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The front door opened quietly. Wemmbu could hear the footsteps growing closer, still soft as if to not disturb his sleep.
The window to his room was half opened, a lit candle keeping it from shutting close. The warm, late-night summer air flowed into his room, not bothering the small burning flame.
The breeze brushed over his face, refreshing against the coolness of his room. He was buried under a thin, fluffy quilt, something he got long ago as a gift.
He sighed quietly as he heard the footsteps stop just before his bedroom. It was no wonder Flame was here; a blaze hybrid could outstand high temperatures, but it doesn't mean that they were comfortable doing so.
Especially not for a long period of time, like summer. Wemmbu took a second to gather his thoughts, enjoying the peaceful sound of crickets and far away car engines.
Then he opened his eyes, pushing himself up on his forearms. "Bro, quit standing like a creep and just come in." His sleepy voice wrung out, shattering the stillness of the air.
Like ordered, the doorknob clicked and from behind the frame came a familiar silhouette, lean with broad shoulders and a messy dread ponytail. It stepped into the room tentatively as if to not wake Wemmbu.
Flame wasn't usually this still. He was like a waterfall, beautiful and always moving in its own rhythm regardless of the people who watched it. Right now though, Flame was like a pond. Quiet, small and not Flame.
The candle light flickered across the walls, slightly illuminating Flame's features. His mouth was quivered downwards, the blindfold in its place over his eyes, something Flame gave up when coming over for their impromptu sleepovers.
Looking carefully, Wemmbu noticed the curled fingers from his hands. They tightened around the hem of his shirt, leaving wrinkles in the fabric. His athletic shorts were covered by the zip-up hoodie he was wearing.
Even if the hoodie was only halfway zipped up, it couldn't be comfortable to wear in such temperatures. As an end demon he knew that their modified body temperature was a two-edged sword.
He was fine during summer, the heat feeling more faded for him. On the other hand, during winter Wemmbu was almost always trembling if he didn't have an immediate source of heat.
He just assumed it was the same principle for every other type of demon, Flame included. The weather must've been hell for him, if the fact that he willingly and constantly snuggled up to Wemmbu when the door was open.
His door was always open for Flame. Always was and always will be, especially if it meant keeping his personal heater close. While they were still rivals, because this didn't mean anything, they wouldn't just let the other get sick.
Wemmbu adjusted his weight on one of his forearms, gesturing with the other for Flame to come to sleep already. "What's wrong?"
Flame shuffled over to his side of the bed, stretching out his legs out. His head hit the pillow, inhaling the soft lavender scent combined with the familiar smell of his conditioner.
"Flame? Is something wrong?" He asked, because there had to be a reason for him suddenly holding back, when usually Wemmbu would've already felt the familiar weight of arms around his back.
"I've had a shitty day." Flame reasoned, finally turning over to face Wemmbu. "Am I bothering you?" He asked, voice small as his blindfolded gaze landed on his.
Wemmbu scrunched his nose and sat up properly, stumbling over to him. "Bothering me? Never. Some sleep will make you feel better. I promise." Wemmbu muttered while pulling the hoodie over Flame's head and discarding it on the floor.
Flame hummed happily in agreement, hands lifting to settle around his middle. He was pulled along as Wemmbu rearranged the thin blanket to cover them both. Although it was kind of useless and more of a comfort thing.
Flame's legs wrapped around his waist, tugging himself closer to Wemmbu. He inhaled his familiar scent when he hid his head in the crook of Wemmbu's neck. The coolness of Wemmbu's body felt like heaven for his overheated skin.
He took a deep breath, scrunching his nose once again. Flame whined, a rare sound even for Wemmbu, before struggling to push his blindfold up without his hands. A magnificent fail, Wemmbu might say.
"Wemmbuuu" Flame said, his voice higher than usual. "Can you please untie my blindfold?"
Wemmbu huffed an amused half-laugh, hands carefully prodding at the knot behind Flame's head. "Do you want me to untie your hair too?" he asked, voice soft.
Flame only muttered an agreement in his shoulder, taking the opportunity to drift off. The summer breeze picked up, blowing out the candle flame. Wemmbu's hand glided up and down his back, the other scratching at his scalp.
"Night Wemmbu." Flame mumbled, lifting his head from its precious position to make his speech more clear. It didn't last long, as the second he spoke the words he was out like a light.
"Goodnight, Flame. Sweet dreams." His own voice was softer, lips brushing Flame's forhead and forming a shy smile as Flame instinctively drifted closer.
It was cute, how Flame's first source of solving his problems was Wemmbu, out of all people. At first it was more awkward, with Flame having to explain why he needed to cuddle Wemmbu, but it quickly became routine.
His hand kept drifting along Flame's back, the soft breaths down his neck a quiet, grounding presence. His body was gradually warming up in a pleasant way, something only Flame could manage to do.
The moon was high in the sky, it's light spilling into his room. The crickets grew louder as the air stilled once again, accompanied by random dogs barking.
It was a contrast to the warmth specific to Flame, the quiet silence allowing for no sound to be missed. It truly was peaceful, with his rival's face buried in his neck, already asleep.
His head fell in Flame's hair, hands tightening and relaxing to keep himself from falling asleep. Althoug, soon enough, sleep pulled at his consciousness too, dragging him into another world.