Work Text:
Four Days after Edward and Workner started sharing a bed
Workner came back to a grumpy Ed sitting in his bed, glaring at the wall for no apparent reason Workner could discern.
“Long day?” Workner said mildly, searching around for a clean set of sleep clothes and his towel. Ed kept glaring at the wall. Workner shrugged. “I’m going to go shower, then I’ll be in. Shouldn’t take long,” Workner continued. Ed grunted in assent.
Workner stepped under the spray of the shower, and sighed. Ed could be so weird sometimes. At least he ate the damn vegetables, Workner thought. Scrubbing his face and making sure to rinse his hair well, he stepped out of the shower and dried off.
Sometimes he wished they had a full bath in their washroom. Unfortunately, the suite that boasted the full bath was a floor away from both their offices. Ed had made it clear proximity to his work was key, and Workner had respected that.
After drying off, Workner made it back to his bedroom. Ed had stopped glaring at the wall, and was reading some spell tome. He looked up at Workner’s entrance, and shut the book with a snap. Wordlessly, he put the book on a bedside table Workner recognized from Ed’s room. Workner walked forward, pulled back the covers, and slid into the bed beside Ed. Putting his glasses to the side, Workner sighed and stretched out on the bed.
It had been a long day. The First Years had made some progress, but sometimes he couldn’t help hearing Ed’s voice in his head. Remedial lessons just served to highlight the failures among the gifted.
This time, it was Ed who blew out the candle. “Goodnight, Workner,” Ed’s voice said from the darkness. Workner mustered a fond grin he didn’t think Ed could see, and echoed “Goodnight, Ed,” before rolling over on his side away from the other man.
Workner had just begun to slip off into sleep when he felt Ed scoot up behind him, slipping his arm over Workner’s waist. Workner squeezed Ed’s hand in his own, then gave himself over to the darkness.
///
Edward woke the next morning still facing Workner’s back. He didn’t know what had possessed him to curl around Workner last night; he just knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep without touching the other mage. He’d gotten used to feeling Workner’s heartbeat, lulling him off into a dreamless respite. It was simply habit, and Workner hadn’t minded.
Edward recalled how Workner had squeezed his hand, before melting back into Edward’s chest. It had warmed Edward from the inside out just like Workner’s body heat warmed Edward’s freezing extremities.
By Mercedes Caulis, Edward was confused. He’d never been big on anyone in his personal space, let alone touching him. Like so many things in the world, though, Workner was proving to be the exception.
Edward didn’t have many friends, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew that friends didn’t share beds, let alone put arms around waists. They could sleep without nightmares on their own, and they didn’t need their friends to remind them to eat their vegetables.
Scratch that, friends told other friends to eat their vegetables. Friends look out for each other and care about the health of their friends. Everything else, though…
Edward hadn’t had many close relationships in his life. He liked it that way. He had no time for anything besides magic in his quest to make Magia Vander, after all. If it weren’t for the luck of the draw making him and Workner roommates, he probably wouldn’t have any relationship with Workner worth mentioning.
Certainly, not a relationship that warranted other people expecting him to pass on greetings, anyway. Workner’s body stirred, and Edward moved back to give him room to move. “I can feel you thinking, Ed. What are you so fixated on?” Workner said in a surprisingly clear voice. Edward frowned.
“How long have you been awake, exactly?” He demanded. Workner shrugged a shoulder.
“I’ve been napping on and off for a while. I was comfortable, so I didn’t want to move.” Workner’s accompanying sleepy smile should have come with a warning. Edward looked away, before clearing his throat.
“Proffessor Eliza asked me to pass on her greetings yesterday. She was under some mistaken impression that I had turned in my wand and taken up life as a lowly messenger.” Workner nodded against the pillow.
“Message accepted, and point taken. I kinda feel the same when people ask me to tell you things, or give you messages. I’m not a delivery man,” Workner groused. Edward looked thoughtful for a minute. “You do carry a messenger bag, you know. It could have been an honest mistake.”
Workner sat up in surprise.
“You're joking with me, and in the morning,” he said in surprise. Raising his hand, he pressed the back of it to Ed’s head. “Do you have a fever or something?”
Edward batted the hand away before reluctantly tossing back the covers and getting out of the warm bed. “Since you’re so comfortable, I’ll take the first shower,” Edward said. Workner chuckled.
“Not much of a threat. The water heater here doesn’t give out after a few minutes, remember?” Workner called after Edward’s retreating form. Edward gritted his teeth, and stalked off to his own bedroom for a change of clothes.
Just for that, maybe he would enchant the shower handle to give a shock to the next person who turned it. Workner wouldn’t be hurt, and it would be a good lesson not to mess with a dark mage before his first cup of tea.