Work Text:
By this point, Fjord really shouldn't have been surprised that Caduceus just nodded with a quiet, "Ah, yeah, that makes sense."
Fjord tried not to fidget as he waited for an answer. He knew that his own magic held no answer, and while Caleb might have a solution Fjord wanted to wait until he had run out of all other options before turning to him. Still, it was hard to watch the firbolg sip his tea and not interrupt when Fjord held such a pressing need to do something.
Caduceus eventually nodded into his cup of tea before dragging his attention back onto Fjord (something that always made him want to squirm, unsure of what the other would see), "I don't have the spell prepared today, but I have one that should do the trick. Come back tomorrow evening."
Fjord could only nod in return, patting the firbolg on the shoulder as he left the room with a quiet, "Thank you."
The next night Fjord slowly cracked the door open to Caleb's room and slipped inside. Dim light filtered through the window, remnants from their tree, just enough for him to see the telltale splash of red against Caleb's pillows.
While Caleb had keyed his alarm spell to include Fjord, the warlock rarely made his way into Caleb's bedroom. Frumpkin's hair had thoroughly coated its entire surface and they had quickly discovered that Fjord's entry was accompanied with instant sneezing fits.
He waited against the door - breathing in the polluted air - for that tickle.
Nights they chose to spend together were always in Fjord's room, with a freshly bathed and familiar-less Caleb tentatively knocking at the door despite the proof that had been provided time and time again that Fjord only took comfort from his presence.
It warmed his heart every time to see the consideration Caleb afforded him, and in turn, on the bad days Fjord would read the lines of Caleb's body and send him instead to the comfort of his own bed so he could have his familiar curled by his side.
There had been many moments of his life - most if he was honest - where Fjord never would have imagined caring for someone so much that even those few nights of separation ached.
It was an ache he could easily handle, nothing like nights of true separation, but Fjord had found in his new life that he could on occasion afford to be a selfish man.
Laying the last of his folded clothes in a chair, Fjord carefully approached the bed, resisting the urge to stop and stare at the peaceful face of his lover (together they had many good nights but both were familiar with being woken by the other's nightmares).
Unlike Fjord's room, where they could each climb into their side of the bed, Caleb had pushed his into the corner of his room; giving himself two walls of direct protection while he slept. Luckily Caleb had settled into the center of his bed, facing the wall with the feline body of his familiar curled against his stomach.
Gingerly, Fjord lifted the corner of the blanket, and began the process of easing himself in behind Caleb. For some damn reason Fjord had decided that he wanted Caleb to be surprised, to wake up cradled between Fjord and Frumpkin without the half-orc struggling for every breath.
Which wouldn't matter at all if the familiar himself decided to wake his master. Frumpkin's head had popped up from the other side of the wizard, causing Fjord to freeze with half his hip on the bed, waiting for the cat's decision.
The two of them have maintained a dance around Caleb, trying to stay out of the other's way without sacrificing their time with him. Fjord knew that crawling into this bed was going to blur those lines - he just hoped that the fey cat would be accepting of it.
After what seemed like an eternity, Fjord watching each of Caleb's breath for signs of awakening, Frumpkin closed his eyes - sighing as his laid his small head on top of Caleb's body.
Immediately, Fjord eased the rest of himself down before inching himself into the customary large spoon position they had found worked best when they slept together. The smallest flutter of Caleb's eyes was banished with a soft sound and a hand run down the lean human's side, Frumpkin continuing his judging watch.
Settled finally, Fjord allowed himself to stare down the line of his partner's body; nose firmly entrenched in red hair as he allowed the heat of the wizard to relax his body. This is what he missed when they weren't together - warm and gentle comfort. Soft fur brushed his fingers as Fjord settled a hand on Caleb's stomach, closing his eyes and taking unencumbered deep breath into sleep.
Tomorrow was going to be a great morning.
