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Silver didn’t consider himself injury-prone.
Sure, he probably received more than his fair share of scrapes and bruises, and he has definitely fallen out of more trees than the average person—but that was to be expected with an adolescence split between exploring the wilderness and training to be a knight. Cuts heal, bruises fade, and the soreness of his muscles was simply a testament to his diligence.
At least that’s what Silver kept telling himself as he worked through the grating pain shooting up his right leg.
Honestly, it was fine—he’d had way worse injuries than…whatever was currently wrong with his leg. It definitely wasn’t broken, and there was no bleeding, so whatever was wrong could be tended to after he finished tilling the soil of his father’s garden.
Silver grimaced at the sharp ache festering in the muscles of his leg before peering up at the sky. The trees already hid the sun to the west, and he deflated at the realization of how much daylight he had lost, despite his best attempts to wake up early.
He’d set his alarms up to wake him before sunrise, and while the first seven alarms didn’t manage to rouse him, the eighth did—just enough time to water the garden and get started on the laundry. That is, until he fell asleep for a whole two hours , waking up in the pile of linens he was supposed to be hanging to dry. After sorting the laundry, he began chopping wood for the fire pile—only to wake up forty-five minutes later , slumped against the logs, leaving the rest of his body sore, his rabbit friend urgently nuzzling him awake. Then he got sidetracked helping a baby bird return to its nest— a whole ordeal within itself —before finally resuming the rest of the garden maintenance.
His arms trembled slightly as he struck the earth again. The pain was uncomfortable, but he needed to finish his tasks. He could work through it if he kept himself focused.
If only the tenseness in his muscles and the throbbing pain in his leg were enough to keep him from falling asleep again .
Despite the pain, his drowsiness persisted, and Silver was desperately trying to keep his eyes open between the ache in his muscles and his sluggish attempts to stab the soil.
The loud voice shouting his name was proof that he had failed.
“SILVER, I DEMAND YOU WAKE UP IMMEDIATELY!!”
Silver slowly opened his eyes, registering that he was still holding onto his spading fork in the middle of the garden. He sighed, letting it fall to the side before looking at his partner, whose arms were crossed over his chest, sword hung at his belt, and a bag slung over his shoulder.
“Sebek? I thought you weren’t coming until the evening?”
It had become a tradition since they were young for Sebek to stay at the cottage while Silver’s father was away for extended periods. He insisted Silver couldn’t be trusted alone for long, lest he end up falling asleep in the rain or snow—a fear not entirely unfounded, as it had happened twice before. Silver welcomed the company regardless, though the thought that neither his father nor his boyfriend believed he could be by himself because of his sleeping habits left a bitter feeling in his chest.
He wasn’t a child anymore, no matter how many times his father and Malleus referred to him as one. He shouldn’t need supervision to make sure he doesn’t fall asleep in bad weather, and he certainly should be able to get through his daily chores without falling asleep like a toddler. But no matter how hard he fought to stay awake, he just couldn’t.
Sebek’s eyes narrowed. “It is the evening.”
With a quick look around, Silver realized he was right. The sun was barely visible now, only a sliver of it remaining, and fireflies had begun to light up the quickly darkening forest. Just how long had he been asleep for?
Silver rubbed the residual drowsiness from his eyes. “Sorry,” he carefully exited the garden to meet where Sebek was standing. “I must have lost track of time.”
Sebek scoffed, dropping his bag before drawing his sword. “Hardly suprising. If you’re done lazing about, I desire a sparring match before the daylight is gone.”
With the pain still throbbing in his leg and the general ache everywhere , Silver debated accepting. His leg throbbed, and his body ached, but Sebek had come all this way to keep him company. Besides, the pain wasn’t unbearable .
Silver conjured his sword, swinging it to hopefully loosen his stiff muscles. “I suppose I’ll have to finish this quickly, then,” he said, leveling his blade with a small smile.
Sebek growled and lunged. Silver easily parried the fist strike. The bout settled into a familiar rhythm—Silver easily defending against each one of Sebek’s swings, forcing the other to the defensive. His body moved instinctively, falling into the familiar pattern of attacks, parries, feints, and lunges.
While Sebek was a worthy opponent—strong, capable, and cunning—Silver had known him long enough to be able to read his actions like the back of his hand. With a decisive lunge, Silver swung with enough momentum to disarm him—
Or he would have, if his leg hadn’t exploded in fiery hot agony. His knee buckled with a gasp of pain, and he barely managed to block Sebek’s swing from above. Auroral eyes locked with gold—Sebek’s gaze sharp with concentration.
Silver’s mind raced. He needed to get up and end this quickly.
But now, with even a greater height advantage than before, Sebek pushed their locked blades down toward him, and Silver’s head was running a mile a minute to figure out any last-ditch tactic. With pure adrenaline pumping through his veins, he moved to kick Sebek’s legs out from under him, ignoring the way his own leg screamed in protest. As he predicted, Sebek jumped back, allowing Silver to regain his stance before attempting another lunge. With Sebek still reeling from Silver’s feint kick, Silver skillfully knocked the blade out of his hand.
Sebek’s sword flew into the grass. Silver lowered his blade, shifting his weight to his good leg and closing his eyes to steady his breath, his pulse beating rapidly from adrenaline and pain. Even without bearing weight, his leg pulsed with sharp, needle-like pain.
When his pulse finally slowed to a reasonable level, Silver opened his eyes to see Sebek glaring at him. Sebek was furious—his fists balled up and trembling at his sides.
Silver frowned in confusion. Sebek was easily angered, sure. But he never glowered at Silver with such animosity after losing a bout. He wasn’t a poor sport, and whenever he did lose, which was often, he would always declare to Silver that he would win the next one and vow to train even harder. That’s what made Sebek the best partner he could ask for—always working to improve himself.
Silver was about to ask him if he was alright and unharmed when Sebek spoke. “You won.”
Suddenly, Sebek marched closer. Silver braced himself for the other to start yelling, but the words came low and sharp. “You won, and you’re injured .”
That left Silver feeling oddly defensive. “It’s nothing.” The words slipped out before Silver could stop them.
Sebek growled. “Stop lying! It’s not nothing— I know you’re hurt!”
Silver blinked, trying to figure out what he could possibly say. “No…I mean, yes, but it’s not that bad—”
“Bullshit!” Sebek yelled before bringing his foot up to Silver’s right shin and kicking it .
It was more like a tap, but he basically did the equivalent of a full kick with how Silver’s good leg gave out due to the sharp pain that radiated like fire. Sebek caught him swiftly, carefully lowering him to the forest floor.
Silver glared up at the other man, irritation prickling under his skin. “You kicked me!”
“That was barely a tap! And it wouldn’t hurt so much if you didn’t accept the duel knowing you were already injured!”
“How do you know it was a prior injury? I could’ve hurt it during the duel!”
“I may not be as good at reading opponents’ moves as well as you , but I’m not stupid, Silver!” Sebek growled. He dropped into a crouch, now eye level. “You were favoring your left leg from the start!”
Oh . Silver hadn’t realized. He looked at the ground, mentally berating himself for revealing a weakness in his form so easily—his father taught him better than that. Who knows what could have happened had his opponent been an actual enemy? He could have been injured or killed—or worse, his enemy could have exploited his incapacity to target the people he was supposed to protect.
Suddenly, Sebek sighed, getting Silver’s attention. “And even with your injury and my best attempts to defeat you, you still won.” While Silver could hear an undertone of bitterness, his voice held a layer of softness that the other let very few people witness. Sebek’s brows furrowed, staring at the injured leg. “Let me see the damage.”
A brief moment of hesitation flitted across Silver’s features before he relented. He hated burdening others with things he could resolve himself, but if Sebek could see that the injury wasn’t urgent, he would likely stop breathing down his neck and glaring at him like he committed a heinous crime.
The moment Sebek exposed his leg, Silver could already hear the other’s verbal lashing. His leg was covered in a bruise that practically wrapped around his calf, already turning a sickening shade of purple from the hours he had left it unattended. The area spanning his calf to his ankle was swollen, and Silver briefly wondered if he had actually broken it.
Sebek’s silence was worse than shouting.
“You’re an idiot.” Sebek said at last, his voice low but laced with frustration, completely taking Silver by surprise. His anger was still palpable—teeth gritted and sharp eyes glaring, but instead of looking at Silver’s face, his focus was entirely on the horrendous state of his leg.
Sebek reached to touch it, and the instant pain made Silver try to yank it back, only prevented by Sebek’s firm yet soft grasp on the base of the unbruised portion of his calf. “Stop trying to move—you’re going to injure yourself more.” His voice was trembling with anger.
Silver remained silent, unsure of what to say that wouldn’t anger Sebek. Granted, the injury was his own fault, but he didn’t realize the extent of how bad the injury had gotten. He didn’t even bother to check it in the first place, which, in hindsight, he probably should have.
“It’s not broken,” Sebek said, assessing it by lightly pressing down on the bruised and swollen area. Silver hissed in pain, Sebek’sek’s eyes flicked up, his gaze piercing. “How did you manage to injure it this badly?”
Silver flushed at the memory, not wanting to reveal that info to him.
“ Silver .”
“I…fell out of a tree.” His voice came out in a whisper.
“...You fell out of a tree .”
“Yes.” Sebek looked at him disbelievingly, obviously waiting for more information other than falling out of a tree . “A baby bird had fallen from its nest into a bush, so after I made sure she was unharmed, I climbed up the tree to put her back.”
“...And you mistepped, causing you to fall out of the tree?”
“Um, no, not exactly.” Silver said sheepishly, and Sebek raised an eyebrow. “I did manage to place her back in her nest…I guess I fell asleep while sitting on the branch. Next think I knew, I was on the ground.”
Sebek went silent, and Silver didn’t know what else to say. Saying it out loud was embarrassing, but it didn’t seem like a big deal at the time. Sure, his body was sore from hitting the ground after hours of manual labor, and his leg somehow managed to get the worst of it, but his head had felt fine, and he could breathe normally—definitive signs of good health!
The disgruntled sigh Sebek let out reeked of annoyance and frustration, and Silver could see a crease form between his brows. “And why didn’t you assess your injuries immediately after getting injured?” His voice gradually rose.
“I was going to treat it, I just needed to do other things first.” Silver mumbled. That obviously irked Sebek further as the vein on his temple began bulging—Silver briefly wondered what would happen if he tried to push it back into his forehead.
“What could possible be more important than the leg you injured after FALLING OUT OF A TREE?!”
Silver winced at the rapid increase in volume, his own irritation rising gradually. Sebek was being excessive; it was an honest mistake—he didn’t realize the injury would end up this severe, and there were more pressing matters to attend to at the time. “I only have so many waking hours, Sebek! I have to prioritze the important things to make sure they actually get done!”
That was obviously the wrong thing to say because Sebek snarled before he started yelling. “THE FACT THAT YOU PLACE THE VEGETABLE GARDEN OVER YOUR HEALTH IS PROOF OF YOUR INABILITY TO PROPERLY TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF! WHAT IF IF I HADN’T COME TODAY?! WHAT IF YOUR INJURY WAS WORSE AND I WASN’T—” Sebek cut himself off, hands fisting his hair in frustration.
Silver’s anger crumbled into shame. Sebek was right—he had utterly failed in being self-sufficient, and now Sebek was forced to deal with the fallout. He shouldn’t have to clean up Silver’s mistakes—he shouldn’t be forced to take care of him when the only reason why he was injured in the first place was because of his actions. And now, since his leg was obviously out of commission for the next few days, Silver wouldn’t be able to finish tilling the fields, either burdening Sebek with the task or having his father come home to a dilapidated garden. The realization of his ineptness made Silver curl inward, ignoring the strain in his back. Tears of frustration pricked at his eyes, and the only thing keeping them back was the thought of burdening his boyfriend with yet another stupid thing.
A quiet sigh snapped him from his thoughts. With closed eyes, Sebek pinched the bridge of his nose before wrapping his arms behind Silver’s back and under his knees, careful not to jostle his right leg too much, and stood up, walking straight to the cottage. A familiar occurrence between the two whenever Silver fell asleep and couldn’t be woken up.
“Hey!” Silved yelped, not expecting to be lifted so suddenly. Sebek’s eyes remained steadfast forward. “I am fully capable of walking!” He probably couldn’t, but he could at least make an attempt before passing out in pain. Then, at the very least, he would be unconscious. Silver wondered why his chronic sleepiness never claimed him when he desired it.
Sebek ignored him, and Silver could feel from the rapid beating in his chest and the gritting of his teeth that Sebek was furious at him. Shame started to well up even more, and Silver debated whether or not it would be worth it to throw himself out of the other’s arms before Sebek slammed open the front door and marched straight through the small sitting room without stopping.
Silver looked up at Sebek in confusion. He assumed the other would have dropped him on a chair by now. “You can just leave me on the sofa. I’ll rest my leg—I’ll conjure some ice with my magic, I’m fine.”
Sebek used magic to open the door to the bathroom and set Silver down on the edge of the bath. “You are covered in dirt, sweat, and there is a twig in your hair . I am not allowing you to drag your filth into Master Lilia’s home!” Silver decided it was best not to point out that his father was the exact opposite of clean and tidy, and that Silver himself was the one responsible for keeping their house clean. He brushed a hand through his hair and flushed in embarrassment, pulling out a small twig.
He tossed the twig into the waste basket. “Fine I’ll take a shower and—”
“You will do no such thing!” Sebek opened a cabinet, tossing a towel to Silver. “Taking a shower would require you to stand, which you certainly should not be doing! You’ll use the bath!”
He continued rummaging through the bathroom storage while Silver looked down at the bathtub. He couldn’t recall the last time he used the bath for bathing; he always opted to use the connected shower head—quick, efficient, safe . From the deep recesses of his memories, he could recall his father bathing him in it when he was still a toddler, but never after that.
“I can’t.” Silver mumbled, a flush creeping up his neck.
Sebek slammed the drawer he was going through shut, clearly unable to find whatever it was he was looking for. “What do you mean you can’t? Are you afraid of the water or something?”
Silver rolled his eyes. He and Sebek had been swimming together plenty of times before. “I mean I’m not supposed to . I haven’t used it since I was still being bathed by my father.”
Clearly, he’d caught Sebek off-guard, judging by his look of total confusion and mild irritation. “It’s a bathtub. How can a bathtub be off-limits in your own home?”
Of course, Sebek couldn’t understand—it’s not as if it was a concern normal people dealt with. “Unfortunately, constantly falling asleep and a large amount of standing water don’t mix well. At least in the shower, there is a lower chance I drown. Why do you think my father wouldn’t allow me to go to the lake unless he, Malleus, or you came with me?”
Silver recalled the hot summer days when he desperately wanted to go to the lake but had no one to accompany him. Lilia didn’t employ many rules during his childhood, but one of them was to never be around large bodies of water by himself, fearing that Silver would end up falling asleep and drowning. With his luck, he probably would have.
Sebek stood there dumbfounded—obviously not expecting that answer. “Oh,” He shifted awkwardly. “I didn’t realize you needed supervision all this time.” Silver wondered if Sebek was making fun of him.
A moment of silence passed. “...But you bathed before in the bath, right?”
Sebek was definitely making fun of him. Immediately, Silver started glaring. “Yes, Sebek. My father bathed me as a toddler in the bath—you can’t exactly leave a toddler to bathe themselves, can you?”
“I’ll watch you.”
Now it was Silver’s turn to be caught off guard. “You’ll watch me bathe ?” The immediate crimson that blossomed on Sebek’s face was funny to watch, though Silver’s face was likely the same color.
“Not like that!” Sebek stuttered, his face still red. “I’ll stay in here to make sure you don’t drown . That way, you don’t have to stand and if you fall asleep I can wake you up!”
Silver paused to think. While embarrassing, the idea wasn’t horrible. Sebek was stubborn, and he’d probably force him to bathe one way or another. His leg did still hurt, and the idea of standing in the shower for long enough to clean off all the sweat and grime seemed dreadful.
“Fine.” Silver sighed, pulling off his tunic and throwing it into the laundry bin before reaching down to unfasten his belt.
A strangled noise caught Silver’s attention, looking up to see Sebek with an even redder face . “I..I NEED TO GET SOMETHING! I’LL BE BACK—DON’T MOVE!” Sebek yelled before running out the bathroom door.
What is he on about? Silver raised an eyebrow but continued undressing. Carefully, he unlaced his boots and took off his socks and pants, gritting his teeth in pain as a brief wave of pain followed as he leaned over to remove his pants from his injured leg. Using a spell his father had taught him when he was younger, Silver conjured enough hot water to fill the tub, careful not to spill over the sides. Warm steam filled the bathroom, and Silver could feel a wave of drowsiness wash over him. He’d better come back before I fall asleep and fall in .
As if on cue, Sebek returned, carrying two travel-sized bottles of some liquid Silver vaguely recognized. “At least have the decency to cover yourself with a towel…” He muttered, placing the bottles on the edge of the tub.
“I’m still wearing my underwear, and it’s not like we haven’t seen each other naked before.”
Sebek’s flush returned. “Just get in the bath!”
Silver obliged without further argument, quickly removing his remaining garment and slowly lowering himself into the water, his leg protesting at the movement. Fully seated, the water level reached his chest, and the hot water was already doing wonders for his sore muscles. He reached over to grab his bar of soap and began to lather, the soap creating bubbles on the water’s surface.
Sebek sat on the edge of the tub, his brows pinched together. Silver could still see the slight pink flush on his cheeks. “How does your leg feel?”
It hurts like hell, but admitting that to him would’ve made Silver feel worse. He wasn’t stubborn—although Sebek of all people insisted he was—he just didn’t want to talk about it. Silver rubbed the bruise on his leg, cringing in pain before subduing his face into his usual flat expression when he noticed Sebek watching. “It’s fine.”
They settled into an uncomfortable silence as Silver continued washing himself. The water felt so warm, and the hint of lilac from the soap was relaxing. Slowly, he felt himself nodding off, his eyes fluttering close—until he felt a strong hand grab his head before being submerged.
“Silver!” Sebek looked startled, and Silver couldn’t help but feel ashamed. He couldn’t even take a proper bath without burdening the other with his drowsiness.
“I’m fine .” Silver glared at the dirty water. With a quick spell, the water was clean, sparkling as if there had been no dirt at all. He splashed water on his face to help the lingering sleepiness. Silver reached for the bar of soap again, bringing it up to wash his hair, before a hand grasped his wrist.
“I swear if you keep using that bar to wash your hair I’m going to hit you.”
Silver let out a long exhale before setting the soap down. “Then what am I supposed to wash my hair with exactly?”
He didn’t expect Sebek to hand him the two small bottles from earlier, one reading “Shampoo” and the other “Conditioner”. Opening the cap, Silver immediately recognized the smell—a mix of pine, sandalwood, and cardamom. “Are these yours?”
Sebek nodded, his ears turning pink. “Yes…Lilia only has the ones meant for dyed hair, and you don’t own either shampoo or conditioner . I’ve been bringing these from my home since I was young.” Ah, so that’s why the bottles were familiar. Silver flipped over the shampoo in his hand, reading the label on the back. Why soap needed all of these extra ingredients was beyond his comprehension, and bar soap was still soap! There’s no reason why it was deemed morally reprehensible to simplify his routine to just using soap in one specific form.
Suddenly, Sebek snatched the bottles from his hands. “Stop leering like they’re poisonous.” He opened the cap to the shampoo and deposited a small amount into Silver’s hand. “I have no clue how you manage to get such soft and shiny hair using that soap...”
Silver’s small smile from Sebek’s compliment lasted only a second, his expression turning into one of pain as he raised his hand to his head—an uncomfortable strain shooting from his shoulder up his arm. It was less severe than his leg, but the strenuous use of his muscles and falling out of the tree probably didn’t help the state of the rest of his body.
Sebek must have seen the pained expression on Silver’s face, as he quickly reached over to get soap from his hand. “I should have known you’d be in more pain than just the one from your leg— I can’t believe you out of a tree and didn’t take care of your injuries .” He growled before moving behind him, threading his hands into Silver’s hair unexpectedly.
Silver couldn’t remember a time he felt more mortified and ashamed. “I’m not incapable of washing my own hair….” He tried moving out of Sebek’s grasp, only to be pulled back. He was about to protest more until he felt something slam down next to him—it was Sebek’s hands, clenching the rim of the bathtub so tight that his knuckles turned white.
“DAMNIT SILVER, STOP FIGHTING ME AND LET ME HELP YOU!” Sebek’s voice cracked with anger and frustration, making Silver’s chest tighten. Sebek shouldn’t have had to take care of him like this. He shouldn’t be burdening his boyfriend, his partner , with his own shortcomings. Here he was, forced to help Silver bathe, all because he stupidly fell asleep in a tree .
Silver said nothing, and Sebek let out an angry huff before returning to lather shampoo into Silver’s hair. Despite his anger, Sebek’s hands were rather gentle. It was relaxing, and the repetitive motion would have been enough to send him off to sleep if it hadn’t been the cold, sinking feeling in his chest. Had it been any other time, Silver probably would have even considered it romantic, but of course, he had to ruin the whole situation by burdening Sebek, someone he cared about, with his problems.
The day’s events played in Silver’s head like a cruel film. From waking up late, dozing off, doing basic chores, falling asleep in a tree , and then not even being able to treat his injuries properly, he had utterly failed in tasks every normal person should be capable of doing without help. Silver’s hands began to shake. It was just like at school, where he had to rely on his roommate or classmates to wake him up and continually had to ask teachers for help on topics he had missed while asleep.
His frustration bubbled over, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. All he did was burden his teachers and classmates with his sleepiness—the majority of them were irritated by him and his inability to stay awake. If they could barely deal with him for the past two years, what about his father and Malleus, who were forced to care for him for the past seventeen years? Surely, they too would eventually grow tired of him. And what about Sebek ? How could he ever trust a partner to have his back if they constantly required assistance? There was no possibility that Sebek could continue loving him after seeing how incapable he was at simply living .
The hands in his hair stopped moving. “Silver, you’re shaking. Is your leg hurting more?” He shook his head, wanting nothing more than to submerge himself in the water and away from Sebek’s kindness. He didn’t deserve it.
“I’m sorry,” Silver said quietly, tears finally falling. Immediately, he attempted to wipe them before the other man saw. Here he was, burdening him with tears that shouldn’t even be falling in the first place. Silver wasn’t sure if the burn in his eyes was from crying or from rubbing soap into his eyes. “All I’ve done is cause you problems. You shouldn’t be forced to take care of me— you shouldn’t have to in the first place .”
Silver’s throat grew tight, and his voice began to tremble. He probably shouldn’t be speaking—he was digging an even bigger hole for himself, but it was too late to stop. “No matter how hard I try to stay awake, I can’t. I can’t even climb up a damn tree without falling asleep and injuring myself. I-I’m a failure of a son, a friend, and a boyfriend, and I’m just so sorry .”
He rubbed furiously at his eyes until gentle hands prevented him from continuing to rub his face raw. Silver didn’t want to open his eyes, but the soft caress of a thumb on his cheek coaxed them open. In front of him was Sebek, kneeling on the floor beside the tub, his face a mix of pain and concern.
“Stop talking such nonsense, Silver. You are not a failure—no one thinks you’re a failure. Lilia doesn’t, Malleus doesn’t, and I certainly do not. You falling asleep is not…ideal, but I know it hurts you more than it could ever hurt anyone else! You would give anything not to succumb to your drowsy spells, and I know you’ve tried everything because you are a stubborn idiot!” Sebek stared at him with a piercing but sincere expression, hands gently cradling his face. “I am not forced to care for you—I can’t believe you think you can force me to do anything! I care for you because I want to, because you are important to me! I just—”
Sebek sucked in a breath and Silver let his go—he hadn’t realized he had been holding it. “...I wish you extended that same concern you have for others to yourself. Had it been anyone else injured, you would have ensured that they received proper care—why didn’t you do the same?” Sebek’s question left him stunned—he didn’t know how to answer it.
Silver’s silence allowed Sebek to continue. “I want you to take care of yourself, not neglect your own health and needs for some misguided sense of priorities! And I want you to trust me—to tell me what’s wrong and not lie and say ‘I’m fine’ when you clearly aren’t!”
“I do trust you!” Silver said quickly. He couldn’t believe that Sebek ever thought he didn’t trust him—he trusted him with his life . He shut his eyes tightly. “I have unwavering faith in you, Sebek! I just…I don’t want to be a burden to you, to anyone . That’s all.”
The subsequent silence was uncomfortable. Silver knew Sebek was still there despite his eyes being closed, his warm hands on his cheeks. Eventually, thumbs brushed above his cheeks, coaxing his eyes open once more.
“First of all, you are not a burden to anyone, so cease that thinking at once.” Sebek started, his voice firm yet quiet and gentle, surprising Silver. “More importantly, I’d rather you burden me than for you to suffer alone. We’re partners—we’re supposed to help each other, and…I can’t help but feel like I’ve failed you.”
Sebek’s voice cracked, and Silver could see tears begin to well up in his eyes. Slowly, he moved his hands to cover Sebek’s before giving them a firm squeeze.
“You haven’t failed anything,” Silver whispered softly, trying to absolve Sebek of his fears. “You have been the best partner—better than what I deserve.”
The pained look Sebek gave him made Silver’s grasp tighten. His attempt to reassure Sebek was clouded by his own insecurities…but he would work on it— for them .
“I…I promise to try harder to be more open with you about when I need help…and I will try to stop neglecting myself. That’s all I can offer you right now, I’m sorry…”
Sebek’s expression softened—not exactly happy, but content with Silver’s promise. “That’s all I can ask of you.”
Slight hesitation lapsed over Sebek’s features before he leaned in, pressing a kiss on the bridge of Silver’s nose. When he pulled back, his expression had changed to the one he made whenever he tried drinking coffee. “You taste like soap.”
The bubbling laugh Silver let out was sudden and left him breathless. Sebek shook his head, moving to kneel behind him, returning to finish washing the soap from Silver’s hair.
After his giggles subsided, Silver felt a wave of sleepiness come over him—the familiar notes of the shampoo’s— Sebek’s shampoo —earthy scent coaxing him into slumber. But he couldn’t help but try to continue talking, his voice slurring. “Hmm…it’s your soap, Sebek…I guess that means I’ll smell like you…”
Sebek’s response was lost as Silver drifted off into sleep.
When Silver woke up, he felt the familiar soft linens of his bed underneath him. Shifting slightly, he could tell he was fully clothed—his pajama sweater and pants smelled of clean laundry. Despite wearing sweats, his injured leg felt cold. Pulling back the blanket, he could see that a bandage had been wrapped around it, a cooling spell cast on it.
His gaze snapped to the door as Sebek walked in, his hair slightly damp. He must have just finished with his own shower.
“You didn’t wake me when I fell asleep in the bath.” Silver’s voice was quiet, still laced with residual sleepiness.
Sebek sat on the edge of the bed, buttoning up his pajama shirt. “You seemed exhausted, so I thought it would be for the best if I let you sleep. I made sure you didn’t drown though.”
Silver let out a giggle, pulling Sebek under the covers with him. “Thanks for dressing my leg. And for dressing me.” Sebek’s face flushed instantly.
“I wasn’t just going to leave you completely nude!” Silver cringed at the volume at such close proximity. Sebek cleared his throat, redness still coating his cheeks. “And of course…your leg needed to be treated for its injuries. Does it still hurt?”
At Sebek’s question, Silver tried moving his leg under the covers. A dull pain resonated, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as before. “It…it still hurts, but the pain is more tolerable than before. I’m sure after some rest, I’ll be okay.” Silver replied truthfully.
“That’s good,” A slight smile graced Sebek’s lips. “I’ll aid you in finishing the work in the garden tomorrow. I doubt Lilia would be angry, but it would be horrible to let all of those vegetables go to waste.”
Silver hummed, kissing Sebek before he nuzzled against him. Suddenly, Sebek flinched back.
“Don’t rub your leg against mine, the bandages are freezing!”
Silver laughed at the way Sebek grumbled, orienting himself so his leg would be far enough from his boyfriend before pulling him into another kiss.