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Merold pushes open the doors to the balcony, moving to his knees as he leans against the bars of the fence caging the platform away from the rest of the kingdom. He presses his face against the cool bars, hoping it would ground him back in reality. His chest felt tight as he tried to force air into his lungs. Another restless sleep… He didn’t want to dwell on what forced him awake. Just another night by himself out here.
He sighs, resigning himself to gazing at the stars. At least the Marroncream kingdom had a perfect view of the sky. He found the tall towers of the My Melody kingdom blocked his view at times. Ever since the kingdom began to flourish, there had been more light coming from it that seemed to block out the stars. Merold never really thought about it before spending nights at Marroncream kingdom, where the stars were always visible except for rare cloudy days. His sleeps were often disrupted at kingdoms that weren’t his own, but at least it was peaceful here-
That is until his balcony door creaked open again.
“Merold?” The soft voice he knew all too well sounded out as Merold turned to glance at Romarriche. It was evident Romarriche had been in a peaceful sleep moments before, with his hair down- missing his usual hair tie- and his matching silk pajamas, which made Merold wonder what he had done to disturb the man in the room next door.
“Roma..” He musters a smile. “What are you doing awake? You’re not the type to be up past curfew~”
“Well,” Romarriche pauses. “I suppose I just wanted to check on you.”
Romarriche knew that Merold always seemed to struggle with sleeping away from home. As much as he wanted to find comfort in Romarriche’s kingdom, he couldn’t help it. Being away from Melody seemed to draw in nightmares.
“Light sleeper, are you?”
“Only for you.” Romarriche replies before lowering himself to the ground beside Merold. “Did you have a nightmare again?”
“Nothing I do gets past you, huh?”
“I know you.” Romarriche says softly and Merold relents.
“Fine..! It’s just the usual.” He turns his face towards the bars again, gazing out over the quiet kingdom. “I thought the fresh air would help.”
“It is nice and quiet at this time of night.” Romarriche starts, before reaching out and cupping Merold’s cheek, gently stroking his thumb across it and brushing some stray hair away from his eyes. “Though, you don’t look any better.”
“Ehh~?” Merold feigns a whine. “I don’t always look cute~?”
Romarriche chuckles. “You know what I mean.”
He hums in response.
“You look exhausted. Are you sure you’re getting enough sleep?”
“I’ll manage, Roma~” He grins, leaning into his touch. “You worry too much.”
“I can’t sleep well at night knowing you’re so restless.” Romarriche mutters. “If there’s anything I can do, even if it’s just sitting here beside you, I’m happy to do it.”
“Mm..” Merold hums, pressing Romarriche’s warm hand closer to his cheek. “Why don’t you stay with me tonight then?”
Romarriche smiles. “You know I would never refuse.”
Romarriche moves to scoop Merold up in his arms like he had so many times before. As if he weighed nothing at all. Merold instantly rested his head against Romarriche’s chest even though he knew it would be a short trip.
He lays him down in the bed, ensuring Merold was comfortably tucked in before getting in himself.
“Roma~” Merold interrupts, tugging on his sleeve. “Kiss me.”
“Just one kiss?”
“Like you missed me.”
And he does. Pressing himself close to Merold as Merold’s hands find their way into his hair. Romarriche’s hands drift down until settling at his waist. Their kiss was gentle, but fueled with a passion Merold wasn’t expecting. Romarriche pulls away for a brief moment, his voice hoarse.
“I did miss you.”
“I missed you too.” Merold replies, his voice nothing but a whisper before diving in for another kiss.
He ran his fingers through Romarriche’s endlessly silky hair. He always kept it so soft- Merold loved to play with it. He was lucky his hair was already down, Merold tended to mess up his perfect ponytail in moments like these.
He bit down on Romarriche’s bottom lip, letting out a needy whine as if requesting more. Romarriche obliged, deepening the kiss as he tightened his grip. His arms around him were strong, though his touch was gentle. It reminded Merold of the days in knight school where Romarriche would have to carry him to the infirmary after a tough practice. Merold was held so securely, but it was as though he was made of glass. Handled with such care as if Romarriche was worried he could shatter at any moment.
Precious. He felt precious in Romarriche’s embrace.
They broke apart from their kiss- gasping for air to fill their burning lungs, but the feeling was addictive. He didn’t realize how much he missed having Romarriche so close.
“Next~” Merold grins, pointing to his neck.
Romarriche lets out a sigh, as his expression softens. He didn’t waste a moment and moved in where Merold directed him. His hot breath ghosted over his skin before he leaned into the touch- pressing his lips against Merold’s neck. He kissed the spot before deepening it, teeth gently grazing past the skin.
Merold’s head nested perfectly beside Romarriche, his breathing quickening as he felt Romarriche’s own increasing heartbeat pound against his chest. Once he pulled away again, Merold quickly captured his lips back in another kiss.
Romarriche breaks the kiss after a few moments, though just barely- His eyes still closed and face flushed as his face was mere inches away. “What happened to just one kiss?”
“I didn’t say just one.” Merold feigns a pout. “What? Don’t you love me? Kiss me more~”
“My, my…” Romarriche sighs. “We won’t get any sleep at this rate.”
And yet, he indulges him. He kisses Merold’s lips, his cheek, the bridge of his nose- Moving down to his chin, his neck, his collarbone. He pressed his lips against every bit of skin he could reach. He even moved to his chest, kissing him through the thin fabric of the silk pajamas and drawing a giggle out of the other before he moved back up again. He concluded where he began- at Merold’s lips once more. He felt Merold softly bite down on his lip when he tried to pull away, so he kissed him harder- Tasting the usual sweetness on his tongue.
When they finally broke apart- their chests rapidly rising and falling with each breath- Merold chuckled.
“Are you satisfied now?” Romarriche smiles.
“Mm. I guess so.” Merold shrugs, though a smile breaks through on his face. “Now you can hold me until I fall asleep.”
“As you wish.” Romarriche’s gaze softened at those words. Merold knew he was hoping for nothing more.
He quickly moved to lay beside Merold, taking him into his embrace. They fit perfectly together as Merold buried his face against Romarriche’s shoulder, his arms around him- one lazily twirling a strand of hair. He hooked a leg over Romarriche’s waist as if ensuring he really wasn't going anywhere.
“Comfortable?” Romarriche whispered. His one arm around Merold’s waist tightly as the other drifted up his shirt- grazing his fingertips over his back. Merold shuddered at the touch, but found himself instinctively relaxing as Romarriche’s gentle tracing of shapes and patterns against his skin felt as if it was lulling him to sleep.
“Mhm..~” He sighs before speaking up again. “Remember when we would do this every night?”
Romarriche was silent for a moment, though Merold knew he did. When they were roommates in their last year of knight school, nearly every night consisted of them being pressed this close together. In those moments where Merold felt so deeply fragile, Romarriche would take him into his arms and hold him without judgement until he felt okay again. At first, they would say nothing about it once morning came- Knowing there was an unspoken line being crossed. Eventually, they decided to dash past it and Merold never looked back.
“Of course, I could never forget.” Romarriche presses a kiss to Merold’s head. “I sleep best by your side.”
“Then we should do it more often.”
“We should…” Romarriche trails off. Merold knows it's easier said than done. Lately their schedules always conflicted, making it harder and harder to visit. The letters they would exchange just weren’t enough for him.
Before Merold could comment on Romarriche’s sudden silence- He had hugged him tighter. Letting out a shaky breath before speaking.
“I worry about you.”
Merold lets his arms rest against Romarriche’s waist. “Why?”
He already knew the answer.
“You push yourself too far. I’ve seen it time and time again. It worries me when I’m not there- If I can’t get there fast enough.”
“Roma..” Merold sighs. “Don’t waste time on that, okay? I won’t overdo it anymore.”
“I think I’m getting deja vu.” Romarriche replies with a weak smile.
Merold lets out a hum. It was true, how many times had he said this? He couldn’t guarantee anything.
“Then maybe you have to stay by my side always.” Merold pouts.
“Maybe I should.” Romarriche replies, finally relaxing his embrace as he moves back to gently stroking Merold’s back again. “I love you, Merold.”
Those words always seemed to freeze his heart in place. He wasn’t used to them- No matter how many times he heard them. He felt his cheeks heat up as he buried his face further against the other.
“I love you too.”
Romarriche continued to trace patterns against his skin. As Merold laid there, he closed his eyes and tried to discern what he was drawing.
A heart. A cake. Marroncream. Melody.
He didn’t realize it was distracting his brain from drifting back to everything that caused his worst nightmares.
Was he writing words now? Seemingly a recipe…
Flour, raspberries, milk, sugar…
Merold kept trying to follow the direction of Romarriche’s hands until he had fallen asleep.
Romarriche remained awake, continuing to trace his fingers across Merold’s back until he was certain the other was fast asleep. Only then did he allow his hands to fall limp, holding Merold close as he softly whispered a goodnight and a wish for sweet dreams. Romarriche closed his eyes, falling asleep shortly after.