Work Text:
By the time Qifrey put his pen down, it was already dark outside. Their little house was basking in silence, and the occasional flicker of the lamp was the only form of existence that disturbed the stillness.
Qifrey guessed that it was well into the night, and that everyone was already sleeping, or maybe almost everyone. He still had a chance to find an exhausted, but still very much awake Olruggio. A small smile tingled the corners of his lips at the thought, but only for a moment, only until he stopped and took his glasses off, gently rubbing his tired eyes.
He still had to wait a bit more until he could rest, but one thing was certain, there wasn’t any work left for the day.
And so, the familiar motions took over his body like muscle memory; a short, quiet yawn as he got up and dusted off his pants, a brief stretch before he picked up the light sitting on the table. His steps first carried him to the girls’ rooms, where he saw for himself that nothing was out of the ordinary, aside from the fact that it was so late, that even those who practiced well into the night were asleep.
Qifrey thought for a second that maybe he overdid it, which only confirmed when he gently pushed open the door to Olruggio’s atelier, the flicker of the lamp shedding the darkness from the space and exposing that it was void of life.
That made him stop for a moment, blinking uselessly at the dimly lit space in front of him. Did he lose track of time so badly that even Olruggio went to sleep before him?
It was hard to believe, and he even shook his head a bit, as if he was denying a situation that in theory was close to impossible. His steps, although quiet, were significantly more hurried than before when he headed to the bedroom the two of them shared.
Qifrey was careful when he stepped in, almost cautious, setting the lamp on a nearby table and confirming for himself that Olruggio was indeed asleep. He stopped himself before a short sigh could slip past his lips, and quietly moved to get changed into his pajamas.
What more could he do when the deed was already done?
As though he was finally putting an end to the entire day, Qifrey put out the lamp and allowed the darkness of the night to embrace the room, before taking off his now useless glasses and placing them on the same table.
The steps that led him to the only bed in the room were familiar, and even when the mattress began to dip under his weight and squeak in protest, he still silently wished that he wouldn’t end up waking up his partner.
Only when he successfully slipped under the covers without Olruggio making any moves, he could finally exhale the remnants of tension that followed him through the day.
His arm was hovering over Olruggio’s waist when he heard, “took you long enough,” coming from the very person he was attempting to cuddle, which obviously made Qifrey flinch.
“Did I wake you up?” he softly whispered against his nape, his arm now curling around Olruggio’s waist without hesitation, pressing closer until the warmth coming from him seeped through their thin clothes and reached between Qifrey’s ribcage.
A grunt followed in response, and he smiled against the collar of Olruggio’s pajama.
“Sorry,” which wasn’t necessarily a lie, even if there was a tiny, hidden part of him that was glad to hear Olruggio’s voice once more before they both fell asleep.
“‘S fine,” Olruggio grumbled while shifting closer to Qifrey's chest, “is the spell still giving you trouble?”
“Mhmm,” he was lazily tracing circles with his index finger against Olruggio's stomach.
“We should give it a try together,” he offered, and despite the initial frown that formed between Qifrey's brows, he still considered it for a moment, “maybe tomorrow.”
It didn't take too long for the offer to turn into a ‘no’ in his head.
“Don’t you already have plans starting in the early morning?” and Qifrey could easily tell he was right just from the deep, long sigh that Olruggio let out at the question, “don’t worry about it, I’ll figure it out.”
He heard the man in his embrace scoff back at him, which made Qifrey lightly chuckle against his shirt.
“I mean it,” he insisted, before pressing his lips against the pajama for a moment, “you should get your rest and focus on your work.”
Perhaps in a quiet form of protest, Olruggio turned around in his embrace, and Qifrey didn’t need an abundance of light to show him the scowl he was receiving. Instead, he just scooted a little lower to fit his head under Olruggio’s chin, inhaling his scent and letting out a pleased sigh.
“How did you even wake up when I got into bed, I thought you'd sleep through it?” Qifrey nuzzled his head against him, keeping a small smile plastered on his lips.
A beat of silence followed, long enough for him to guess the meaning behind it, but it was too short for it to turn tense or uncomfortable.
“Who knows,” Olruggio's voice was so quiet that it almost resembled a whisper, or maybe a small confession murmured against the top of Qifrey's head, “instinct maybe?”
Qifrey's smile widened in the dark, but he kept his amusement to himself.
“Good call, now go back to sleep,” he tried to coax him, his hands squeezing a bit around Olruggio’s waist.
The sweet response he expected in return came in the form of incoherent grumbles, silly and familiar, and giving him the tenderness he yearned for the entire day.
“Can you wait for me tomorrow, so we can figure out the spell together?”
“The girls might figure it out before you get back home,” Qifrey teased, his fingers slipping under the hem of Olruggio's shirt.
“Doubt it,” to which Qifrey playfully clicked his tongue.
“Are you seriously doubting my apprentices?”
Another breath in silence followed, when the only sound coming from them was the slow motion of Qifrey rubbing Olruggio’s back. It didn't take any longer than that for them to break into quiet, tired chuckles.
“Can't overwork them now, can we?” somehow, at some point, Olruggio’s hand found its way between Qifrey’s strands of hair, searching until he found his nape and began to gently scratch at the skin.
“They'll jump at any opportunity to help either way,” Qifrey reminded him, his words slow and laced with sleep.
“Mmm,” Olruggio’s low hum was doing an amazing job at pulling him further into the soft promise of surrender, “that's right.”
“And that spell is a problem to worry about tomorrow,” he mumbled against Olruggio’s collarbone before a yawn took hold of him, “sleep.”
Even so, his pleads fell on deaf ears, lost in the darkness surrounding them and ignored by all. The fingers at his nape traced his skin back to his cheek and before Qifrey knew it, Olruggio was already cupping his face in his hands.
“So stubborn,” he grumbled.
His eyelids were heavy and he couldn’t really see a lot, his tiredness finally revealing itself. But he welcomed with a slow, almost clumsy smile, the lips that pressed against his forehead, then his eye, nose and cheeks, until they finally rested against his own lips.
What a lucky man he was, to be on the receiving end of those affections.
Qifrey's smile lingered through the kiss, which was merely a soft press between their lips, slow yet firm, and lacking hesitation; a safe embrace that spoke more words than they exchanged during the day.
Even so, Qifrey couldn't really help the crinkle of his nose when he felt Olruggio’s short beard prickling his skin.
He wouldn’t trade it for the world.
“Missed you,” Olruggio whispered when their lips broke apart, as if a tone that was too loud could burst the bubble they hid themselves in.
“We've both been at home the entire day,” Qifrey reached to press his lips against his cheek.
“Yeah,” it was more of a murmur than a word, “and what about it?”
Qifrey lightly bit his cheek, his teeth letting go of the soft skin before Olruggio could form a complaint.
“I missed you, too” he returned to his rightful place, with his head resting against Olruggio's chest, “sleep well, Olly.”
“Mm,” came as a reply after a moment, “sweet dreams.”
It was only a matter of time until they both gave in to the sweet lull of rest.