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You startled when you felt Rerir suddenly lean against your shoulder. You whip your head in his direction, blinking owlishly as you’re met with soft tufts of his ash white hair. The shadows of tree branches danced above your head in the gentle breeze, the soft blades of grass you were sitting on slipping through the gaps of your fingers. You tried to peer around at Rerir’s face, but he was still so impossibly tall even when sitting next to you. You could barely see past his hair and the black bandages obscuring most of his face.
“Rerir?” you questioned.
He did not answer your quiet murmur. He continued to press his weight against you, the bulk of his body slowly curling on top of yours as his head slipped further until it landed in your lap. You scrambled for purchase, almost crumpling beneath his unexpected weight as the collar of his robes fluttered in the breeze. Your lashes fluttered over the round swell of your cheeks, your skin warm under the rays of sunlight as you peered down at Rerir in silent awe.
He was asleep. You had never seen him sleep before. You were almost convinced that he didn’t need it, until now. The soft sounds of his light breaths escaped his nose and you could feel the warm puffs against your fingertips when you brushed your fingers through his wavy hair. He barely stirred, his eye briefly flicking under his heavy lid before he grew eerily still. His head felt heavy in your lap, cheek pressed into the top of your plump thigh as he dozed. The bulky pauldrons on his broad shoulders awkwardly dug into the softness of your pudgy stomach when you tried to readjust in your spot a little but your movements completely halted when Rerir’s arm suddenly snagged around your thick waist.
A sharp gasp whistled through your teeth as you grew awkwardly still, hands raised and unsure where to go as Rerir slowly pulled you closer. His face ended up smothered in the linen of your clothes, his brow starting to relax as his nose nuzzled into your soft waist. You could hear your heart thundering in your ears and feel it ready to jump out of your throat as you swallowed thickly. He was still sound asleep and you briefly wondered if he was even aware of what was happening around him. Butterflies erupted in the pit of your stomach as he subconsciously pulled you closer and you could feel the Abyss stirring beneath the flap of his coat as dark tendrils of Abyssal power gurgled, ready to snatch you if you attempted to move away from him again.
It took you a long moment to settle, your raised hands slowly lowering until they were buried in the soft tufts of his hair. You traced your nails along Rerir’s scalp, his sharp features losing its intimidating scowl as the tension in his shoulders eased. You smoothed a thumb just beneath the dark circles under his eye, fair lashes fluttering over your warm skin as a soft tune escaped the seam of your plump lips. You rubbed your hand along the notches of his spine, feeling the pads of your fingers dip into the unnatural protrusion of bone straining against skin. He was more monster than man now, but you weren’t afraid of him. He was still Rerir to you.
A small smile played on your lips as you buried your fingers in his hair once more, feeling the gentle wisps curl around your digits as you scratched your nails along his scalp.
“So, even you still dream” you quietly mused.
You slowly leaned forward, until your forehead bumped into the top of his head. You closed your eyes and rested there for a moment, a soft tune tickling your throat as you enjoyed the cool, afternoon breeze.