Work Text:
Arcade has been ignoring his homework for a while now. The pile is getting harder and harder to look past. Recently one of his professors had made a comment about how his work always comes in so late and that his writing was sloppy.
That’s the reason that he’s up and running at 3 am, because he decided to do his homework. Right now he thinks it’s the worst decision he’s ever made, but he knows he will be gratefull to his past self for sufferring like this and not letting it get worse. He still thinks it’s the worst decision he’s ever made, ofcourse, but he knows he will be gratefull.
Many assignments later
Arcade is in denial, denial about the fact that he needs sleep, like every other normal human being does. He’s had eight coffees, six monsters and some random loopy energy drink he found once in the cafetaria. And he’s still going, trying to solve an equation that keeps swimming away from his eyes.
That’s the state Fern finds him in at 4 am. Sitting at his desk, bend over his homework, his face half an inch from the paper and still unable to read the question he’s trying to solve.
30 minutes earlier (in the cave)
Fern wakes with a gasp, sitting up fast and breathing heavily. They don’t exactly know what it was that woke them, but they can remember it wasn’t pleasant. They still have strings of dread and sadness clinging to them as they stand up.
Walking around the cave they remind themself that ‘Arcade is sleeping right now’ and that ‘they can’t go see him right now’ at the end, they cave and decide to go see if Arcade was awake, if he wasn’t then they would go back to the cave
“I wouldn’t know if this was weird, i’m not human he can’t judge me by human standards” they mutter tok themself while walking to Arcade’s dorm-window. Leaning in to see inside the dorm, they’re startled by the sight of Arcade sitting at his desk bended over some papers so close that there’s less than an inch space between the paper and his nose.
Happy to see Arcade awake, but still a little starled by the sight of him so pale-looking, they knock on his window. They wonder if Arcade is sleeping on his desk because he doesn’t seem to hear them knock. So they knock again, louder this time.
Arcade flustered at the sound of somebody knocking on his window goes to sit up, and walks to his window without really looking at what had knocked. He was so tired, just so tired. He knew he needed sleep but he also needed to hand in three different papers tomorrow, three. Sometimes he thought that school was invented to torture the lives of children.
So, no he didn’t look at the mysterious entity that was knocking on his dorm-window at 4 am in the morning. He just went and opened the window, the only way he was even doing this was because he had drunken so much caffeine. He just moved as if on auto-pilot.
When the mysterious entity was busy climbing through his window he returned to his desk, already thinking about what to write next on his paper for biology. When the entity started to talk to him and his caffeine-muddled brain finally recognised Fern, he swiveled around and swung his arms over Fern’s shoulders.
Fern momentarily startled by the sudden action stiffend and stared at Arcade’s face, which was oh so close to his in this position. After a moment he relaxed into the embrace and started to think about the state that Arcade was in.
He started to make a plan in his head.
Priority nr 1 make sure Arcade had eaten
Priority nr 2 make Arcade go to sleep
Priority nr 3 cuss out Arcade’s professors for giving him so much assignments
‘Okay, so let’s start with nr 1’ they thought while holding Arcade upright, after the other had sagged into them. “Hey” they muttered, “did you eat anything, or do you maybe want to eat anything?”
The only answer he got was a very whiny “I’m tiiiiiired, I’m soooooooo tired, wanna sleeeeeeep, please let me sleeeeeeeeep” and a pair of irresistable puppy eyes.
Softly they said “No Cade, not yet, I need to know if you something othemise I can’t let you go to sleep”the silence was deafening after they said that, they were wondeing where the sudden nickname came from and the other was deep in thought about the question. This time they did get an answer. It still sounded pretty whiny in their ears but atleast the words where better articulated “I think I ate? No, I remember I had those tasty noodles with chicken. Have you evere eaten noodles before, I think the’re delicious”
Relieved that Arcade had atleast eaten something, they led the two of them to the bed. “Go lay down, go to sleep” they said with a firm voice. Arcade countered “but I want to cuddle with you, come lay down too, pleaseeeeee” and gave him more puppy eyes.
Ladies and gentleman, I’m sorry to inform you of the passing of one of our friends. Prince Fern from the fae-lands has passed away do to cuteness overdose. The cause of his passing was one of his best friends (his only human friend) Arcade Ilao. Let’s have a minute of silence for this prince.
While Fern was dying inside his head had their sudden stillness not escaped Arcade’s senses. After some (little) struggle became he victorious in making Fern nap with him. Forcibly manhandeling him in a cuddling position so he could comfortably lay his head on Fern’s chest. He heaved a little sigh and closed his eyes basking in the warmth of the others chest.
After some time, Fern came back out of their own head and found himself cuddling with Arcade on his bed, and died again a little. But have no fear our fae-prince has endured worse things and shall emerge reborn from these trials of will. After they got over his second death, they made sure Arcade was laying comfortably and in the best position to have a good night’s sleep. Because they were sure he needed it by the way he was looking before.
All the while Fern was thinking all of this and moving him around Arcade had fallen asleep, the fae now looking upon his sleeping human companion with adoration in his eyes. And three little words he wanted to say to said human companion on his lips waiting to pass the boundaries of his mouth. Waiting to be freed in the world.
They got over their sudden burst of love and they concluded that priority nr 2 was a succes, and that nr 3 could wait until it was morning and Arcade had gotten enough sleep to function properly again. Right now they decided resting would be the best choice of action. Afterall they didn’t have o good night’s rest either that day and was looking forward to waking up with Arcade in his arms.