Work Text:
It wasn't unusual for Wanderer to be found in Sethos’ house, even if the owner himself wasn't there. When Sethos had finally been able to afford and move into a house in the city, he'd eagerly given Wanderer and Cyno extra keys, and, well, Wanderer made good use of it. While he had no issues living with Nahida, Sethos’ abode was much more comfortable and homey than the Sanctuary of Surasthana. From the moment that he had moved in, before there was even proper furniture, the house had already screamed ‘Sethos’. Perhaps it had just been the presence of him, standing in the center of the place and proudly showing his boyfriend around even though it was completely bare still, and now it's still screaming that name all over due to the fact that every piece of furniture and decoration just fit with the man so well. Not that Wanderer was complaining. It made up for a nice, quiet yearning he unwillingly does whenever Sethos leaves for the desert, for his first home.
Sitting at the desk in a corner of the living room, Wanderer taps his quill on the wood, looking down at the piece of paper that was halfway filled with words. Another thing that was good about this place was that there was no one to bother him. Sure, Sethos would start off all lively whenever he stops by, but when the Sumeran realises that his partner's planning to work on assignments from the Akademiya, he settles down and opts for leaving him to do his thing, only checking in every now and then and peeking over his shoulder out of interest, but leaving it at that until Wanderer wraps it up for the day.
Right now, though, it was supposed to be peaceful, but it just wasn't. Wanderer had a hard time focusing on his assignment, and he has to hand it in two days from now. It wasn't like him to be this uneasy (well, he does mentally admit to losing focus and sometimes daydreaming while he's supposed to work on assignments, but he normally pulls through it all), but he knew why he felt like this; Sethos was coming back home. To the city, that is. When Wanderer thinks about it, he wonders what Sethos truly sees as his home. Is it the Temple of Silence, is it this abode in the city, or is it something else? He loves the rainforest and the desert nearly equally, loving the rainforest due to his curiosity and love for nature, and loving the desert once again for nature but also for the familiarity of it. He doesn't dare ask, though.
Closing his eyes momentarily, Wanderer ends up putting down the quill and standing up from his seat. He wasn't going to be able to continue working on this assignment until Sethos had returned. Stupid man with his stupid smile and stupid kind heart that made Wanderer develop stupid emotions that make him yearn stupidly much for that stupid guy.
Abandoning all of the hard work he's done so far, Wanderer plopped down and made himself comfortable on the couch off to the right side of the room, looking right into the kitchen from the couch’s perspective. It was boring, being here so alone. He could go out and do other things, but nah… he's been here since morning to wait for his boyfriend, and he had a gut feeling that the man was almost here. He has to hold on, has to be here when he comes home. It was unsure of when Wanderer had started thinking so fondly of the other, when he'd started behaving like a person who loved their significant other beyond what any living being could describe. No matter, there's no changing it now, especially since Sethos has likely gotten used to this good shift in behaviour already (it must've been a while, since Wanderer himself hadn't noticed it until now), and he'd probably be upset if Wanderer retreated to what he was like at the start of their relationship. Wanderer would become upset with himself too if he did that, but he doesn't give that thought a proper place in his head nor in his artificial heart.
⤷ ゛💙 ⏳🌀💜 ˎˊ˗
It had just gotten evening by the time that the front door was opened and clicked shut softly, and the removal of shoes was heard and the sigh of a man who'd finally made the long and hot trek from the desert to the rainforest sounded faintly through the hallway.
Sethos usually didn't sigh like this, even if he'd walked long distances in a mere day when it's supposed to take multiple, but today he was just that tired. He had his trip back to the rainforest planned so well, only for it to be delayed by extra tasks he'd been given (no, that people had requested of him and he'd recklessly accepted). He was supposed to catch some good sleep the night before he'd temporarily leave the Temple of Silence again, but due to the extra tasks, he had to stay up late, and on top of that, he just hadn't been able to fall asleep until late in the night for some reason he hadn't even understood, himself. Still, he was stubborn and persistent, so he'd walked and sprinted a little faster than normal, took shorter breaks, and ignored his body begging for him to take it easy just to make it home on the same day he said he'd be back.
Dragging himself further into his abode, he could hear the soft clinking of a spoon against a pan, and he immediately gained more energy at the noise. Walking into the living room, he was already looking at the open kitchen, watching his beloved come into view with every step he took. Without saying a word, he stepped further, getting closer and closer in proximity to the indigo haired beauty that was his boyfriend until he wrapped his arms around his middle and rested his head on his shoulder. “Hi,” was all he could manage.
Wanderer glanced at the brown curls that entered the very edge of his view. “Took you long enough,” he said, just a little stern, a teensy bit of bark but less than zero bite. “There was an Inazuman merchant in Port Ormos a few days ago, so I got ingredients to make unagi chasuke.” He didn't know when he started to talk in more detail like this, too. At first, it'd just be a simple “It's chasuke.” and that'd be it. Now… let's not dwell on it.
Sethos let out an ever so soft whine, lifting his head to look at the pot of rice on the stove. “Not even shawarma as a welcome back treat??”
Wanderer scoffed. “You probably had enough of that in the Temple already. You need more nutrients than whatever’s in meat.” I already know you picked out your vegetables from the dish goes unsaid, but lingers in the air, like it tends to do when Wanderer cooks or speaks of Sethos’ food palate.
Standing here, arms around his beloved, head on his shoulder, finally able to take a breather, Sethos can feel the fatigue settling back into the very core of his being. He tilts his head so that his cheek is mushed against the wooden but somehow still comfortable shoulder. “While I really appreciate that you cook for me, can I sleep, first?” his arms lower, loosening their hold around the other's waist, as if proving the point.
“Eat first,”
“But I'm so tiredddd, Wan…”
Wanderer sighed. “Fine.” is all he responded with.
Sethos lifted his head from the other's shoulder, waiting for him to extinguish the stove before he unwrapped himself from the other man's body and grabbed his arm to pull him towards the couch. He hears a stutter escape the puppet’s mouth, but he ignored it as he sat Wanderer down on the couch before flopping down on it, himself. Sethos worked fast, laying his head on his partner's lap before the other could even argue.
Wanderer had to blink a couple of times to register just how fast Sethos had claimed his lap. Once he did, he let out another sigh, letting his body relax and leaning into the back of the couch. A hand was placed on top of curly, brown locks. “You have a bed, you know?”
Sethos hummed. “Too far away.”
“It's only-” Wanderer cut his own argument off before it even fully entered the room. It'd be useless to start this argument, anyways. He wasn't going to get this man off his lap (and neither does he have the heart to do that). He just succumbed to his fate, spreading his fingers and running them through Sethos’ hair, smoothing out small knots, but generally providing a quiet comfort for the other. He could see those green eyes falling closed already. Was he that tired? Of course he was. Otherwise he wouldn't have passed up on food so easily. This man was exhausted, and nearly instantly fell asleep with his head on his boyfriend’s lap. Wanderer kept running his hand through his hair, gently scratching his scalp every now and then too, knowing just how much Sethos loved that. In a short moment, he could feel Sethos truly relax against him as he'd succumbed to sleep.
Wanderer couldn't help the soft smile that crept onto his face. If his past selves, starting at The Balladeer, saw him right now, he would've been cussed out for eternity. But he had to admit; having someone trust him so much to the point that they put the safety of their lives in the palms of his hands… It wasn't bad. It wasn't bad, so long as it's people he's grown to trust, as well. So long as it's people he (dare he say,) loves. It's weird, going centuries without an ounce of love, fully convinced that it's not for you and that you should not feel it, not feeling it in general due to being overpowered by hatred, and then suddenly sitting in not even your own, but your partner's living room with them on your lap, fast asleep and off the earth, ready to make you stay with them for however long, expecting you to be there when they come back… and actually fulfilling that expectation.
Wanderer glanced at his assignment that remained sitting on the desk nearby, waiting for him to finish it like a ticking time bomb. Yeah… that could wait. He can finish it in record time later, and if he doesn't hand it in on time, he'll just blame the man that's like a star to him on his lap.
Allowing himself to relax some more, Wanderer lowered his head and let his eyes close. Having learned how to let unconsciousness get the better of him, he finally dozed off after about fifteen minutes of trying. It's not like his joints will complain about the position he falls asleep in, and if they do, well… that's fine. So long as he's there when Sethos wakes up.