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Dehya stood next to Alhaitham, her luggage still slung over her shoulder, and stared at the singular bed in the room.
“It’s... a little smaller than I imagined.”
Alhaitham slowly exhaled. “From the looks of it, it's not even a standard size.”
The bed was clearly made to fit one person and one person only. The owner of the inn hadn’t mentioned this. Dehya had known that any bodyguard job for the Acting Grand Sage wouldn’t be easy, but she never expected that the trouble would be in the form of sleeping arrangements, of all things. On the first night, no less.
“Great.” Dehya sighed. “I guess we’ll figure out exactly how we’re both going to squeeze onto that thing later. Right now, I call first shower.” Dehya inelegantly dumped her luggage bag on the only table in the room and started rifling through it for her nightclothes, trying not to think about how she was going to spend the whole night squeezed right next to Alhaitham.
Alhaitham said, “Surely you don’t expect both of us to fit.”
“I’m sure we can. You can sleep on the floor if you want to, but I’m sleeping on the bed either way. You probably wouldn’t be comfortable down there, but your call.”
“Sleeping on the floor is not exactly a harrowing task...” Alhaitham trailed off, glancing at the bed again, and then his shoulders visibly deflated. “There's only one blanket.”
“Yep,” Dehya said, “and I’m not gonna be the one sleeping without a blanket tonight. So it's either sleep with me or sleep blanketless on the cold, hard floor.”
“I see your point. We’ll figure out the logistics later, then.”
Dehya snorted. ‘Logistics’ was a funny way to say ‘how exactly they were going to squeeze together onto that tiny-ass bed.’ “Yep, that’s what I said earlier.”
Alhaitham gave her a dry look.
“What?” Dehya said. “It’s true.”
Alhaitham set his own bag down on the same table. “I’ll wait for you to be done with the bathroom.”
“Cool. I’ll be back.”
Dehya sat cross-legged on the bed, waiting for Alhaitham to be out of the bathroom. She was in her nightclothes, a loose shirt and shorts.
She’d hoped that the bed would feel bigger once she was on it, but it was the complete opposite. She wondered where the owners of the inn even found such a tiny bed. Was the bed repurposed from an old military barracks or something?
Well. If they both laid on their sides, it would probably be fine.
Dehya didn’t like waiting for Alhaitham to emerge from the bathroom. It was pretty late at night right now, so the moment he was ready, it would be bedtime for both of them. And Dehya would somehow have to try to fall asleep while pressed against Alhaitham.
Honestly, it wouldn’t have been a big deal if Alhaitham was anyone else. But, recently, Dehya had found herself looking forward to his company, laughing at his dry humor. She often stared at him, sometimes when he wasn’t looking, sometimes when he was. She was starting to find his occasional rudeness to others more endearing than annoying, and sometimes let her touch linger on him a little longer than it needed to.
In other words, a crush.
She wasn’t sure how she was going to survive the night.
The bathroom handle turned, and Dehya jerked her head up. The door opened, and Alhaitham emerged from the bathroom. Clean, wearing comfy pants, and terribly shirtless.
Dehya’s mouth went dry, and she swallowed so she wouldn’t choke on her words. “Um.”
“What is it?” Alhaitham leaned forward and stared at her, trying to glean something from her expression.
Dehya, on the other hand, was trying really hard to stare only into his eyes and not his chest.
Alhaitham stood up straight, seemingly done evaluating her every move. “Ah, it’s about my lack of clothing. Do you have a problem with it? I find it difficult to fall asleep with a shirt on.”
So basically, he was saying he wouldn’t compromise. “I don’t have a problem with it, exactly. It’s just... you know we’re going to be practically hugging all night, right?”
“I don’t see the issue.”
“You don’t?”
Alhaitham raised an eyebrow. “You can either sleep with me, or sleep on the cold, hard floor.”
Using her same words back at her. “Fine, fine, I get your point. Time to snuggle up,” she joked, trying to keep her cool.
Alhaitham choked on air. Dehya was glad she wasn't the only one feeling awkward. After clearing his throat, Alhaitham said, “How do you want to do this?”
“I thought you would have that figured out already, the grand strategist that you are,” Dehya teased. “Why don’t you come up with our bedtime strategy?”
Alhaitham looked at her painfully, a sort of please save me expression that she hadn’t realized he was capable of making until a few weeks ago. He usually used it in the context of social or professional situations, though. Not... this.
Alhaitham was delightfully awkward sometimes.
Dehya chuckled. “I’m just pulling your leg. I thought it would be easiest to sleep back-to-back. I don’t think we’ll fit without both laying on our sides.”
“I agree,” Alhaitham said. “That seems to be the most space-efficient way to do it.”
Dehya didn’t really agree. Really, there was one more way she thought of to fit on the bed - two more ways, actually, now that she thought about it - that would give them even more space, but those options seemed too intimate to really be discussed. She wondered if Alhaitham was also conveniently forgetting those two possibilities.
Dehya pulled up her side of the covers and climbed into the bed, rolling onto her side so she was facing the wall. “Is that enough room for you?”
She determinedly stared at the wall in front of her, but she couldn’t help but hear every footstep as he padded across the wooden floor, and she could simultaneously hear and feel the dip of the mattress as he sat on it. She could feel her face growing hot.
“Are you able to move any further?” he asked.
“Honestly, I feel like I’m already at the very edge. But I’ll try.” Dehya scooted even further, to the point where her nose was above the floor instead of the mattress, and she had to slightly tense her muscles to not fall off. “Here. Is that good?”
There was rustling behind her, and she suddenly felt the warmth of Alhaitham’s back against hers. Thankfully, her shirt served as a barrier between their skin. The bed dipped with his weight, and Dehya gratefully sank a little towards the middle of the bed, no longer feeling like she was about to fall off.
Alhaitham said, “I’m on the edge as well. But it should be enough.”
Dehya tried to speak, but her voice was hoarse. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Good. Wanna turn out the light then?”
Without verbally responding, Alhaitham leaned away briefly and shut off the lamp on the nightstand. The room was suddenly plunged into darkness, aside from the faint light that escaped the corners of the window curtains, and Alhaitham settled his back against Dehya’s.
“Good night,” Dehya said. “See you in the morning.”
“See you.”
Dehya closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind as best she could. Her mind was in a happy buzz from the feeling of Alhaitham’s warm back against her, but she hoped she would be able to tune out the feeling if she laid there for long enough. There was also the matter of their legs slightly touching in different spots, but that felt like less of a big deal.
Dehya was hyper-aware of her breathing. She felt like each breath she took was painfully loud, even though she knew she was breathing normally. If she concentrated, she could hear Alhaitham’s breaths too, and she could feel the rise and fall of his back in time with every breath.
It was going to be a long night, wasn’t it?
After a while of laying there and hoping for sleep, another problem became apparent. Although it wasn’t too hard to stay on the bed while awake, Dehya was reasonably worried that she’d take a nosedive into the floor as soon as she lost consciousness. She wasn’t straining to stay on the mattress, but it was still a pretty tight balancing act.
She almost considered just moving to the floor and being done with it, blanket be damned. She’d spent nights outside without a blanket before, sleeping in her normal adventuring attire. She could do it again. She even had appropriate nightwear this time.
Though, there was also the matter of the other sleeping positions she’d thought of earlier. Honestly, it was kind of tempting.
Just to make sure, she asked, “Alhaitham, are you really not able to scoot over any more?”
“I’m technically able, but I believe I’d find myself on the floor moments later.”
“Me too.” Dehya took a deep breath. “Hey, I’m gonna try something, alright? I might have a better idea for this.”
“Sure,” Alhaitham said, and Dehya could hear the confusion in his voice.
After a few moments of deliberation, Dehya said, “I’m gonna spoon you, okay?”
Look, the idea was just too tempting to resist.
Alhaitham made a strange, choked noise. Hoarsely, he said, “I assume there’s an explanation for this?”
“Because like we just said, there’s not enough room. We’re both gonna roll right off the bed at this rate.”
There was a long pause, and Dehya waited agonizingly for his response. Maybe that was too much? She’d thought she could sort of make a move and solve their bed situation in one fell swoop - Alhaitham did like that sort of efficiency - but maybe she’d gone past some sort of boundary.
“...Fine, go ahead,” Alhaitham said unexpectedly.
Dehya laughed to cover up her growing nervousness. “Don’t sound too excited, now.”
She awkwardly adjusted herself until she was facing him, and then moved closer until her chest was against his back. She realized that it probably would’ve been better spooning the other way around, just to save that little bit of boob room, but it was too late now. She wrapped her arm over his torso, bent her legs so they would fit against his, and settled in. She could feel Alhaitham’s abdominal muscles tense under her hand.
Simultaneously, she realized just how bad of an idea this was. She hoped Alhaitham couldn’t feel her heart pounding in her chest.
“So,” Dehya said, trying to sound casual, “how’s that?”
There was a pause. “Comfortable.” Alhaitham’s voice sounded a little strained.
“Good. Do you think you can get through the rest of the night like this?”
“That is an entirely different question. But... yes, I believe so.”
“Okay. I think there’s more room this way. You’re okay with this, right?”
“There is. And yes.”
They lapsed into silence, and Dehya closed her eyes and tried to sleep again.
Predictably, sleep felt even further away than before. As nerve-wracking as it was, she was happy to have the excuse to hold Alhaitham. She tried not to purposely smell him, but she couldn’t help but notice that he smelled nice.
No, she couldn’t keep thinking about that. Even if the circumstances were fortunate enough to let her sleep with her arms around her crush, she couldn’t pretend the situation was any more than that. Dehya pushed all her thoughts from her mind and tried again to sleep.
A while later, at least twenty minutes, probably more, Dehya still didn’t feel any closer to sleep. Actually, she had the most terrible urge to snuggle into Alhaitham’s neck and kiss him.
She wondered what he’d do if she asked for permission to do just that. She could tell he was awake by the sound of his breathing, so she definitely could. And kissing him seemed a way better way to spend her time than laying here snuggling him and pretending to not be effected. And he was acting pretty flustered from this situation too, yeah? So there had to be something there.
Maybe it was the tiredness from the day, maybe it was the cover of darkness, but she felt more daring than usual. Softly, she said, “Alhaitham, you’re awake, right?”
“Mm,” came the reply.
“Mind if I kiss your neck?”
Alhaitham’s muscles stiffened. “Did I hear that correctly? You asked if you may... kiss my neck?”
Dehya suddenly felt like all her daring had left her. “Um... yes. Actually, I guess I was asking to kiss your shoulder and your neck, but um.” Dehya could’ve slapped herself. Now she was just uncharacteristically rambling. She shouldn’t have even asked; now it was going to be awkward for the rest of the night. “But actually, sorry, I don’t know why I asked. It was a dumb question and you can just forget-”
“Okay,” Alhaitham said.
Dehya’s brain took a moment to catch up. “...Okay?”
“Yes. You can... do that.”
“Okay,” Dehya said, but internally, all she could think was shit, shit, shit. She’d been the one to put herself into this situation, but she still wasn’t sure how the hell they’d gotten to this point. And she wasn’t really sure what it meant that Alhaitham said yes, but-
Dehya took a calming breath. Everything was fine. She didn’t know the implications of this, but she knew not to look a gift horse in the mouth. And... well. She really wanted to kiss him.
Slowly, she lifted her head from the pillow, brought her face towards Alhaitham’s shoulder, and pressed a kiss onto his shoulder. She moved her lips up towards his neck, pressing light kisses along the way. When she reached the space between his shoulder and neck, she heard Alhaitham’s sharp intake of breath.
She pressed a series of kisses to his skin, working her way up his neck, lingering longer at the softer parts of his skin. When she kissed his jawline, he made a quiet noise in his throat.
Alhaitham placed a hand over her hand that was on his chest, and he lightly caressed it. Then, he guided her hand over his chest, and Dehya quickly took over, tracing over his muscles without him guiding her. He then placed his hand lightly over her leg, unmoving but warm.
She dared to flick her tongue onto his neck during a couple of her kisses, and he made more small noises in his throat. Suddenly, seeing nothing but the back and side of his head felt too impersonal; Dehya felt the need to see his face. She paused in her kissing to say, “Shit, Alhaitham. Turn around. I... I need to see you.”
Alhaitham stood up halfway from the bed. Dehya expected him to turn around to face her, or maybe lay down flat on his back. Instead, though, he managed to maneuver himself so he was climbing on top of her, and she rolled onto her back instead.
He leaned down, hovering over her but barely touching her, and kissed her lips more softly than she thought he was capable of, considering his usual stoicism. They kissed slowly, without any urgency, and Dehya felt dizzy. This didn’t feel like the kiss of someone looking for something quick and casual. Maybe she was too hopeful, too drunk on the feeling of the kiss, but it was like she could sense feelings in the tenderness of his lips and the slowness of his kiss. Like he was savoring it, but not losing himself in it.
Alhaitham pulled away, but then dipped his head down to return the favor of neck kisses. Every press of his lips made Dehya's skin tingle with euphoria; she heard herself gasp but hardly could bring herself to care. She momentarily lost herself in the feeling, but then she felt his kisses trailing lower, no longer on her skin but on her shirt, moving towards her clothed breasts. Her uncertainty from earlier filled her again, and she knew she couldn’t let him keep going like this. Before she could change her mind, she put her hand on his shoulder and lightly pushed him. “Alhaitham.”
Alhaitham rose from her chest. The dark made it hard to see, but she could see his expression was hazy. “What is it?”
“Look, we should probably stop, alright? I don’t want to go too far.”
“I don’t see the problem. We have all night.”
Dehya might’ve laughed if she didn’t have a point to get across. “No, that’s not the problem.”
“Do you not want to?”
“No, I do want to, but...” She made an annoyed noise as she tried to find the right words. She looked to the side, too embarrassed to look him in the eye. “How do I even say this? I’ve been... catching feelings for you recently, and I just... I don’t know. I don’t want to mess this up. I don’t even know what this means to you right now.”
“What else could it mean? I believe it’s perfectly clear.” Alhaitham’s head tilted slightly, in that cute way he sometimes did, but this time it was a little annoying because it meant Dehya hadn’t gotten her point across.
“Maybe you want a one night stand or something? I don’t know, and that’s the issue!”
Alhaitham scrunched his eyebrows, looking concerned. “I can safely say it’s not... that. I’ve been harboring similar feelings for you for a while now.”
And those are the words that made all the difference. “Oh.” Elatedness and relief rose up in Dehya’s chest, but she was hesitant to not push it down.
“Though,” Alhaitham continued, “I agree that we should stop, for tonight at least. It’s too sudden.”
Dehya laughed, more to lighten the situation than an expression of actual amusement. “Yeah, you need to buy me a meal first. Gotta have some class.” She moved to sit up, and Alhaitham backed up, so they were both sitting up and facing each other on the bed.
“As I recall, I paid for your meal at the restaurant earlier today.”
“Ha, true! You’ve already paid the sex toll, then. Congrats.”
Alhaitham looked simultaneously confused and concerned. “The sex toll...”
Dehya patted his arm. “I’m kidding. I know we agreed to stop, but kiss me again? Just, not on the chest or anything.”
Alhaitham leaned forward and captured her lips again, and she let herself smile against him. This had shaped up to be a great night after all.
Though, she still wasn’t sure she’d actually get much sleep.