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Quiet snoring fills the spacious room with comfort, and Emmrich’s heart with warmth. He's knows how difficult it’s been for Salvus to fall asleep nowadays, with everything on his mind. The attack on Dock Town, and the battle at Weisshaupt. It was beginning to feel like every time they tried to get one step ahead of the gods, they were kicked back down the staircase, forced to dust themselves off and start anew.
It was infuriating, not only for the team, but especially for their dear leader, who never asked to be in this position. Salvus never complained directly, but the dark bags beneath his eyes spoke for him, much louder than he would ever admit.
Emmrich knew his beloved was exhausted and overworked, so listening to him quietly snoring while laying on his chest gave him some peace of mind, for the moment. It was a common occurrence in the Lighthouse to find Salvus moving from room to room, asking everyone if they needed help or company at any given time. He never seemed to consider that he might also need a shoulder to lean on from time to time. Emmrich is more than happy to be said shoulder.
The sleeping elf adjusts his body to a more comfortable position atop his lover. Emmrich, who was normally in dire need of extra blankets to compensate for his lack of protective body fat, feels more warmth and contentment from Salvus than any blanket could ever provide.
His arms, which held Salvus in place so he wouldn't fall from the couch on accident, strengthen their hold. He doesn't want to wake up Salvus due to his carelessness now, does he? His right leg is falling asleep but he’s never felt so comfortable before. He can survive the subsequent pins and needles if it means he gets to hold Salvus, and provide the relaxation the elf so desperately needs. The fact that he gets an extended cuddling session out of it is a nice bonus, and he feels no shame to admit it.
Slowly, Emmrich hooks his right leg over the elf’s, further entwining their bodies. With both arms around his love, their legs tangled together, and the calming scent of Salvus’s new lavender soap Emmrich gifted him on their last trip to Treviso, Emmrich was in utter bliss. Pressing his face into Salvus’s hair while cradling the elf’s head closer to his chest, he wished to lay there for eternity. Let the rest of the Veilguard deal with the blighted gods, Emmrich Volkarin has more important things to do.
Manfred, in particular, would be perfectly capable of learning more about his environment and the people around him on his own. Any instructions could be delivered verbally.
Even while sleeping, the elf seems to react to his touch. Salvus presses his face even harder against Emmrich’s chest, right over the ‘fuzzy’ area, as he often described it. By everything that is holy to him, Emmrich loves this elf-turned-blanket.
The one hand cradling the elf’s face slowly and softly runs over the pointed tip of his auricle. His snoring stops, and Emmrich worries for a moment that he’s woken up his love. What he did not expect was a very quiet, yet persistent vibrating grumble from his elf’s throat. Emmrich could feel the sound echoing throughout his entire body.
Is he...? No. Emmrich thought he’d learned everything there was to know about the differences between human and elven bodies. He knows that Salvus has the ability to move his ears, depending on his mood (which is incredibly endearing), he knows that elves do not grow body hair, they tend to be shorter in stature (which does not mean much, because Emmrich knows he’s rather tall, even by human standards) and he knows that elves tend to enjoy walking around barefoot, which Emmrich still isn’t sure if it’s an elven thing, or a Salvus thing.
What he did not know was that elves, apparently, can purr. Maybe they call it something else in their language, but Emmrich had interacted with enough cats in the Necropolis to know that their purring feels and sounds very much like the noise Salvus is currently making. Or was making. The elf went quiet once Emmrich stopped caressing his ear.
Maybe- ah yes, it's back. Running his fingertips gently over the flesh of his ear makes Salvus snuggle closer to Emmrich’s chest, and purr like an adorable house-cat.
Emmrich always felt his emotions deeply, especially when it came to love. Be it fear every time he saw Salvus getting injured, or as much pride as possible to see him standing up for himself. The need to hold back his desperate desire to squeeze his beloved to his chest over how adorable he was, this was a new one. To see how simply playing with his ears can turn him into a purring feline, seeking warmth and connection, Emmrich already knows he’ll probably abuse this power. But only for good. In other words, every time Salvus is overworked and needs a nap, which in his eyes is a good cause.
Feeling so full of love and adoration and warmth, Emmrich’s eyelids slowly but surely grow heavier by the moment.
With the purring as white noise, the fish swimming through the aquarium window, and the warmth spreading through his body from Salvus, he falls into the same dreamscape as his love.