Work Text:
The office space was chilled. Darkness swam and crept, spaces of the desk illuminated by the idling computer screen. The lone freezer in the corner far away from the door hummed, a vibrating thing that fizzed at your back, but brought you comfort all the same.
Knowing very well that it was keeping a worn out detective from a rampage far beyond his control.
He’s been in there for a few hours now, and since you had finished writing another article for the online web, you had, too, fallen asleep just in front of that humming freezer. Armed with a thick blanket gifted to you by Ashveil, a fluffy pillow, and a movie on your phone, you slumbered while the movie droned on.
It was rare that some nights would be spent like this, waiting for Ashveil to feel comfortable enough to step into the waking world without that writhing, growling thing that wanted to crawl out from within the deep trenches of his chest. He would feel awful for having you sleep on the floor, but, you’d rather here than within your apartment across town where you couldn’t make sure he ate.
Other times he would either be working, or waiting just outside for you to, in his own words, “make sure no strays snag my girl off your feet while on the way home, that’s my job.”
The first time he had said it, you had laughed brightly, and welcomed his hand at the small of your back as he escorted you home.
Now, you waited for him, and it wasn’t long until the freezer groaned with shuffling weight, and the heavy door was pressed open with a shivering grunt.
Ice and frosted hair stuck to Ashveil’s shivering skin, his clothes miraculously dry, but uncomfortable. He groaned as he used the opening to push himself into a sit, rubbing the sleep that clung to the corners of his eyes with a metal finger.
Eyeing the clock across the way, he deduced that it was way past bedtime, and he huffed, yawning loudly into the air.
A small protest was heard from below, and Ashveil’s heart fluttered warmly at the cute pitch in your slumbering voice.
Peering over the lid, he caught sight of you slumbering the night away, the movie playing silently, and Mr. N curled into a ball within the pocket your legs opened up.
A smile bloomed across his face, he climbed out of the humming freezer within the next moment and shut it with a soft thump. Then, he sat by your head, gathering the blanket within his hands so your ears were covered properly. The room was still incredibly chilly; he wouldn’t want you to catch a cold.
He sat there for a while, listening to your even breaths, watching as your eyelids fluttered – it must be quite the dream, really. He wouldn’t dare wake you. The night was still young, and, to his knowledge, his meeting with Pearl was pushed to tomorrow morning, so the both of you didn’t have anywhere to be.
Ashveil sighed, and rolled his shoulders, resting his weary head against the metal of the freezer. Good, he thought, gives him all the more time to thaw out his frozen clothes, and rattle his brain for low cost, ready to eat meals he could buy on the way to your apartment.
It was a while until you stirred, a soft hitch in your breath that snapped Ashveil out of his thoughts. With a nervous flutter, oh Aeons was he always nervous to witness you waking up in fear of an inferno of bad dreams, Ashveil ran his gloved hand across your arm, and coaxed you into the waking world with a gentle guide.
“…nnh?” Your voice raised in question, and your arms stretched out in front of you until your hands hit the freezer, and you hissed with the cold temperature. “Ashv…” You were cutely interrupted by a yawn, one he hummed warmly at.
“Good morning, sweetness.” His voice was lowered for the silence of the room, and, he knows he caught Mr. N’s tail waving in alertness behind him; a sneaky monkey, he’s been awake for a while.
“G’morning,” you whispered, and pushed yourself up into a sit. Ashveil had to hold in his laughter then; you could not, for the love of you, keep your eyes open enough to look at him. You had to squint in order to do so, and even then, your eyes wanted to fall back asleep terribly so. “When did y’ wake up?” You asked, letting the blanket fall to pool around your waist.
“Just a short bit ago, I think I need a new pillow, the one in there got too soggy and nicked my neck.” Your face crunched into a worried pout, and you raised a hand to feel along his neck. You caught more ice than skin; he was absolutely cold to the touch, and you huffed.
“Open,” you commanded, and Ashveil froze in confusion.
“Excuse me?” He raised an eyebrow, eyes watching as you gestured towards his arms and legs.
“Open up, you’re cold.” Your voice was so rocky, crinkly; you needed a drink when he could get his hands on one.
Ashveil was still confused, but he opened his arms and legs, to sooner welcome you as you shuffled across the floor and made a home within his embrace. Poor Mr. N, who grumbled about losing his warm spot and moved before he could be dragged along with the thick blanket.
His arms were wrapped around you, his legs too, and you wrapped the blanket around him until you could swindle within the warmth of the blanket, and the scent of the cologne you gifted him. Ashveil was struck frozen by you huddling closer to him, as if you couldn’t get enough of the space his body provided and craved even more, his heart was fluttering so thickly within his chest.
He was growing more nervous, a feeling he couldn’t control. You knew he wasn’t the best with affection, wasn’t the best with touch, but, your worry over him overshadowed that, and you laid your head on his shoulder.
“Uh… ah…” He stuttered, not quite knowing what to say.
“Shh,” you closed your eyes, “we’ll leave once you’re warm, be quiet and thaw out your clothes, will you?” Really, this was a recipe for disaster, one straying thought and you’ll be out like a light.
Ashveil, despite the sweat beading at his hairline, finds that wouldn’t be so bad, truly.
He gets comfortable too, shuffling until there wasn’t such a crick in his back, and leans his head on top of yours. His hands, both metal and gloved, find a proper place across your thigh and on your waist, and he sinks, as commanded.
You both sat there for a very long time, enough that you did, indeed, fall asleep for just a bit longer. Ashveil couldn’t control how wet his eyes had gotten, how thick his throat choked; being hugged, being warmed shouldn’t make a man like him cry but… He knew if you woke up you wouldn’t tease him about it, but it brings him something almost like shame regardless.
He craved this more than he craved to keep the writhing monster trapped within him. Craved something simple, something he didn’t have to work hard for, and your worry for him seemed to trample over that. How easily you could hold his hand, give gifts, and even check on him when working on a case. You make it seem so easy. Really, how did he end up catching such a glamourous woman to care for this old, old man?
It didn’t make a lick of sense, not even when he was properly warmed up, he still didn’t want to leave just yet.
So, he settled there within that dark office, with you slumbering away in his arms, and a warmth that bloomed from within.
One that kept the roaring monster quiet, for just this once.