a quiet evening alone.

[purgatio]

Sleep was for the weak. Perhaps, perhaps not. Either way, it was not for Albedo, who slipped and slid through the days with random bouts of unconsciousness. Nights added amusements at times, and when they didn't, well--

He could always watch Max sleep.

Iggy slept elsewhere, but Albedo, allowed in the room she had taken, had no reason not to watch. Her feathers shifted as she breathed, and more than once he found himself finding the urge to trail a finger along the slip of feathers.

Tonight, however, was not like that. Max was out for something Albedo hadn't found the time to ask what, and by the time evening came around, the weight of exhaustion was finally finding its way through his bones. There was little sleep he needed, but he did need it. Unthinking, he crept toward comfort, curled in a place that held the scent of security.

That is to say, he was curled asleep on Max's bed when she returned, hugging her pillow like a stalker.

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[lolwhatfuture]

She was tired by the time she returned from some nighttime patrol to assist in keeping the monsters at the perimeter. The night had been uneventful, and while her mind was alert her body ached and begged for rest. It was late enough that Iggy would be asleep, so upon returning indoors she didn't bother calling for him, but her voice reached as far as the living room and kitchen in search of a certain housemate with an irregular sleeping schedule.

"Albedo?"

When no answer came by the time she was done kicking off her boots at the door, she assumed Albedo had also chosen to take off for a late night stroll until she reached her own room and saw otherwise.

Opening the door allowed a strip of light to stretch across the small boy in her bed. Rather than feel weird or that her space had been invaded, Max's eyes softened. She'd always thought he had a cute face, but asleep he looked completely innocent on top of it, and she felt her heart melt a little despite knowing better. Still, she was dying to lie down, and shed her extra clothing until she was down to a tank top and--switching quickly behind his turned back--a pair of simple cotton shorts.

"Hey." The precious sight of him clinging to her pillow was stashed away before she crawled onto the mattress beside him and started to jostle his shoulder, butting into his space to procure some for herself. "Scoot over, sleeping beauty."

[purgatio]

There were sounds heard, in the dark, in the gloom of unconsciousness. His hearing picked it up even if he didn't wake to intellectualize the tones. He murmured something in his sleep, and instead of turning away from what was attempting to jostle him, Albedo reached for the warmth nearby.

Reached to wrap arms around and curl into, without a sign of waking.

[lolwhatfuture]

Before she could quite understand what he was doing, Max felt his little arms circle around her and went still. She had two conflicting feelings as he moved closer, the one being a maternal melting of her heart and disbelief over how cute such a psychotic little devil could be, coupled with the desire to wrap him up safely and pet his hair.

The other, more down to earth part of her recognized his potential to turn this on her when he woke up, and at best he'd probably accuse her of trying to molest him in his sleep. Bracing herself, she tried to jostle him again without pressing too closely in.

"Hey, Snuggly McCuddles, it's me. Wake up, will you?"

[purgatio]

There was movement against him, and it registered this time. Enough for him to murmur a protest, nuzzle his head against something soft. There was something he should likely wake up to address, but the child was out of it. If asked, he wouldn't be able to recall the last time his body had experienced sleep. He had been resting, and his form was unwilling to fully relinquish it.

But the voice heard was one he knew and desired. And she was asking something of him.

Albedo's eyes slowly opened, continuing to blink sleepily as he peered upward at her. Still disorientated, he wondered, confused, "...Max?"

[lolwhatfuture]

Her lips curled inward. In that moment he was like any other child, someone she could coddle and look at with a soft, almost sad-eyed smile. And Max found that she was doing just that while her muscles relaxed, and a hand came to rub a gentle, lazy circle against his back. It was like having one of her little ones there with their tousled hair and innocent, bleary eyes, and she lay on her side, propped on one elbow.

"You still tired?" Damn it, she was such a sucker when he acted like a normal kid. Even though she knew he was anything but; even though she knew that awake Albedo derived pleasure on an almost daily basis for giving her shit and making her uncomfortable. Still, her voice had gone softer to ease him from his sleep rather than snap him out of it rudely.

"If you're gonna take up the whole bed, I can go to your room."

[purgatio]

The words registered, even if the situation was still unclear. She questioned him, and he almost nodded back to sleep-- But the last line she gave made him hold to her tighter. "...No," he murmured unhappily. "I want you to stay here."

[lolwhatfuture]

She should have known better, really, than to think he was in his right mind. And maybe she didn't think so; maybe she was just taking the moment for what it was: peaceful, homey, something to cling to when he was in one of his difficult and borderline violent moods. Whatever it was, Max muttered a soft "scoot, then" as she shimmied down to his level and laid her head on the pillow next to his. The hand on his back stopped, hovered, before she let her arm settle awkwardly across his little waist.

"You better not give me crap for this later," she told him wryly.

[purgatio]

A warm body slid next to him, soft and inviting, and Albedo shifted the smallest amount to make room. She slipped an arm around him and Albedo made a happy murmur, snuggling closer. Max was comforting and nice to be near to.

"I won't," he muttered lightly, happy. "You're my favorite person."

[lolwhatfuture]

Blinking, Max felt a slight warmth rise to her face and swallowed a nervous, disbelieving laugh before it could startle him to full consciousness.

"That so?" Without moving too much, Max leaned her head backwards just enough to peer into his face. She'd never seen him like this. What affection Albedo had ever shown was always hesitant and almost shy, or laced with some innuendo or other to throw her off kilter. "You sure you're not still dreaming?"

[purgatio]

"Mmm," he murmured happily, still cuddling. Still absorbed in the comfort of the situation.

"You're soft and pretty," the murmur went on, enough that when Albedo was awake he might shoot his head off from the embarrassment. "You're nice to me. I like you."

[lolwhatfuture]

Her eyes quickly snapped away from his face and fixed on the opposite wall. Oh, God, she thought helplessly, taking a deep breath to cool the heat of embarrassment that shot through her then. Soft and pretty. What did that even mean?

"Uh," Max said weakly. "I like you, too. Did you eat something funny while I was gone?"

She started to gently disentangle herself, just enough to try to flip him onto his back and give him a looking over. "Maybe we should get you a glass of, er, water, or something."