Chapter Text
A few weeks had passed since your first date with Copia. He was a busy man, but he always found time for you, which relaxed the both of you.
You had a handful of dates, all of which had been sweet and all of which made you feel stomach flutters. On this particular day he had been showing you around the ministry, the way he pulled you along by your hand in an exciting manner making you fall in love with him more and more. The passion in his voice when he told about the history and public operations of the ministry was unmistakable and he seemed to feel at home.
‘And, here, this is the library…ah, sì, it’s just been christmas so a lot of siblings are with their families so it’s quiet…’ Copia opened the door and extended his arm inside, showing you in.
Rows and rows of shelves, filled with books, some looking very mysterious and leather bound, some seemingly very normal, almost looking out of place. Ladders along the high shelves, a fireplace on the far end of the room and couches and chairs surrounding it. Desks everywhere, with scattered papers and books around. The weak, early winter sun shone through the stained glass windows, giving some of the desks a colorful sparkle. It was beautiful here.
‘Wow, I didn’t expect it to be so…’ you said, looking around the library and to the windows, following the sunbeams.
A hand on your shoulder, you felt him standing very close behind you, hearing him chuckling lightly. ‘So what, cara?’ He said.
You turned around, smiling at him. ‘It’s beautiful! And it’s so light and the stained glass makes it so magical and colorful.’ Copia raised an eyebrow as if in thought. ‘Hmm, I suppose you’re right. I have never looked at it like that, I quite like your perspective.’
You took some slow steps forward, still looking around. ‘How many books even fit in here…’you mused, softly. You heard Copia chuckle again. ‘Impossible to answer. I’d say at least…twenty.’ You turned around, laughing at him now. ‘Come on, twenty? Really?’ teasingly, you patted him on the head. He put his hands on his hips as if offended. ‘Well, I am not wrong, am I? It has to be at least twenty in here, cara.’ He tried to look serious but you saw the corners of his mouth twitch. He stepped towards you but you walked forwards again, wanting to explore more, and he followed behind you. Towards the windows, desks were lined up, on which the sun shone invitingly. You wondered if it would feel warm, the ministry gave off a cold vibe, being such a large building. Walking towards it, you extended your hand, the colorful stained glass sun rays covering your skin. It felt warm. You closed your eyes and sighed. Today was another one of those perfect days spent with Copia. You always tried to drag it out as long as possible, and you had the feeling he did that, too. Never ready to say bye.
You felt him behind you, as your face bathed in as much warmth as the glass allowed. He wrapped his arms around you, resting his chin on your shoulder. Your heart jumped, the way he was so careful and soft around you made you melt. You felt his breath against your cheek and he too was absorbing the sun that shone through the windows. You stood like this for a few minutes, in silence.
You felt his mustache tickle on your skin. ‘A cosa stai pensando?’ he whispered. When he spoke Italian your heart always fluttered, his voice sounding beautiful like this. You didn’t know the language very well, just a few words you had picked up here and there. The questionable tone and the ‘pensando’...think.
You sighed. ‘I don’t want to leave you again…’ you admitted, keeping your eyes closed and holding his arms that were still wrapped around you.
He hummed in agreement, the soft buzz of the humming sending a shiver down your spine, the sound being emitted so close to your ear. He felt the shiver. ‘Cara, are you cold?’ He whispered, with a twinge of worry in his voice. You chuckled. ‘Not really. But I will be once you let me go.’ You felt bold saying this, but it was true. Nothing felt better than being in his arms.
Turning you around so that you were facing him, he held you at an arm's length, studying your face. To your surprise, you saw his cheeks, nose and ears were flushed.
‘Cara…’ he said, focusing his eyes, but sounding a little unsteady. You looked at him, puzzled. ‘What is it? Are you okay?’ You inquired, squeezing his shoulders. He smiled nervously. Even after the weeks of dating and being close together he could still be awkward, but you thought it was endearing. It wasn’t like you weren’t awkward yourself. It was just the contrast of the man he looked like versus how he behaved when you got to know him.
He nodded profusely. ‘Sì, sì…I’m okay, I just had a great idea!’ He looked proud of himself but still flustered, as you simply rose an eyebrow and tilted your head in question, not saying anything in response. He continued, scraping his throat. ‘I…apologize if it seems too forward but…I just thought, eh…’ he trailed off. You were getting flustered now too. What was he getting at? What could be the cause of him suddenly being so nervous? It made you chuckle and you caught his gaze, smiling reassuringly. ‘Hey, you can tell me.’ you cooed.
His eyes bore into yours, the white and the green. ‘Would you want to…stay over? With me, I mean? In…la mia stanza…if you want, that is…’ He pressed the words out of his throat, sighing deeply and shutting his lips tight as soon as he had finished the sentence, still looking you in the eyes. You felt the heat rise to your cheeks as well. ‘Oh.’ You let out, your mind racing. It would be the first time you would spend the night with him. But secretly you had dreamed of it. Cozying up to him, being in his arms, safe and warm, feeling comfortable, maybe stealing a kiss or two…
He was looking at you still, his gaze growing more nervous. ‘C…Cara, would you want to?’ He spoke softly.
Looking down out of nerves, suddenly, you replied. ‘I would love to…I think that would be great…we wouldn’t have to say bye, yet, right…’ You heard a large sigh escape from him, his shoulders and chest falling, apparently having been tensed. Then a nervous chuckle as one of his hands lifted up your chin. ‘We wouldn’t have to say bye.’ He said solemnly. His face was in close proximity now and every time he was, you tried to count the freckles on his nose and lips. It never quite succeeded. Pressing a soft kiss on your forehead, you felt the heat radiating off of him, the feeling of his soft lips and slightly rough tickle of his mustache lingering on your skin.
‘Right!’ He suddenly straightened up, tugging on his jacket to lay it flat, smoothing down his hair that didn’t need any smoothing down. You had noticed him doing this often, it was one of those details about him that you loved. You laughed at the sudden change in demeanor and grabbed his hand. ‘Show me your room? Please?’ You said, with your best impression of puppy eyes trained on him. You felt a little ridiculous but the fun you had in this overruled the feeling. He pulled you with him. ‘Anything for you, certo.’ He promised, exiting the library, shutting the door and striding off with you to the living quarters. It really was a quiet time. You only heard some scattered voices around the halls, people talking about their plans over the holidays. You’d never really celebrated them, not out of any reason, you just didn’t feel like it, and so you also didn’t mind having some time off. In your daydreams you spent a couple of days with Copia…
He came to a halt in front of a set of double doors, which he unlocked with a large key. ‘This is just, ah, the front door, almost.’ He explained, holding the door open for you to step through. It was an interesting hallway, adorned with paintings of people in skull paints and exquisite robes. A few hallways split from the main one and he took the first one, searching for another key. This time you saw his hand trembling slightly, shaking the keys with it. You chuckled softly, suddenly also feeling very nervous. He had seen your apartment, been in there, so why were you feeling like this about his living space? Maybe because everything in this place seemed so…formal. So neat and orderly. With a click, the door opened and he pushed against it with one hand, this time stepping in and holding it open, so that you could enter behind him. He closed the door, hanging the keys at a hook next to it.
You had not expected his room to look like this. It was like a small single floor apartment. A very small hallway with a coat rack and a hook for keys, arching into what seemed like a living room. It didn’t look neat and orderly in here at all, but in the best way. His couch looked comfortable, a deep red fabric, a dark coffee table, bookcases that lined one of the walls. A small tv with a game console next to it, and a small pile of games. You chuckled at the sight of it. You had noticed some dorky qualities of his, some he didn’t speak of much, but you loved it about him. He had a rack of vinyls, a record player on a small shelf next to it. On the wall above it, in almost a family portrait kind of way, hung a row of small photographs, all framed in tiny frames. Rats. You laughed, you knew he loved the little animals, but you didn’t expect him to really frame their pictures like this. It was adorable and it showed his caring, sweet side. He was looking at you, how you were reacting to his space. He was red in the face and spread his arms. ‘Eh….tadaa…’he said, awkwardly, but smiling. Stepping towards him, you followed his movement. ‘Oh, Copia, in the best way possible, this place is so…you.’ you admitted, waving your hands around vaguely. He chuckled. ‘Thank you, cara. Sì, I’ve tried to make it exactly how I like it…although at this moment, I love it in here even more.’ He added, eyeing you to see how you’d react. He had a way with these kind of sweet words that he could just sprinkle into conversations. Your heart fluttered again. You pulled him in for a hug, speaking into his ear, softly. ‘I love it in here as well.’
He swayed you back and forth a little, humming to himself again as he had done on your first date in your apartment. Releasing you, he looked around a little alarmed. ‘Oh, it has already gotten quite dark in here!’ He said, looking out the window. It was early winter and the sun had already begun to set, bathing the room in a gloomy light. He gestured towards the couch. ‘Per favore, I will get things ready, just relax, ok?’ You smiled at him, dismissing his alarming tone with a wave of your hand. ‘It’s fine, Copia, I can help you-’ ‘You’re my guest, per favore…’ He pushed you backwards, softly, pressing you down and you gave in. ‘Fine, but please let me know if you need help?’ You looked at him, the question lingering in the air. He grinned. ‘Grazie cara. Not yet.’ Your heart jumped, feeling a wave of excitement about spending more time with him. He twirled around the room, closing curtains, switching on lamps here and there, lighting candles. A few times the match went out before he could do anything, and you heard him curse softly in Italian under his breath. It looked strangely sweet and you couldn’t take your eyes off of him.
Eventually, he sat himself next to you with a sigh. ‘Ah, right. Much better, sì?’ gesturing around the room. It looked very cozy, all the small lights creating a beautiful warm atmosphere. You nodded and leaned against him. He slung one arm over your shoulders. He felt warm and soft. He rested his head on the back of the couch, neck extended and let out a deep sigh, pulling off his gloves and he ran a hand through his hair. ‘Hmmm…’ he hummed. He sounded tired. You glanced at his face and saw his eyes closed. ‘Hey, are you okay?’ you whispered to him. He squeezed your shoulder. ‘Sì…just so very tired. It has been so busy around here. I’ve had to finish up a lot of work before the holidays…I did not want my free days riddled with work.’ He kept his eyes closed and stretched his legs. You studied his face and reaching up, pressed a kiss on his jaw. ‘I’m sorry, you need all the rest you can get. You deserve it.’ He straightened his head and looked at you, a soft smile on his face, a strand of hair springing loose and falling over his ear. He didn’t notice.
‘Grazie…being with you like this is already soothing to me.’ He spoke in a soft voice, trailing his free hand in your hair, cupping it on the side of your face. You felt like your heart could burst, like your skin was in flames. Could he hear the pounding of your heart? Even though you hadn’t even known him for that long, the love you felt was true. Every time you thought of him, saw him, even the smallest glimpse, a wave of positive feelings washed over you. You couldn’t quite put a name to the feelings. Well, love was one way to put it, but it felt like more. Oh, and how you hoped he would feel it too.
He tilted his head, as if reading the thoughts on your face. ‘Is something the matter, cara? Have I upset you? Ah…mi dispiace…’ he scrambled, pulling back his hand from your face. You stopped him, and put his hand back. ‘Do you feel it…’ You asked, almost a whisper. Surely he had to feel your skin burning. ‘It’s…it’s warm. It’s soft but it’s very warm. ‘ He whispered back. You cast your eyes down, feeling nervous. ‘It’s because of you…you haven’t upset me, Copia. Don’t worry.’ You smiled and buried your head against him. He held you in place, and you felt him grin against the top of your head. He patted you and pressed another kiss on your head. ‘I’m glad. Here…’ He said when he pulled back, grabbing your hand and putting it on his face. It felt like an electric shock through your hand on his skin, he felt so…soft and also…so very warm. ‘Also because of you.’ He simply said, taking your hand and kissing the back of it.
Standing up suddenly, taking you with him, he swayed you towards his music collection.
‘Now, how about another dance? This time, I will put on some music for you.’ He chuckled, bending towards his stack of vinyls, rifling through them, taking a few in his hands.
You looked on curiously to see what he would pick, when he held them up for you. ‘Cara, you pick. I picked last time.’ You chuckled, thinking of when you danced in your apartment without any music. ‘There wasn’t any music last time, Copia.’ You said teasingly. He looked at you with accusing eyes over the top edge of the vinyls. ‘But I hummed and sung you a song about bewitching you in the moonlight…’
Striding towards him, you studied the covers of the vinyls closely and pointed to one randomly, not knowing the artists very well and just wanting to be close to him and have fun.
He put the other vinyls away and hummed to himself while preparing the player. “hmm, very good choice..”
Music started playing and he turned the volume up, stepping out of his shoes. You looked at him with a confused smile and did the same thing, to which he smiled warmly and stepped forward towards you. ‘I thought this would make it easier for us in this space, sì?’ You just giggled as he arranged your arm around him, before putting his hand in yours and slightly hovering the other near your waist, suddenly seeming nervous. ‘Is..is this okay, cara?’ You squeezed his shoulder with your already in place hand. ‘Of course it is…’ you felt his hand on your waist now, the proximity of him making you feel flustered, still. It felt intimate to be here like this, in his space, with his music. He started swaying softly, pulling you with him. His ungloved hand felt soft but strong at the same time, holding yours with security. For some reason you felt so nervous to look at his face like this, instead looking at your feet. He chuckled softly. ‘Is something wrong, is it strange with just the socks?’ You shook your head. ‘No, I like it…it's just, well…I don't really know how to dance.’ You admitted. He lowered his head towards yours. ‘To be completely honest with you…I'm not a great dancer either.’ Laughing, you raised your head, while he did the same, and bumped into each other slightly, making you laugh more because of course you'd do something this awkward. ‘Mi scusi! Oh cara, are you hurt?’ He studied your face, looking worried. He saw you laughing and his expression softened into a little awkward smile. ‘Hehe…I'm sorry…just follow my lead, sì?’
‘Okay’ you said, focused on not letting similar situations happen. The music had a slow tempo and fit Copia surprisingly well. You listened intently to how the instruments swelled and created a beautiful intertwining melody. ‘Eh, cara?’ Copia's voice came seemingly out of nowhere, and you noticed you were standing still. ‘Oh! I'm sorry, I can't keep focused…’ you said, casting your eyes down a little embarrassed. He kept his hand on your waist but the other raised your chin upwards and you had no other choice than to look at his face, which was a little pink but looked genuinely happy. ‘I have a better idea, can I….?’ He spoke with a voice that got hoarse towards the end. Breathless you answered ‘yes!’ Before he had finished his sentence, just wanting to be with him, close, hold him, have him hold you, the trust you felt overwhelming.
He smiled and pulled you closer to him, his arm wrapped around your waist and the other over your shoulder. In response you did the same and the closeness made you feel warm inside and out. You swayed to the music and he leaned his chin on your shoulder, to which you closed your eyes and savored the moment.
It was completely silent save for the music. Him holding you this close felt otherworldly and an involuntary smile spread across your face. He was humming along to the music and his hair tickled your face. He smelled good, too. The song ended and he straightened himself, still holding you tightly, the look on his face elated. He looked so happy…his smile reached his eyes and it made him look dorky, but you loved it. You answered his smile and he raised one hand to brush your hair out of your face, before leaning his forehead against yours with a soft sigh.
‘I love this, Copia…” you murmured, the positive feelings overwhelming your heart and your head. This man…he wouldn't leave your head. Ever since meeting him in the hospital…there was something about him. It's like he understood you on a level no one else ever did, like he could look into your dreams and desires. The trust you felt was unmatched.
You wanted to let him know this so bad but had no idea how to formulate it right now, sighing slightly and continuing in the swaying.
He hummed again. ‘Hmm, I love this as well. To be honest…I have never felt like this before. So, ah, accepted and…’ he trailed off. You felt the heat radiating off his forehead. ‘And…’ you spurred him on softly. ‘And…and, well, loved…’ he admitted, you heard him holding his breath. Loved! He felt loved! And you did too! Could this mean that he…possibly felt the same way?
Your heart felt like it would burst right through your chest.
‘I'm…happy you feel like that.’ You whispered. ‘I feel like that, too, with you.’
He pressed a kiss on your forehead and continued swaying the both of you around until the song ended.
The room was completely shrouded in darkness save for the little lights and candles he turned on, which gave a very cozy effect. ‘How about some tea, cara?’ He asked, smiling, straightening you and cupping your face, stroking your cheek with his thumb, while you leaned in to his touch, not wanting to let go of him.
‘Tea…yes, I would like that, thank you.’ He put away the vinyl and directed you towards the couch again. ‘I'll go get us tea!’ He said, before sauntering off towards the kitchen. You jumped up in protest, wanting to help him, following him. ‘Hey, let me help you!’ You called out. He didn't hear you come in the kitchen, filling the kettle with water, the sound drowning out your call. He put the kettle down to a boil. ‘Copia…’ you said, chuckling softly. He jumped a little. ‘Oh! Cara. Sneaking up on me now, eh?’ But he laughed as well, turning around. ‘I called out to you!’ You said, matter of factly. He made a gesture that resembled a dramatic shrug.
‘So, I was thinking I could read you something?’ He looked at you expectantly and excited. You were curious about his interests and him reading to you sounded like a cozy activity. ‘What do you want to read?’ You inquired. He absentmindedly pulled his hand through his hair again while thinking. ‘Eh, I have some favorites, but, if you have a preference…’ You looked at him and his hair was becoming increasingly more disheveled. He looked more handsome like this, you thought. He still had his paints on as well, even though the top lip paint was a little smudged. He still looked great..
‘C..cara?’ He looked at you nervously, snapping you out of your reverie.
‘Ah…I'm sorry..’ you excused, feeling your cheeks burning. He tilted his head, waiting for you to answer. You scrambled to get your answer out in a way that made sense. ‘Please, I'd love to know more about your favorites…would you read me something from your preferred books?’ A smile spread on his face, he stepped forward. ‘Are you sure? I would love to! Just, okay, maybe you could get it from my bookshelf, sì? I will bring tea…’ He told you the name of the book and the author, apparently he had his books sorted by genre and within genre by author name. He seemed to be very happy, giddy almost. Giggling, you made your way to his living room again, towards the bookcase. Right. Tilting your head to read the names on the books, you slowly walked past the shelves. It was a little dark, making it harder to read. You slid your fingers over the spines, wondering how many books he owned and how many of those were his favorites. From what you could see they were all different genres and authors. Suddenly you felt shuffling behind you and his voice next to your ear, guiding your hand. This, in turn, made you jump a little bit. ‘Copia’ you said in response, chuckling and not wanting to show that he surprised you. From the way he spoke you could hear he had a grin on his face. Grabbing your wrist he pressed your finger against the needed book. ‘See, cara, it's this one…grazie.’
He withdrew his hand but the warmth of his touch lingered on your skin. You pulled the book out and handed it to him, while he gestured you to the couch, where he had put down two cups of steaming hot tea on the table, which smelled amazing. He looked around and raised a finger in an ‘aha’ motion, which looked a little goofy but he seemed to have come to a realization. ‘What is it?’ you said, smiling at him, not sitting down yet. ‘Ah, well, I had a thought…’ he began, scratching his head, eyes darting around. ‘We’re in our everyday clothing, right?’ He said, gesturing at you and at himself. Shoot. You just realized. Of course you hadn’t brought anything else, since the plan for you to stay just…happened. ‘Copia, I don’t have anything else with me…’ you said, a little embarrassed for some reason. He was looking at you like he had a lit lightbulb above his head. ‘Cara! That’s my idea! You can just borrow my things!’ He smiled broadly. You did as well, but you felt the heat in your cheeks again. His clothes. You had worn his gloves before, but never anything else. Being in his space, being close to him for a longer amount of time than normal, wearing his clothes…it almost felt like home. But you wanted to be comfortable and lounge around with him, so you nodded nervously. ‘It’s a good idea…thank you.’ He patted your shoulder and glanced at the tea. ‘Hmm, those are still very hot. So let’s get you comfortable, sì?’ You nodded again, he grabbed your hand and stepped towards another door, opening it and looking flustered. ‘Eh, right…this is my bedroom, but I keep my clothes in this closet here…’ You looked down, not wanting to intrude on his privacy, but he called out to you so you looked up. His bedroom had the same vibe as the rest of his place. It looked cozy. The dark red, slightly nerdy theme continued here as well, but the bed was made and one wall had framed drawings of all kinds of themes…one of them being rats again. You chuckled at this again, finding it adorable that he was so passionate about things and showed it off. You wondered who had drawn them, but you saw the drawings signed with a ‘C’ in the bottom right corner. C… Copia?
‘Hey…’ you called out, he turned around and went red in the face. ‘Ah! The drawings…do you like them, hehe…’ He chuckled shyly. ‘Like? They’re amazing! Did you draw these?’ You said in amazement, smiling widely at him. ‘Grazie…I very much like to draw, I don’t do it nearly enough these days…not that much time, you see…’ He replied, thankful. You nodded in encouragement and understanding, leaning against him for a bit, before he turned around and guided you towards his closet.
‘Right!’ He exclaimed, swinging the doors open. Most of the colors you could see were red and black, with the occasional white and colored printed shirts.
He rifled through a pile of shirts, pulling some out, offering them to you. Afterwards, from a different pile, he pulled some sweats. Sweats! You chuckled, for some reason the contrast of how he looked daily versus the sweats being a big one. But then again, you thought, everyone had their down time. Why wouldn’t he wear comfortable clothing?
Closing the doors of the closet, he took the clothes from your arms and threw them on the bed, separating the shirts from the sweatpants. ‘Ahh alright…see…’ he murmured. He picked up a shirt and red sweats. ‘These are usually my go-to, hehe…’ he laughed apologetically before gesturing towards the rest. ‘Per favore, just pick what seems comfortable to you, cara. I’ll…you can change, here I mean, I’ll of course give you privacy…’ he stumbled on his words, scurrying off towards the bathroom. You smiled and picked out some items. Wow. His clothes. His room. It all seemed so fitting and cozy. Putting on the shirt, sliding it past your head, you smelled the laundry detergent but also his smell that clung to the fabric. So good. Would your face ever stop burning?
The sweatpants fit surprisingly well, the legs not even being that much too long, since he was only slightly taller than you. It felt very soft and comfortable and you heard knocks on the door. ‘Cara?’ He called. You opened the door, seeing him in a matching outfit to yours. He grinned upon seeing you, grabbing your upper arms and holding you at an arms length. ‘Ah so comfortable! My clothes do look good on you, sì…’ you grinned, spinning around dramatically. ‘Tada!’ you mimicked him. This made him laugh and he pulled you into a hug, which felt more like home than ever. He pressed his face into your head, murmuring softly. ‘What did you say?’ You said, softly, hint of a smile still in your voice.
He pulled back and sighed. ‘I said you look beautiful.’ In the overwhelming happy feeling, you bent forward and pressed a kiss on his nose. ‘Thank you…you do, too.’ Chuckling, he stroked your head and pulled you towards the living room again. ‘Thank you cara…but everything pales in comparison to you. Ora, let me read to you while we drink our tea…’
About an hour later, two empty teacups were sitting on the table. You were snuggled up against Copia, he had read to you for thirty minutes, before his voice trailed off. Taking the book from his hands silently, you had softly and sleepily been lazing on his couch, talking about his goings on, potential plans…trying not to doze off.
His warmth and body weight against you felt extremely comfortable and you wanted to close your eyes and drift off, but you knew sleeping on a couch wasn’t the most optimal thing. You moved around, tapping his shoulder. ‘Copia?’ You spoke, softly. He slightly raised his head, you saw his eye paints smudged and the upper lip paint completely gone. Oh…
Scrambling to get yourself together, you tried to catch his eyes. ‘Hey, you should go to bed. You’re exhausted…’ Your voice was so soft it was almost a whisper now. He murmured in agreement. You got up, went around the room to switch off the lights and blow out the candles, stopping to turn the ones in his bathroom and bedroom on. ‘Come on…’ you spurred him on, pulling at his arm softly. He stood up, slumping a little. Poor guy…you thought, you knew he was under a lot of pressure and that he was usually very busy, but now you were worrying if he was even getting enough rest.
You guided him towards his bathroom and he made a sound of confusion. ‘We gotta get your paints off first’ You cooed, pushing him into the room. Looking around, you inquired ‘where do you keep your remover?’ he nodded in a general direction, you took the remover and some cotton wipes and got to work, moving very gently. This action felt so intimate somehow, you had never seen him without the paints on. But, you thought, you would probably have seen him without those at one point, anyways. He slumped against the sink while you gently wiped at his face, then directing him to splash water and dry his face. His mirror image looked at you, you saw your own mirror image get a red face. He looked so…soft. You could see on his face how tired he was, but of course, he was still himself. Somehow his mismatched eyes looked even more striking this way. He was beautiful. You saw yourself smile at him and you saw him give you a slight, but tired smile back. Turning him around towards you, you cupped his face. ‘Time to sleep.’ You switched off the lights and guided him towards his bedroom, where he pulled back the blankets and plopped down with a happy sigh. You stood there, watching him. He looked comfortable and sweet. ‘C’me here’ He slurred his words in exhaustion. ‘I’m here…’ you replied, sitting beside him. ‘...Sleep…’ he said, patting lazily beside him. Of course…for some reason, now that the moment was here, you felt oddly nervous about sleeping in the same bed as him. It was another one of those intimate seeming moments, but quickly you realized the way you felt overshadowed all nervousness. You switched off the lights and crawled under the blankets. Oh, it was so soft and smelled that same laundry detergent-and-copia smell as his clothing. You felt him move closer and he snuggled his head against your shoulder. ‘Goodnight…sleep well.’ you whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. You heard him murmur, very softly and sleepy. ‘G’night…love you…’
Your heart jumped. Did he…? You were wide awake now. Was he asleep? Did he mean it? Or did it just slip out? ‘Copia…’ you whispered. No answer. Just his steady breathing.
You figured it was safe to reply. ‘I love you, too.’
He stirred a little, and after a while, you fell asleep as well.