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At some point during the previous night, Hroptatyr had invited his friend, Eftirvit, back into his own home. They had a few drinks and the rain didn’t allow them to part ways due to the lack of a second umbrella.
Like clockwork, Hroptatyr woke up at exactly six in the morning. His gaze wandered around the room before it could adapt to the daylight, still unwilling to move his body. His body felt heavy, as if the sleep from last night hadn’t been enough.
The researcher stirred a little, noticing a heavy but familiar presence next to him. His head snapped to the figure, noticing how Eftirvit was lying next to him, still lost in his own sleep.
Hroptatyr looked down at their tangled legs, it seemed that at some point during the night, they had found their way into each other’s space. The shorter man looked up once more, he was cold… really cold. Khaenri'ahn winters weren’t kind to anyone.
He moved slightly closer to his friend, the action making him stir a little without waking. Hroptatyr sighed, relieved by the fact his colleague would never have to find out about this. What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.
Slowly, he lowered his head into Eftirvit’s chest. His long, purple hair moved beautifully on the mattress, almost like a waterfall. One of his hands rested next to his head, hugging the taller man and pulling them even closer.
Hroptatyr smiled, at least the cold was slowly disappearing. Eftirvit was warm, he’d always been warmer. Whenever they accidentally touched, the shorter man had noticed. He still remembered that time under the tree, where he grabbed both of his friend’s arms when he got excited about a theory. To Eftirvit, it may have meant nothing, but to the researcher, it had meant the world.
Eftirvit murmured something under his breath, making the man laying almost on top of him stop breathing for a moment. Was he awake?
“Hroptatyr…” Said the taller man. Was he dreaming about his colleague? This was priceless.
Hroptatyr stayed still for a little longer, scared that any sudden movement could wake his friend up. Perhaps he should get out of bed and get his mind out of the gutter with a cold shower.
However, before he could even begin to have another thought, Eftirvit moved.
The black-haired man moved to his side, making the shorter man back away a little bit. Just when he was about to sit down and walk away, Eftirvit grabbed his waist and pulled him right back into his chest.
This is nice…
He thought to himself.
Even if they shared beds before during research trips or after a long day, this had never happened. Eftirvit was usually very mindful of his own personal space, not letting anyone but his friend touch him.
Hroptatyr felt special.
He snuggled closer to his colleague, the sound of the black-haired man’s heart filling his brain. He wanted their heartbeats to match, to synchronise with each other. Hroptatyr’s crush on his friend was no longer a crush, he was fully in love.
Love was an unusual concept for him. Of course, he loved his position, he loved studying and researching more topics, he loved their seminars under the tree, he loved professor Mimameith because she had taught him almost everything he knew. However, all of those things were related to his studies, and so was Eftirvit. But he was different.
Hroptatyr’s life was filled with the perfect idea of knowledge, but whenever he was with Eftirvit, he felt like they could talk about anything. The other man was also highly intelligent, it was no doubt that he deserved all the recognition he had.
After a long day, they’d usually go out for a few drinks. Hroptatyr noticed how Eftirvit seemed to stare at him much longer than usual during those outings. He had associated it with the fact that they were both drunk, deciding not to overthink it.
Eftirvit moved once more, his hand looking for a place to rest in his friend’s lower back.
“I know you’re awake.” Hroptatyr almost flinched, his head snapping to look up at Eftirvit’s face. His own face started warming up, embarrassed of getting caught snuggling with his friend.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” He questioned. Eftirvit stared at him for a few seconds before sitting down. Hroptatyr grabbed his sleeve, perhaps it was an accident, perhaps it had been his instincts not wanting the warmth to leave his side.
“I am simply covering us with the comforter.” Eftirvit grabbed the beige comforter and covered both of them with it. “I didn’t say anything because you seemed cold.” He got back on his side and pulled Hroptatyr closer once again. “Does it bother you?”
“Not at all.” Replied the purple haired man.
Rain started to softly tap against the windows of the bedroom, filling the silence with its calming presence. Hroptatyr sighed, content with the situation.
Eftirvit had been acting differently recently, maybe it was because of their professor’s health, maybe it was a completely unrelated matter that Hroptatyr wasn’t aware of. No matter the reasons, he knew better than to ask.
Eftirvit wasn’t an emotional person, the only emotions the shorter man had seen him express were happiness and anger, but never sadness. He used to lock himself in his home for days on end, unwilling to speak to his friend and ignoring him completely.
The other researcher didn’t understand why. Perhaps it was the envy he had noticed from his friend, perhaps he simply disliked him.
Did it really matter now, with his head hiding in his friend's chest? Hroptatyr started tracing circles on his colleague’s chest, almost falling back asleep.
“We’re gonna be late, my friend.” He murmured, eyes closing once again.
“You wake up too early. No work needs to be done before eight.” Eftirvit answered. Deep down, the purple haired man knew he was right. He simply woke up this early because his body was used to it.
Hroptatyr didn’t reply.
Instead, he snuggled a little bit closer. Eftirvit noticed how his breathing slowed and settled into a peaceful, unbothered rhythm right as he fell asleep.
An hour later, Eftirvit woke up. His gaze adjusted to the light before noticing how his friend was drooling over his chest. He would’ve found it disgusting if it were someone else, but Hroptatyr was more than that, so he didn’t mind.
One of his hands moved to caress the long, purple hair that took up at least half of the bed, the other moved to the man’s waist and started to trace hearts on it.
He knew they should leave soon, they still had to get ready and eat breakfast. But the bed was warm, Hroptatyr was warm, he just couldn’t leave in a moment like this.
Eventually, Eftirvit placed a kiss on his colleague’s forehead and pulled him closer. His friend’s hair was a mess, the black haired men knew he wouldn’t hear the end of it once Hroptatyr woke up.
If only Hroptatyr knew how much he meant to Eftirvit, perhaps their mornings wouldn’t look so different from this one.
One day, he’d confess.
Eftirvit decided that, just today, they could be late. He wouldn’t mind being late every day if it meant cuddling in bed next to his beloved friend.