner so much as a peck on the cheek at the shops would lead to remarks the next day. Cartwright and Wainwright were particularly vicious if they ever tried to sneak a kiss at the station. So, he refrained. He could kiss Danny in the privacy of their home and feel the same satisfaction, minus any additional headaches at work.
And maybe he didn’t say ‘I love you’ all that often. That didn’t mean the feeling wasn’t there. He simply didn’t feel the need to say it every thirty seconds. They weren’t teenagers. He showed his affection through gestures instead. Through surprising Danny with tickets to the cinema, or tending to the twin peace lilies in their window. Nicholas Angel was a man of action —Danny always said so — why would he change that when it came to his relationship?
Having separate beds? Well, that was purely a logistical choice.
They’d gotten plenty of grief for it. One off-hand comment from Nicholas about his room always being the colder of the two, and the floodgates opened. Someone tacked business cards for divorce lawyers all over his locker, nevermind that he and Danny weren’t even common law yet, and therefore wouldn’t need a lawyer if the worst happened. Doris had given him several unsolicited — and utterly unnecessary — tips on how to spice up their sex life. Even Walker had put a hand on his shoulder and told him love wasn’t easy. Though, it came out more like ‘luhaineaz’.
Only love was easy with Danny! It was stupidly easy, more so than it had been with any previous partner. He could shut off with Danny, bask in the other man’s presence and finally calm the constant racing in his own mind. Even when he found dirty socks shoved between the sofa cushions, or found himself in the middle of a movie marathon when all he really wanted was a nap, it was never difficult loving Danny.
Sleeping next to him, on the other hand? That could get difficult.
Hence the separate beds.
It wasn’t even Danny’s fault, really. He couldn’t control that he ran hot. Hot enough to leave Nicholas sweating if they curled up together any longer than it took to watch one film. It also wasn’t his fault that he snored, when Nicholas typically required complete silence to sleep. It may have been the slightest bit his fault that he always wound up clinging to Nicholas, but even so it was endearing. The uneven pressure was just…difficult to deal with sometimes.
So yes, more often than not if Angel wanted to get a good night's sleep he would retire into his own room. It didn’t mean anything, just that he needed specific conditions to be comfortable.
And sometimes those conditions varied, like tonight.
The weather was starting to turn, and because his room was always the coldest in the house, he was practically shivering under his duvet. The faint sound of his alarm clock ticking was burrowing into his skull and he had no way to drown it out. His skin felt too loose on his body somehow, no matter how tightly he wrapped his arms around himself.
He tried to be quiet when he pushed open Daniel’s bedroom door, really he did. The effort didn’t make any difference. The second he pushed on the wood it made a groaning noise loud enough to wake the dead. Or, if not the dead, certainly a man who slept like the dead.
“Nichlas? That you?”
“Yeah, s’me.”
Danny didn’t require any further explanation. This happened often enough that it wasn’t unusual, even if it wasn’t the norm.
He pushed himself to the far side of the bed, lifting up the edge of the duvet in silent invitation. Nicholas was quick to accept.
Within five seconds of lying beside Daniel, everything that had been preventing Angel from sleep seemed to right itself. Body heat clung to the mattress and chased away the cold. Soft breathing in his ear drowned out any incessant ticking. The solid arm that came down around his waist and pulled him close was grounding.
Some nights he needed a separate bed. Others? He needed Danny.
“Feel better?” Danny mumbled once he’d gotten settled. The other man’s voice was still husky from his interrupted sleep, and it worked better than any lullaby ever could.
“Lots.” Nicholas was sure his own voice was growing a bit haggard. “Can you do that thing? With your legs?”
“On it.”
The mattress groaned slightly as they adjusted, one of Daniel’s legs slipping between Angel’s. Something about it was soothing, the intimacy of overlapping with someone.
Nicholas could already feel his eyes starting to droop.
“Danny?”
“Yeah?”
“We’ve got to water the peace lilies tomorrow.”
“I know. Put it in the calendar ‘n everythin’”
“Good. You’re good.”
“You too Nichlas.”
“Goodnight.”
“Night.”
No, Nicholas didn’t think having two beds was an issue. After all, both beds were always open if one of them needed it.