How to Make a Sinner Sleep

53 | doll; a crimson spreading

The morning light didn't wake Kaden from his peaceful slumber, caged in a stern, relentless pair of arms that refused to let go.

He'd stayed outside late considering, and with a certain insomnia repellent beside him, thought he would sleep deep into the day. It would be a waste of time, but his body felt dizzy and ill.

He'd awoken, because a pair of legs had swung over his own curled body, neatly pressed against the wall. Kaden was the sort who leaned as close to the wall as possible. Much as he was fearful of cramped spaces, he didn't feel safe in those too large either.

Kaden groaned softly in the blinking of waking, feeling stuffy underneath the blankets. First, he felt the arm tightly wrapped around his waist, securing him in spot.

And then, he felt the new addition of the heavy weight of a leg over his.

"....." Kaden stretched his neck slightly, peering down at the limbs over his body and wondered at what point he'd been reduced to a human pillow for the dragon.

He felt a little amused at Noah's sleeping habits, always proud and cold, but secretly clingy, sticking to his body like glue. He thought about it, and decided that it was true that dragons were cold-blooded, enjoying heat and warmth.

How much of the information in books were true, of Noah's genetic makeup? Of course, stereotypes were foolish to believe in, but there were habits engraved into dragons, or so the pages told.

Kaden struggled to roll over, facing the face settled right in front of him.

The curls of white-black hair, brushing tanned cheeks. Noah was easily tanned, and if he spent too long inside, the tan would fade to reveal a lighter shade. In that way, it was easy to tell whether the dragon had holed himself in the library reading, or not.

The dragon's eyelashes cast rich shadows along his cheekbones, his often angry eyebrows smoothened with dreams. He looked quite comfortable.

'I should ask for payment for him to use my body like this.'

Kaden's lips twitched with laughter at the thought, feeling amused with himself. Look at that, Noah was so interesting that Kaden could be amused even when the other slept.

The half-awake man squirmed in the other's embrace, leaning closer. It was a rare opportunity to observe a typically stern specimen up close!

Noah's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and his arm tightened around Kaden's waist as if to quietly scold him for moving too much. Kaden stilled immediately, not wanting to wake the other.

The morning light spilled into the room, and distantly, Kaden heard the laughter of Holly and Nicola downstairs.

He hadn't heard Niklas, and considering that energetic fool was often the loudest, it was safe to assume he was still sleeping.

Unknowingly, Kaden had burrowed closer to Noah. He was unable to lean back, trapped, and instead moved closer. His head lowered, thinking.

While he was distracted, a narrow pair of eyes sleepily cracked open.

Noah slowly blinked as alertness took its time filling his mind, waking him from his comfortable slumber. He was first greeted with silky, pale pink hair as he lowered his gaze.

Still barely awake, the dragon lazily hugged the bundle in his arms tighter. Kaden hadn't noticed, chalking it up to Noah's sleeping habits. Like an animal seeking affection, Noah bent his head and rested it atop Kaden.

The scent of fresh leaves and nature wafted in the air—they had freshened up after their exploration, but were both far too exhausted to wash up entirely.