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Aile was used to working late into the night. It's been something he's grown accustomed to since he had joined Skyflare.
Therefore, he had to have gotten used to staying alert and awake in the later hours. Aile wasn't a slacker; he quite the contrary, actually. But, when he took on longer, late-night patrolling shifts, his mind couldn't help but trickle slowly into the depths of sleepiness.
Tonight, however, he was much more tired than usual. Aile was scouting on yet another Dawnstar research facility earlier that day, and was instructed to reconstruct some damanged research records from the remote location.
So, when Aile was to take the last patrolling shift of the night, exhaustion settled in much more rapidly than before. All energy that was spent breaking into the research facility, and reconstructing past records took a lot out of the snow-haired man. And that wasn't even includng the few beasts that he had to take on, either.
By the time his shift had ended , Aile was trudging down the main hallway slowly. His steps were far from linear, as his exhausted form swayed from side to side, struggling to find some sort of centre in his balance. His limbs felt heavy against his body, like weights that wanted Aile to fall slack onto the ground any chance he could.
His room wasn't far, however. At least, not as far as he could remember. It was a couple of turns away — a couple of lefts, and a right, followed by another left — with more than enough corridor to spare.
A low groan whined from Aile's lips. There was no way he was going to make it to his bedroom tonight. Not like this.
Turning left down the corridor, the man began to trudge past yet another array of walls, with one wide enterance to his right. His legs felt like they were going to fall beneath him from how they trembled under his exhausted body, and struggled to even keep up with his previous pace that he had once he came inside.
He didn't make it halfway down the hall before he heard someone call his name.
"Aile!"
The snow-haired youth's head perked up in the direction of the sound, eyes widened with newfound (yet, feeble) alert. He firgured he was going to be asked to take on a new task, or to resume his prior one of sorting an restoring.
Yet, he was met face-to-face with Cyan, whose palm rested on the tired man's back. Despite his exhaustion, he could see the concerned look painted on the dark-haired Crosser's face. And how his eyebrows knit so closely together as he tried to meet Cyan's eyes.
"Cyan..?" Aile's voice was a soft croak, yet gentle nonetheless. "What are you doing still up? You should still be resting."
Cyan's lips tipped upwards into a gentle, warm smile. "I was waiting for you." He answered simply, before continuing. "I figured you were going to be a while, so I wanted to be on… standby. In case you needed support, or something." A faint pink blush crawled up and across the Crosser's cheeks as he explained his reasoning further.
In turn, Aile's heart staggered in his chest, his own cheeks reddening in a faint flush as he listened. Even if he wasn't an official recruit of Skyflare, the fact that Cyan was willing to wait for him if needed meant something to the younger lover. Beneath all that sass, and small edges, Cyan cared. A lot.
If he were a child, Aile would have believed that he was some sort of prince. Or an angel meant to help him personally. Overall, that was what he adored about Cyan. That kindness and warmth he was learning to show for other people — especially Aile.
"I assure you, I had everything taken care of. I'm only heading back to my quarters." Aile nodded his head once curtly, as if agreing with himself. "Thank you, though, Cyan. It's… very kind of you." He added, a sleepy yet greatful smile slowly pressing against his lips in turn.
His lover's eyebrows only knit further against one another, that brief abashed expression on Cyan's face quickly being replaced with concern once more. "Are you sure? You look drained. I don't think you can keep walking." The dark-haired man countered, his hand slowly moving to Aile's waist. Cyan's arm carefully wrapped around the other's waist, while his right hand landed on one of Aile's shoulders. "You wanna curl up in here instead?"
Aile leaned heavily into Cyan's support, his eyelids growing heavier with each passing second. The warmth of the other man's body was like a comforting blanket, beckoning Aile to fall into the embrace of sleep right there and then. His gaze landed on the nearby couch in the leisure room, which laid tantalizingly before him. It was welcoming, a safe solace for him to crash for the night. Yet, what would the other members say? What would they think of one of their own resting somewhere so publically and vulnerably?
Blinking slowly, he tilted his head lightly — which landed on Cyan's shoulder. "It's not proper to sleep there." He tried to counter, even as his voice grew heavier with the thick syrup of sleep. "My room isn't that far. I can… make it."
Despite his protests, Aile's body betrayed him, leaning furhter against Cyan's body for a sense of support. If he moved one inch, he swore he would stumble onto the hard floor not even a moment after.
The way Cyan's grip around his body grew firmer only added to it. The firm, almost possesive touch made his heart beat faster. Aile swore that he could hear the sound speed up instantly.
"You look like you're about to fall sleep." Cyan didn't leave any room for arguement, as he already began to lead the exhausted man further into the lounge. His arms grew tighter around Aile's form as he led the other into the room, his gaze not once leaving the half-sleep scout.
There was no way Aile could reasonably fight it. Not when he already to weak in Cyan's arms. Or, how he had stated the obvious. Aile wanted to argue. To deny the fact that no, he wasn't incapable of making it to his quarters. But from how Cyan's body chased away the lingering chill of the night, how could he make a tangible counterarguement?
He nuzzled the side of his cheek against Cyan's shoulder. "Can you stay with me, then..?" Aile asked, his voice rasping with the last of energy he was able to muster. His green eyes weakly darted around the lounge room once more, briefly acknowledging the space around him. "I don't want to be around anyone else when I'm asleep. Or woken up by them, either."
As he glanced over at Cyan, Aile could see the softest, most loving smile on the other man's face. leaning his head forward, he pressed a kiss to the side of Aile's head. "Of course I will." he agreed.
When the duo lof lovers finally reached the couch, Aile sank down onto the cushions. Letting out a soft, relieved sigh, he could feel his muscles relaxing from beneath his skin. It had been a long day without a chance of breaks. And now that he was sat on the sofa with Cyan? His body was ready to fall away from the grips of reality.
Sleepiness was taking over Aile without any consideration for how intimate the moment was. Or, how Aile was pressing his body weight further against Cyan. In one, heavy blink, he was slumped up against his boyfriend's body. In the next, Aile was laying on top of the dark-haired man's body, his face nuzzled into the crook of Cyan's neck.
Warmth rushed to Aile's face as he took in their close proximity. He could hear Cyan's breathing so cleary now. And if he paid enough attention, Aile swore he would have been able to hear the beats of his lover's heart.
"Shhh. It's okay." Cyan's voice slipped into a hushed tone, his hand reaching up to the snow-haired man's hair. Without warning, he began to gently card his fingers through Aile's long locks, brushing his digits through the soft strands with utmost care. Lightly, the man chuckled. "Your hair is so soft. Like kitten fur."
His compliment didn't make Aile's flushed cheeks die down any faster. Kitten fur. It was the first time he had heard his hair be compared to something to soft and gentle. Something so pure, the complete opposite that he was. And yet, Aile didn't argue once. Rather, his eyes faltered to a close, a small smile playing on his lips under Cyan's touch. "Mmm, thank you, Cyan." He thanked his partner, the snow-haired lover's voice softening into a breathy sound. It was much quieter than a whisper; it was like the whisper of the wind brushing against his ears.
"You… promise to be here when I wake up?" Aile then asked, his cheek brushing up to press against Cyan's. He could feel the warmth of the other's flush against his own. "You won't… leave me here alone, right?" he questioned.
He didn't need to open his eyes to see Cyan's endeared smile, or watch as the other man nuzzled Aile's cheek like a cat. "I'll stay here with you for as long as you need." Cyan murmured, before kissing the bridge of the other's nose. It wasn't like he could neccesarily go anywhere, either. Not with Aile's weight on top of him. "I'm not going anywhere."
While those words carried themselves around the lounge, Aile finally allowed sleep to pull him under. He knew that he was in safe hands, where he was being cherished by the very man he adored. Each brush of his hair pulled Aile down further, his breathing slowing into something steady and soft.
As he surrended himself to the embrace of dreams, Aile felt more than grateful to be loved by someone like Cyan.