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"You should sleep.”
“I’m not human, therefore, I do not require sleep.”
Illuga's eye twitches as he looks over the table at Flins. He'd finally been able to convince the illusive fae to do some paperwork, and they have been up all night trimming the pile of work down. Illuga's eyes started burning about two hours ago, but Flins didn't flag, so he refused to stop working.
If the man who was determined to avoid work whenever possible was willing to sit down and actually work for once, Illuga couldn't flag before Flins did. It shouldn't be a competition, but it is one, and Illuga is nothing if not a sore loser.
(Not that he would admit that upon pain of death, but he is a sore loser. Getting his way is the ideal scenario for Illuga, and he will be damned if he admits that he lost.)
"But you do sleep sometimes, don't you?" Illuga asks. He gathers the papers in front of him into a stack, and taps them onto the table to straighten them out with more force than strictly necessary. Flins doesn't give him the courtesy of flinching. "Why can't this be one of those times?"
Flins turns his yellow eyes up to meet Illuga's gaze, and his expression is placid. His lips are quirked up into a smile and Illuga refuses to let Flins win by giving him an expression.
"Because I am working hard to please my young master. How can I leave all of the paperwork to him when he is but a man who needs rest more than I do."
Flins's voice is gentle and musical, and Illuga can tell that he wants to coax him into submission with that pretty lilt. Illuga is used to this, however, and he is determined to turn the tables onto the wily fae before him.
"What if we rest together," Illuga counters. He tilts his head, his temple pulsing as Flins tilts his head in the opposite direction. "No one will be left working while the other rests. Isn't that fair?"
"You wish to bargain?" Flins says, his eyes lighting up with interest.
Illuga sighs. He should have expected this, really. The fae love a bargain, a trade, a deal, and Illuga has walked himself right into this hell. Still, he won't back down. He's done this and he will come out victorious if it is the last thing he does for the day.
"Yes," he says cautiously.
"What will you offer for me to take a rest?" Flins asks and Illuga feels himself lose months off of his life. "A lock of hair?"
"You have a lock of my hair," Illuga says, reaching back to the nape of his neck to touch the very place he snipped the lock. "…what about a kiss?"
Flins's eyes sparkle again, and the smile on his lips is only vaguely threatening. "A kiss is a fair exchange for laying beside you in bed. I will not sleep, however. I hold tight to the fact that I do not need to rest in that manner."
"You need to rest in getting on my last nerve."
"However will I keep you on your toes if I do that?" Flins asks. Illuga sighs; he does have a point.
Illuga finishes gathering his papers—and does Flins the great favor of gathering his as well—before he stands and stands beside Flins.
Flins is so infuriatingly tall that even sitting, he and Illuga are almost at eye level. Illuga leans in, pressing a soft kiss to Flins's lips. His ire leaves him the moment Flins kisses him back, and he sighs softly as Flins slips his tongue into his mouth.
Illuga is too tired to allow the kiss to go much further than just these comfortable, leisurely kisses, and he squeezes Flins's shoulder to stop the kisses for now.
"It is time for you to complete your end of the bargain," he whispers, breath fanning over Flins's lips as the fae leans in to chase Illuga's lips. Immortal lantern fae or no, Flins is a man led by his instincts and his need to kiss the man he is in love with.
"And what is my end of the bargain?" Flins whispers. He pecks Illuga's lips again, but Illuga will not be distracted in his mission.
"That you will lie down with me in the bed and attempt to sleep. Come along now, sir Flins. It will not improve my perception of you if you go back on your word."
"I will never go back on my word, especially not if it is you with whom I have struck a bargain." Flins huffs. He stands smoothly and before Illuga can crane his neck to look up at him, Flins has tossed Illuga over his shoulder to carry him to the bedroom.
"Yes, yes," Illuga drawls, allowing his body to go limp so Flins is forced to carry his dead weight. It is not much, but it is enough to be a minor inconvenience. "You are such a strong and gallant fae, Lord Flins. I am in awe of you and your depth of power."
"I will choose to take those words at face value rather than with the sarcasm you have laced them with," Flins says airily. He nudges the bedroom door open with his foot and deposits Illuga onto the bed tenderly. He helps Illuga out of his pants, though he holds his hands up in defense when Illuga glares at him. "I will not do more than get you comfortable so we can lay down."
Flins cannot lie, so Illuga allows him to get away with it for now. He watches as Flins sheds the pokier parts of his layers, making himself comfortable on the bed. Illuga is tired, and that is the leading point in trying to coax Flins into bed, and he curls up on his side as he tucks a pillow beneath his head.
"You're sleepy," Flins whispers. Illuga doesn't remember him moving, but he doesn't complain as Flins spoons him and presses a soft kiss to his shoulder. "I will keep you comfortable while you rest."
Illuga huffs, but he accepts Flins's cool body pressed against his. He falls asleep easily, their fingers tangled together as he breathes deeply.
When Illuga wakes up the next morning, Flins is no longer pressed against his back, but Illuga finds him in the kitchen. He sees the paperwork in clean piles on the table, and when he checks them, everything seems to be filled and sorted in perfect order.
"When did you do this?" Illuga asks.
"When you were sleeping. It was the least I could do, no?"
Flins is infuriating, but Illuga smiles warmly as he joins him at the stove, pressing a soft kiss to his shoulder.
"Thank you, Lord Flins."
"You're very welcome, young master Illuga."