. b l o g ( rss )

A little self-care snippet imposed on me by the muse (it's been a rough weekend, ha)

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They staggered in, eyes catching suddenly on Karel as he perched on the edge of the table.

"Here… rather than bed…" he said, some clear disapproval in his tone.

"Still… need to finish it up… battle is at dawn…"

He glanced back at the table, the arrangements.

"Lovely…" Karel murmured, glancing then at the map held in their hand. The only reason they'd left the tent at all, giving him time to sneak in.

He was in the way.

"… Karel, I can't believe I'm about to ask you to, but please, move."

He bowed his head, slightly.

"That, I will not. Come to bed," he said.

"Everyone's tired. Everyone's doing their best. I just need to account for the terrain shift since the last rains. Which are on this map."

Mark held out the roll.

He did rise, drew near to them. He grasped around their wrist, pulled their arm, the map down, and took it into his own hand. He set it aside.

"It was not a request. Your lover is telling you, come to bed… will you refuse?"

Mark's eyes met his, those dangerous, near-feral eyes, intense, like some roving predator.

Their shoulders dropped.

"Telling me to…? You mean it?"

"Yes," Karel affirmed.

They stepped the last few paces until they could collapse into his arms.

"Oh, thank the gods…" they muttered into his chest.

His arms clenched around them.

"Of course if it's you… I have to, hah…"

#karel #mark