CUDDLED UP LIKE KITTENS

The disciple was woken up by a bright yellow light flickering over his face. He cracked one eye open, watching the leaves flutter against the window, the sound resembling a rainfall.

An odd warmth seemed to hold him down, and as his gaze lowered, he saw that Wyn had draped a protective arm over him, holding onto one shoulder while his chin was nestled against the other shoulder.

What was this? He blinked at the ceiling, making sure he was awake, then looked down again. 

Oddly enough, having a weight on his shoulders was not suffocating anymore. Perhaps the lingering discomfort had finally dissipated. Or perhaps he didn't mind because it was Wyn. 

Marshall tried not to stare, but Wyn looked so peaceful, his features softened by sleep. An unconscious smile crept over the disciple's lips as lay still, listening to the rhythmic breathing and the rustling of leaves outside. He closed his eyes, deciding to stay like that for a bit.

Just as he started to drift back to sleep, the door opened with a loud creak. Marshall's heart jumped into his throat as Miss Evelyn's bright voice cut through the stillness.

"Rise and shine!" Miss Evelyn stood in the doorway with a broad smile.

Wyn's brows twitched, his eyes opening into two narrow slits. His cheek was still squished against Marshall's shoulder, and as soon as he realized the compromising position they were in, he flinched away as if someone had caught him committing a crime.

The snow deity sat up, attempting to compose himself into his usual detached coolness, but failing miserably. He looked embarrassed and a bit disheveled, his hair slightly mussed and his expression mortified.

Miss Evelyn waved at the dust that had risen as the door swung open. "I would say good morning, but it's noon. We're already preparing lunch. And you two were..." she glanced between them thoughtfully.

Marshall glanced at the third mattress that resembled an empty bird's nest with the blanket haphazardly rolled up. "Muyang's helping?" he asked, getting up.

"Yes, we had an eventful morning, to say the least." Miss Evelyn got distracted by recounting the early day events, "We did some work in the garden, fed the chickens, collected two baskets apples, and now Muyang's making sandwiches."

The disciple sighed, folding the blankets. "Why didn't you wake us? We could've helped."

"Ah, I couldn't bring myself to," Miss Evelyn patted Marshall on the back with a hearty chuckle. "Both of you were deep asleep, cuddled up like a pair of kittens."

"...Kittens?" Marshall choked out, almost snapping his neck in an attempt to suppress a laugh.

Wyn, on the other hand, didn't find it amusing in the slightest—the look of utter horror shattered everything that was left of his composure. He sat there without a word, his gaze sweeping the floor.

At the sight of it, the disciple burst into a laugh, almost rolling out of the bedroom in the process. Was this the strongest reaction he had seen from Wyn so far?

"Alright, alright, calm down," Miss Evelyn patted Marshall. "While I'm happy your energy is back, my head's still spinning from all the stories I just listened to. Keep it down."

She shook her head, half-amused, half-bewildered, "I don't know where Muyang gets the energy to talk for hours on end. You would think he would eventually run out of things to say, but he just keeps going!"

Marshall snickered, nodding along. He glanced at the silent snow deity. "Hard to believe that these two are brothers, right?"

Miss Evelyn chuckled, turning to walk back downstairs. "Siblings tend to be like that, nothing surprising. Anyway, get ready and come down, there's still plenty to do."

Marshall watched her leave before scooting over the mattresses to Wyn. "Hey, Wynnie," he poked at the snow deity, teasing. "Are you ready to go or do you need a minute?"

Wyn opened his mouth to respond but then closed it, deciding against it. He took a deep breath and stood up, brushing imaginary dust off his robes in an attempt to regain some semblance of dignity. He moved along without a word, yet the way he walked gave the impression that he was walking through mud.

"Why are you so embarrassed? You didn't do anything wrong," Marshall tried to reassure him. "Plus, Miss Evelyn has seen all sorts of things when the kids had sleepovers at her house. This was nothing."

The snow deity cast a sideward glance at the disciple, who was snickering to himself, reminiscing, "Believe me, seeing a bunch of kids hanging upside down in the middle of the night was much more memorable."

Wyn arched a brow, trying to understand what he was talking about. "Upside down?"

"We were trying to sleep like bats," he briefly explained, pushing the snow deity out of the room. "It's a long story."