Subject to Study (Naga!Brothers x Reader)

Chapter 24

I completed the daily chores before closing Jyushi's enclosure door behind me, the lights dimming as it sealed shut. I simply stood there as I felt two arms wrap around my shoulders, a broad chest pressing against my back. A light rumble rolled through the chest before travelling upwards into the throat resting over my left shoulder.

"Do I have your attention now?" A cold cheek pressed into mine, the arms shifting higher to rest over my shoulders.

"Yeah, Jyushi...you have it," I spoke in a soft sigh, rubbing a free hand over my face before glancing over at the reticulated naga partially hidden in the dark.

"Good!" The sudden happy change in tone let me know that he was smiling. Jyushi released his hold on me as he trailed his hands down to mine, "I didn't know if you were going to be okay sleeping on a branch or not, so I made a place to sleep on the ground instead."

"I wouldn't mind either one, honestly," I started walking to wherever Jyushi was leading me to, my left eye slowly adjusting to the darkness of his enclosure. He led me around the larger parts of the water feature in his enclosure, carrying me over when we needed to cross, and pulled aside one of the larger bush branches to reveal a small space that was piled up with softer substrate. A sizable dent was pushed into the middle of the pile and Jyushi hung back with his hands pressed together nervously, "You didn't have to make this for me, Jyushi."

"Well...I don't know how humans sleep, so I thought the ground would be safer for you. No threat of falling off a branch..."

"You're right," A laugh fell from my lips, "We're not very skilled at staying in trees without some kind of external assistance."

Jyushi leaned in close, his orange eyes wide in the darkness, "I can help you stay in a tree while you sleep. I've never fallen off, and I'm really strong!"

I ran a hand through my hair on the back of my head, a hum of consideration sounding from my throat as I weighed my options. Considering I've had a collective eight hours of sleep over the last three days because I couldn't stop worrying about the nagas while I was in the hospital, I just really wanted some comfort...and Jyushi always came to mind when I wanted it.

"As long as our little rule stands while I sleep, then I wouldn't mind sleeping in a tree."

"The one where we can't explore without permission? That's okay!" His arms reached around my torso and I felt my feet leave the ground, hearing him laugh a little as I was hoisted up onto one of the larger branches in his enclosure. Ensuring that I was sitting securely on it, Jyushi let go temporarily and I heard the sound of his scales rubbing against the plaster of the 'bark', "Do humans do anything special before they fall asleep?"

"It depends on the person, really. I don't have any kind of ritual or habit, but some humans read some books, listen to music, or even watch something relaxing," My left eye caught some motion next to me before Jyushi reached out his hand to mine, gently taking it and pulling me onto a thick pile of coils. His hand trailed up my arm and rested on the back of my right shoulder as his other arm wrapped around my mid-back, firmly pressing my chest into his own. I pulled my arms up close to my chest, tucking a hand underneath my chin to act as a semi-firm cushion between his scales and my face, "What about you, Jyushi? Do you have anything that you do before you go to sleep?"

"I used to count the stars in the sky," A light laugh echoed within his chest, "I can't wait to see them again, seeing the different colored dots in the dark expanse! But now, I count how many clicks I hear in the room."

Jyushi's arms loosened a little before a hand slipped underneath the back of my shirt, his cold skin pressed against the dip in the skin where my spine was. In the silence of the conversation, I started to hear the clicks that he was talking about, recognizing it as the heating system going through its timed program to keep the enclosures warm enough. Jyushi's tail shifted underneath me, a small part sliding over my legs and resting over the back of my knees.