Work Text:
Dan Heng was aware that a pair of crimson eyes had been staring at him.
Sitting on the floor in his room, his back leaning against the bookshelf, the archivist gulped, slowly looking up to meet those eyes with nervousness, as if he had done something wrong, which, in fact, he had done absolutely nothing but read a series of novels in his room. Despite the dead silence, his face raised a lot of question if Ren could see through it.
As they waited for each other to make the first move, they exchanged a look with complete curiosity, until Dan Heng could guess that Ren wanted something, but he didn't know what it was.
Receiving nothing from Ren, Dan Heng's gaze returned to the book he was holding after he had given Ren a chance to ask for the things he wanted.
Ren stayed silent a bit more before his patience ended when he cleared his throat, catching Dan Heng's attention again. He said nothing but walked towards the Nameless and sat next to him, laying his head on Dan Heng's shoulder, the red eyes scanning the book the other was reading.
Noticing that Ren paid attention to the book, Dan Heng shifted his position, allowing Ren to see the text more easily.
It was a novel about the adventures of a prince—sounded boring, but Dan Heng, for some reason, couldn't stop reading it ever since he had picked it up. Before he realized, he had reached the fourth book in the series already.
Little did he know that Ren's was only reading for not more than three seconds.
With his hands, he lifted Dan Heng in one swift motion.
"Ren, what are you—"
Dan Heng couldn't finish his sentence, and the next thing he knew was that he was sitting on Ren's lap.
Baflled, the archivist didn't know what to do next. The Stellaron Hunter's voice was low right next to his ear as he heard a soft plea.
"Can we stay like this?"
It almost made Dan Heng melt and immediately say yes, but knowing how much he still had to read, he didn't want to keep Ren in the same position for long.
"I have a long story left to read. Your legs are going to be numb," Dan Heng explained, flicking the cover of the thick book in his hand.
"I've been worse," Ren replied nonchalantly, "Just let me hold you."
The Nameless opened his mouth, trying to protest, but nothing came out. He finally admitted his defeat after he realized he couldn't do anything.
"Fine. If you insist. You know you can get up when you want."
Not that he was complaining anyway. If Ren were okay with it, then he would be too.
He tried to focus on the novel. However, in a position like this, it was too hard to keep his mind straight. Dan Heng let his inner thoughts win over when he turned his face to Ren, his eyes gleaming like they were silently asking for something.
Knowing what Dan Heng wanted, Ren chuckled before leaning in to kiss the person in his lap gently and chastely.
"Keep on reading. Pretend I'm not here."
Dan Heng nodded, having Ren holding him close from his back as he continued his journey along with the prince.
Page after page, he finally finished the book, and was left on a cliffhanger.
Eager to know what would happen next in the story, he wanted to get the next book in the series as soon as possible.
"Ren, can you let me go for a second? I need to—"
When he turned his head back, he met Ren, who had already fallen asleep. He called his name in a low voice to check if Ren was still with him. After having been replied with silence and the rhythmic breathing, he smiled with his eyes softened.
He placed the book on the floor next to both of them. Seeing that the other's face was relaxed, his hand reached up to gently brush the long hair—gently enough that it didn't wake Ren up when he twirled the plum-colored part playfully.
"Never mind. Act like you didn't hear that. Sweet dreams," Dan Heng whispered.
He couldn't explain how much he loved it when Ren was at ease like this, and he wished to see this side of him more often.
He reached the book he had just finished, flipping to the first chapter of it to experience the thrill one more time.
As bookish as he was, he could read it all over again and again.