Chapter Text
When Saps chose to settle in the southern part of Pandora, he thought he knew what he was getting into.
He was prepared for the humid air, the consistently high temperatures, and the abundance of bugs. He left the first floor open to ensure enough ventilation for the scorching days and the unusually chilly nights. He kept his furniture and decorations sparse, wanting the natural beauty of his surroundings to shine.
Both he and Flux meticulously planned out the acropolis design with these things in mind. It wasn't the most conventional house, but it was his home. Their home.
The thing that actually baffled Saps had nothing to do with the location or the design. It was Flux.
As the vice president of Luminara, Flux had an image to uphold. When he wasn't busy handling relations with neighboring settlements, he was buried in the bridge-building operation or assisting 3BelowZero. A man of his stature needed to be composed, prim, and proper in the public eye.
But Saps was the only one who got to see the sides Flux never showed anyone else. He saw Flux dressed down in his house clothes after a long meeting. He had cleaned up with Flux after a particularly disastrous kitchen mishap. He knew exactly what that composed exterior looked like first thing in the morning, all messy hair and sleepy mumbles.
What he really didn't prepare for, though, was Flux’s sleep talking.
The night was particularly cold the first time it happened. Saps and Flux were in bed, tangled together under a mountain of blankets, tired after a long day of constructing the second floor of the acropolis.
"Saps."
Saps stirred, still half-asleep.
"Saps."
He blinked awake, disoriented. "Yeah? What's wrong?"
Silence. Saps turned to look at Flux.
Flux was fast asleep. He lay on his side, facing Saps, one hand tucked under his pillow. His breathing was slow and even.
Saps huffed a quiet laugh. Of course. He pressed closer, tucked his face against Flux's shoulder, and closed his eyes again.
Not long later, the peaceful silence shattered.
"Saps, hurry up. Thomas and the others took all the iron already."
Saps jolted awake. "What?"
"Those losers..."
He sat up and looked at Flux. Still asleep. Eyes closed. Position unchanged.
"If this is a prank, save it for the morning," Saps muttered, watching him closely.
A brief silence. Then Flux moved, readjusting slowly. He rolled onto his back, facing the ceiling now. His hand slipped from under the pillow and rested on his stomach. With a slight furrow in his brow, he spoke again.
"I don't care if you're loaded. There's no point in finding all those diamonds if you don't have the iron to mine them."
Saps stared. Then it clicked.
He decided to play along. "You'll get iron for me, won't you?"
"Not for your sorry ass."
Saps laughed out loud. "Hey!"
Flux stirred slightly at the sound but didn't wake. Instead, his body relaxed deeper into the mattress, his head lolling gently to the side.
Saps watched him for a long moment, chest warm. He lifted a hand to brush Flux's messy hair away from his eyes, letting his fingers linger. Then he pressed a soft kiss to Flux's forehead.
"Go back to sleep," he whispered. "I'll get the iron tomorrow."
Flux mumbled something unintelligible and rolled toward him, arm draping across Saps' waist.
Saps smiled into the dark and pulled him closer.
In the morning, Saps woke to an empty bed and the smell of breakfast. He padded into the kitchen to find Flux already dressed sans his outer coat, already composed, already back to being Vice President Fluixon.
But there was bread on the table. And milk poured. And Flux glanced up when he entered, something soft in his eyes before it disappeared behind his usual mask.
"Morning," Flux said.
"Morning." Saps grinned and dropped into the chair across from him. "You have any plans to mine today?"
"What do you mean?"
"You had a whole conversation about it last night."
Flux settled at the table. "I was asleep."
"I know. That's the point." Saps tore off a piece of bread, watching Flux's face carefully. "You were very upset."
"I don't sleep talk."
"You do. You really, really do." Saps popped the bread into his mouth, chewing obnoxiously. "Thomas took all the iron. You called him a loser. Very passionate about the whole thing."
Flux stared at him. "I did not."
"You absolutely did.”
Flux's expression didn't change, but his ears went slightly pink. "I'm not laughing."
"Didn't ask you to laugh. Just asking you to own it." Saps leaned forward, grin widening. "You talk in your sleep. It's adorable."
"It's not adorable."
"It's so adorable. You were all worked up." Saps softened his voice, dropped it to a teasing whisper. "'Saps, Saps, Saps…'"
Flux reached across the table and stole the bread right out of Saps' hand. "Even when I’m unconscious you're insufferable."
"You love me anyway."
Flux took a bite, chewing slowly, refusing to meet his eyes. But Saps caught it. The way his lips twitched. The way he couldn't quite hide the smile.
"I asked you a question, by the way," Saps said, reaching for more bread. "While you were asleep."
Flux glanced up. "What question?"
"I asked if you'd get iron for me. Since you were so worried about the iron situation." Saps raised an eyebrow. "You said no. Straight to my face. Well, straight to the ceiling. But still."
Flux snorted. "Sounds like me."
"Exactly!” Saps laughed. "Refusing to help me even in your dreams."
Flux finally looked at him, something warm flickering behind his eyes. "Maybe I knew you'd figure it out yourself."
"Maybe you just like watching me struggle."
"Maybe." Flux reached for his milk, hiding behind the cup. "Maybe I like watching you, period."
Saps blinked. The words hung in the air between them.
Flux set the cup down like nothing happened. Like he hadn't just said something that made Saps' chest go tight.
"You're doing that thing again," Flux said.
"What thing?"
"The thing where you stare at me like I just grew a second head."
Saps shook himself. "You can't just say stuff like that."
"Like what?"
"Like—" Saps gestured vaguely. "Like that. The watching me thing."
Flux shrugged. "It's true."
"Yeah, but," Saps pressed his palm to his face. "You're supposed to warn a guy before you just... say things."
"Where's the fun in that?"
Saps laughed despite himself. He dropped his hand and looked at Flux, really looked at him. The composed exterior. The perfect posture. The way his ears were still slightly pink.
"You're such a liar," Saps said.
"About what?"
"About not being adorable. You're sitting there all prim and proper, talking about watching me, and your ears are literally red."
Flux's hand twitched toward his ear before he stopped himself. "They're not."
"They are. They're so red." Saps propped his chin on his hand, grinning. "You know what else is red? The embarrassment you're going to feel when I write down everything you say next time."
"There won't be a next time."
"There's always a next time. You're a sleep talker now. This is your life." Saps tore off another piece of bread. "I'm going to keep a notebook by the bed. A little sleep journal. Fluixon's Midnight Musings."
Flux stared at him. "You're not."
"I absolutely am. Volume one is going to be all about the iron incident." Saps pointed his bread at Flux. "Future historians will study your unconscious opinions on resource management."
Flux reached over and stole the bread again. "I'm leaving."
"You're not leaving. You're sitting right there, stealing my food, and pretending you're not blushing."
Flux stood. "I have meetings."
"It's Saturday."
"I have... important Saturday meetings."
Saps laughed, bright and loud. "You're running away because I called you adorable."
"I'm running away because you're annoying."
Flux grabbed his coat from the back of the chair. At the exit, he paused. He stood there for a long moment.
Saps waited.
Flux glanced back. Just a quick look, barely a second. "For the record," he said quietly, "I would get you iron. If you actually needed it."
Then he was gone.
Saps sat at the table, bread forgotten, staring at the empty doorway. He hid his face in his hands and smiled so hard his face hurt.
He was so gone for this man.