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“Stay the night with me.”
Wanderer thinks he mishears at first. But when he waits for more to be added, he’s only met with silence and an earnest stare. “Repeat that?”
“Albedo is staying behind to exchange some information with Miss Nefer.” Durin tells him. “And you said you’re going back to Sumeru tomorrow. So...I want you to stay the night with me.”
Had it been anyone else saying this, Wanderer would assume he was being propositioned. Though even with Durin he couldn’t be sure which direction he was aiming for.
“What? Lonely without your Brother sleeping with you?” Wanderer smirks. He has to admit, he does find it amusing that the moment the alchemist leaves Durin alone for a night, this happens.Too bad that amusementsoon fades from what Durin says next.
“I want more time with you before you leave.”
And that’s how Wanderer knows what Durin is doing. Because he’s always sincere and straight forward. Even when Wanderer tries to brush him off it doesn’t deter him.
“That’s pointless.”
“I don’t think so.” Durin steps closer and takes Wanderer’s hand. It’s not the first time he’s done so, but that doesn’t mean Wanderer is completely used to it. Though it’s not like he tries to stop Durin either. “Stay the night with me. We can get a room if you don’t want to be at the Knights camp with everyone there. Or we can stay outside until sunrise. Either way I want time with you.”
Giving him options. But all of them involving being together, just as Durin wishes for them to be.
“...you’re such a pain.” Wanderer sighs. He tips his head so his hat covers his eyes. Annoying as it was, he already knew his answer from the moment Durin first made his request. And because of that, Wanderer begins walking down the path that will eventually lead towards town. “Let’s get a room. You look ready to pass out on your feet.”
The room they get is a decent size. Similar to the ones at The Flagship. Durin was going to pay with the money Albedo left him, but Wanderer beat him to it. He can’t help but make a comment about Durin keeping his allowance, but for some reason that just makes Durin smile.
Being together like this was both familiar, yet a little off for Wanderer.
Back when Durin was the small dragon that came back with him from Simulanka, they did things like this often enough. At least when Wanderer gave up trying to chase him off. Alone in a room together, sharing a meal. Whenever Wanderer would be reading over something, Durin would either be curled up in a small space sleeping, or hovering nearby asking many questions about his books and papers.
It’s similar to now, but there were slight differences. Durin had a human form, and he’s quieter as he eats. Even if he makes his an irritated sound when Wanderer makes him eat the vegetables that came with the food they ordered to their room. He gets his “revenge” though by making Wanderer eat more than just a few bites and drinking tea.
And he might not have any books or papers around him, but that doesn’t stop Durin from asking questions.
“Are you still angry?”
“Don’t ask questions you know the answer to.” Wanderer responds back.
“I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking.” Durin gets up to sit on the couch next to him. Leaning towards him, he continues, “You were angry when that man first escaped. I’ve never seen you with that expression before, and you avoided me until the issue with me and my mothers book happened.”
“Do I still have that look on my face then if you’re asking about it?” Wanderer turns to face him, raising a brow.
“No.” Durin admits. “But you’re so calm it’s making me question if you’re still hiding something.”
Wanderer’s fingers twitch. He hates how quickly Durin’s eyes flicker down and back up again. Damn dragons...
“And what if I was hiding something?”
“Then I’d like to be there for you again. You wanted me and Albedo to watch your body when you removed your...your Core. You let me support you then. I want you to let me do it again if something else happens. Even if you won’t tell me what’s on your mind, I still want to be there.”
He’s being sincere again. And pushy. If nothing else, Wanderer knew he could count on those two things mixing together when it comes to Durin. It doesn’t matter if he won’t tell Durin what he wants to know, it doesn’t change the fact he means what he says. And as much as he wants to be annoyed, Wanderer is unfortunately endeared.
“You want me to rely on you more, huh?” He turns away with a weak laugh. “Careful. Gonna poke your nose into the wrong thing one day and I won’t drag you out of the trouble you find.”
“You do the same thing so I don’t care.”
“Brat.”
“You are too so it makes us even.”
He’s getting better at quick responses. Wanderer wonders if it’s a result of being in Mondstadt, or just his personality becoming stronger.
There’s not much else Wanderer can say. He can tell Durin’s made up his mind on whatever it is he’s decided on, and he knows there’s no changing it. Whether Wanderer confirms or denies he has suspicions they weren’t truly rid of that infuriating excuse of a Doctor, it won’t change Durin’s resolve.
It was annoying. But it was very him. And Wanderer couldn’t hate that. Not really.
***
The rest of the evening it uneventful. They finish their meal, and Durin tells Wanderer more of what happened while he was in that hibernated state. Some of it he already knew from Traveler and Albedo, but Durin added some details he wasn’t aware of. They ranged from note worthy to rather dull, but Wanderer let him rattle off. There was something interesting in seeing how Durin viewed things compared to the rest of them.
Once he deemed it was late enough, Wanderer gets up asking, “You gonna be able to sleep in here? There’s no small spaces in here.”
He watches as Durin looks around the room. His brow is furrowed like he was trying to find something that would work. But then his eyes flicker to the bed.
After a moment, he says, “I...should be fine.”
“Have you shared a bed with that brother of yours?”
“No.” Durin’s answer surprises him. “When Albedo found out how I like to sleep, he set an area for me. But trying to find places to nap around Mondstadt is a little more...difficult.”
His expression turns awkward, and it takes Wanderer a second to recall one of the letters he’d been sent. Something about cats and getting scratched up. Recalling it makes his huff a laugh, and turns away before Durin could question him on it.
“Fine. Let’s just sleep, I don’t want to miss my ship tomorrow.”
Dressing down, Wanderer sets his things aside on the desk in the room. He hears the gems that hang off Durin’s coat jingle as he removes it. It’s soon followed by hushed cursing over his wings getting caught, which only amused Wanderer.
“Did your mother write that word into your book, or did you pick that up from the bars in Mondstadt?” He steps aside as Durin comes up next to him, setting his coat and vest over the chair. Glancing down, Wanderer hums as he eyes the coat.
“Huh. I thought these were Scarlet Quartz, but guess not. They look too much like your eyes.” Wanderer touches one of the gems, taking in the slight glimmer it gives off. He doesn’t think he said anything strange. But with how Durin looks at him, he thinks he should have kept his mouth shut.
Pretending he doesn’t notice, Wanderer goes to the bed so he can remove his sandals. And after a moment, Durin follows and sits on the other side.
Wanderer doesn’t pay attention to the bed shifting behind him. But as he sits up, there’s a weight pressed against his back. Wanderer tries to glance over his shoulder, but he only sees horns and purple hair. “What are you doing?”
“That sound…” Durin’s voice is soft and quiet. “I heard before when I was in my other form. Now I know it’s your Heart.”
“It’s my Core. And it doesn’t make any noise.”
“No, it does. It’s your Heart.”
A twig of annoyance flashes through Wanderer, and this time it lingers. Durin knows he isn’t human by now. He definitely knows he doesn’t have anything like a heart. So he has no idea what he’s trying to do here. So he tells Durin not to play games, but he feels the dragon shakes his head.
Durin moves behind him, and Wanderer expects him to give him space. But of course, that would be too easy. Instead, Durin moves so he’s sitting properly behind Wanderer, putting him between his legs. His arms wrap around Wanderer, holding him close against his chest.
“...what are you doing?”
“Holding you.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to be close to you.” Durin rests his chin on his shoulder, pressing his head against Wanderer’s. He feels the thick scales along the side of Durin’s head whenever he does this. “You didn’t mind when you ‘woke up’ from your hibernation.”
“You didn’t give me much choice with how you tackled me and looked like you were about to cry.” Wanderer grumbles. Durin stays quiet and Wanderer wonders if he’s ignoring him.
Wanderer doesn’t shove Durin away, but he’s also a little put off. It’s not that he hates it, but he’s not used to being held like this. Before Durin became human, Wanderer’s not sure he really remembers the last time someone had their arms around him like this. Not the last time he’d let them. Or if it was the same way how Durin does.
Glancing down, Wanderer realizes Durin is still wearing his gloves. Even the silver and red ornaments he wore over them.
For some reason, the sight of them annoys him. Much more than the ‘heart’ comment did.
“Do you always sleep in your gloves?”
His question seems to startle him. “I-sometimes?”
“Why?”
Wanderer doesn’t wait for the answer. He grabs hold of Durin’s wrist and undoes the buckle of the bracelet part. When he slips his fingers under the hem to tug them off, Durin makes a distressed sound. He tries to tug his hand free, but Wanderer holds on. He knows Durin could easily pull out of his grip if he tried, and he knows he’s taking advantage of the fact he’ll be too afraid to use more strength against him.
Soon, the glove and ornament fall to ground. And as Durin freezes around him, Wanderer takes the chance to remove the other one before he properly takes in what he’s seeing.
Skin and scales the same colour as Durin’s horns and tail. The scales even having the same purple crystal like texture mixed in.
With how Durin was reacting, Wanderer had expected something much worse. Maybe some burns or rotting flesh threatening to fall from bone. And yet it turned out to be something so mundane in his eyes.
And maybe Wanderer should be more considerate of this, even if he thought it was an odd insecurity. But still, he couldn’t hide his amusement even if he tried.
“Heh. Saying you know the sound of a Heart I don’t have. Yet I can practically hear yours right now.” And it wasn’t a lie either. With how Durin was just pressed against his back, it almost felt like he could hear and feel that rapid and anxious beat. It almost tempts him to press his ear against Durin to check. Almost.
Instead, Wanderer presses their palms together. And as he thinks how warm his skin feels, he links their fingers. “This is what you were worried about? Ridiculous.”
“It’s not...” Durin starts weakly, only to trail off. Wanderer pretends not to notice.
“So do you hide this for your benefit or others?”
That question seems to make Durin uncomfortable. “Well...it would make some people nervous so-”
“So for others.” Wanderer cuts him off. That irritation comes back. He expected as much. “Do you think you’ll scare them?”
“Maybe, but-”
“Shouldn’t they just get used to it?”
“Well, that’s-”
“Did you think I’d be scared too-?”
“No!”
It’s not often Durin raises his voice. Especially towards him. He must really feel cornered by Wanderer’s questions.
Not that Wanderer understands himself why he’s pushing this. Maybe it’s because of whats happened with The Doctor and his suspicions putting him on edge despite how things ended. Or maybe it was after so much pushing to stay by his side as that little dragon, he’s now being treated as everyone else about this.
Whatever it was, it’s the reason why he pulls his hand away from Durin’s. And when he does, Durin panics. Wanderer wonders if he thinks he’s going to get up and leave. But when Wanderer turns in place to face Durin better, those sunset eyes go wide as pink dusts across his cheeks. Whatever Durin was going to say gets lost.
“At this point, do you really think I would care if your body doesn’t look fully human? I’m a puppet. A doll. I look human but my insides sure aren’t. My Core-my supposed Heart to you-is proof of that. So get over it. You don’t need to cover up around me. Wear those gloves if you want, but not because you think I’ll reject you.”
And that’s when Wanderer understands now why he was pushing this. The idea of Durin just assuming that him of all people would turn him away because of this. Just because he wasn’t sure how others would react to more proof of his namesake even after making this life his own. He didn’t care if Durin was struggling with certain things still, he’d be more surprised if he wasn’t. But the idea of him falling into the same category as everyone that could reject Durin after everything bothered Wanderer.
“I already told you once, you have me. So next time you think something ridiculous like this again, I’ll get angry. Got it?”
Durin, who’s been silent this whole time, nods. His shock seems to wear off as his expression softens into something more unsure, but less conflicted. He closes what little distance is between them to press their foreheads together.
“Then...you don’t need to cover up either.” Durin’s voice is soft. “Those markings...they’re on your skin, right? Under here?”
He takes Wanderer’s hand in his own, his thumb moving across the back of his hand. Right where one of those marks show through the translucent fabric.
“You...just where do you look?” Wanderer huffs. “And clearly I don’t hide them if you can see them.”
He turns away slightly, and with how close together they are his nose brushes against Durin’s. It feels intimate in a way he tries to push away. He figures the brat has to be in better spirits if he’s able to make comments like that.
Wanderer is about to tell Durin to let him get up when there’s a touch on his cheek. Wanderer has his head turned to face Durin, and he only catches a glimpse of now crimson eyes before lips are pressed against his own. And with how Wanderer is still sitting between his legs, it’s easy for Durin to pull him more against him.
It’s not their first kiss. But it’s the first time Durin’s held him like this, the first time he’s being persistent in it. It takes Wanderer off guard enough that he doesn’t react at first, just letting himself be kissed and grabbed like this. But then there’s a sting in his shoulder mixing with the sting of teeth against his lips. So after getting a hand between them, he manages to push Durin back.
Wanderer might not really need the air he breathes, but doesn’t stop the strange instinct to inhale to catch his breath. Though it was nothing compared to Durin.
Complexion flushed and sweat already building on his brow, Durin pants like they were fighting or flying through the skies together.
Wanderer should probably be annoyed or concerned by this. This isn’t the Durin he knows or is used to. But he wasn’t unfamiliar with him either. So instead of shoving him away, he presses a hand to Durin’s cheek as he had done to him. And when those blank crimson eyes try to focus on him, Wanderer clicks his tongue. He doesn’t understand how such a look can look so possessive at the same time.
“Tch, just this was enough to set a mood for you? You really have no experience.” His tone was slightly mocking, but it loses it’s bite with how softly he says it.
He doesn’t let Durin kiss him again. But he doesn’t let him pull away either. Wanderer simply waits for the moment Durin’s expression shifts. That blank yet near feral look becoming warmer. The look in his eyes returns to that sunset glow as he blinks several times.
In a shaky tone, Durin says his name. So Wanderer says his in return. This time, he’s the one to kiss Durin. And as he kisses Durin, he feels those scaled abyssal covered hands start to roam his body. The scratch of sharp nails and scales searching.
He’s seen Durin’s unique marks. He supposed it was only fair to show his own in return.