Chapter 229 - 227: Get In.

Chapter 229: Chapter 227: Get In.

In the darkness it’s impossible to gauge whether or not Loac is satisfied with his answer.

​He tosses, trying to settle, and then turns a second time when it accomplishes nothing. Every which way he tries to lie it’s cold and it’s uncomfortable and it fucking sucks.

​" –Quit making so much noise," Loac complains from across the room, voice reverting to the thick, grating timbre that Khobi’s most familiar with.

​"I can’t help it," he shoots back, blankets rustling as he tries to rub some life into his arms under the blankets.

It helps about as much as it did the first three times he’s tried it –that is to say, not at all, "It’s fucking freezing . S’why I asked for the bed in the first place –"

​"...So get in the bed, then."

​Mid roll, Khobi freezes, sure he’s misheard.

​" What ?"

​From the other side of the room the blankets rustle, and in the barest slivers of light dripping through the shutters Khobi catches a glimpse of Loac propped up on his elbows, blue eyes watching him through the gloom.

​"Like I said," he drawls thickly, clearly annoyed, "If you’re that fuckin’ cold, just get in the damn bed."

​So he’d heard right after all.

​"What are you talking about?" Khobi grinds out, not sure why Loac has any right to be annoyed at him in this situation, "I lost, remember?"

​" Tsk ," Loac scoffs, "Who’s sulking now?"

​Well, Khobi is. But for good reason.

​"I don’t need your charity ," he declares hotly, and bites down on his teeth so that they don’t knock together as his body shivers without his consent.

"If you think I’m getting into bed with you just like that you’re crazy. I’m not that easy." Loac just makes a hollow sound as if to say suit yourself , and sinks back down into his pillow.

​"Fucking freeze, then," he snorts flatly, and for the second time that night Khobi finds himself rather perplexed.

​"Wait, you’re serious?" he queries. He doesn’t get a response.

But when he thinks about it, his offer hadn’t exactly sounded like a taunt, or even a come on.

Really, it had sounded a lot more like a last resort from someone who was fed up with hearing him freezing his ass off –or rather, someone fed up with being kept awake by him freezing his ass off.

​He thinks long and wistfully of the bed across the room, with its plush mattress and cosy blankets and being enveloped within them. He thinks too, of the concession he’s already been made tonight even though he’d lost their bet.

And after several long minutes lost in thought, despite his better judgement he sits up.

​The cold immediately swarms him.

Any progress he’d made on warming up his body immediately evaporates, and the night air sets in like a venom.

He grits his teeth and drags himself to his feet.

​He’s glad for his socks. With how cold the floors are, it feels like he might just stick to it without them.

​"Hey," Khobi states coolly, when he reaches the edge of the bed. Loac doesn’t stir, the asshole.

"Hey, I know you’re still awake."

​Taking his sweet time, like he knows Khobi is slowly icing over and is happy to let him suffer, Loac cracks open one eye.

​"Changed your mind, huh?" he comments. Khobi ignores him, because the bed looks unbearably comfortable and now that he’s standing on the edge with little to turn away the chill of the night he wants to bury himself somewhere warm and never come out.

But he has some pride, still.

​"...Are you gonna move over or what?" he grinds out hotly, arms tucked under his armpits to keep his hands warm.

Loac leaves him hanging there for a long moment –too long, considering he was the one who offered in the first place –then rolls his eyes and scooches over so that Khobi can climb in without brushing against him.

He’s being far too dramatic; the bed is enormous and there’s plenty of space for the both of them to lie down without touching.

In fact, as Khobi clambers in he finds it’s large enough that he could quite easily believe that there’s no one else in there with him.

​Well, if it weren’t for the fact he’s well aware of what Loac gets up to in this bed.

​Not recently, though, which is a blessing. The blankets are fresh and smell like soap, and he’s enveloped in warmth from sides as soon as he sinks into the mattress.

He can’t hold back a sigh as he lays back, his aching, tired body caught completely unawares by the sudden comfort, and endlessly grateful for it.

It would feel safe and homely if it weren’t for the person lying just beyond arm’s reach.

​"...Touch me, and I’ll break your hand," he warns over his shoulder as he yanks the blankets up to his chin, because he doesn’t want Loac getting any funny ideas that this means he can do as he likes.

A scoff comes back at him in response.

​"Don’t flatter yourself," Loac chips back dryly, which Khobi thinks is a pretty hypocritical response from someone who’s made it pretty clear he’d do a lot more than just touch him, given the opportunity.

​Khobi finds himself inexplicably drawn back to the memory of dark blue eyes, glimmering with heat.

​But this memory smells of smoke and ale, and in it there flames dancing high into the night and fingertips ghosting up his arm and leaving burning trails in their wake.

He remembers the heat coiling within him; threatening to run rampant should he give in to the lure of another body, and a moan trying to claw its way out his throat.

​Could be fun .

Those same words echo in his ears again and he shivers.

​This time, he can’t quite blame it on the cold.

​Blocking out the voice and shoving the memories aside, Khobi curls in on himself and settles into the mattress, fighting off a wave of irritation; unsure whether it’s directed at Loac or at himself.

​Maybe both.