sleeping together

The air was cool, crisp, but the warmth of the small flame I had conjured flickered between us, casting a soft glow over Claire's animated face as she pointed toward the stars. It was nice—peaceful, even.

At some point, her enthusiastic explanations had slowed, her words growing quieter until they faded altogether. When I looked down, Claire had dozed off, her head resting gently on my lap, her chest rising and falling in an easy rhythm.

A small chuckle escaped me. So even the tireless Student Council President had an off-switch.

Softly, I brushed a few stray strands of hair from her face, my fingers lingering for just a moment. It was rare to see Claire like this—so quiet, so still. It was kind of… endearing.

I never expected things to turn out this way. When I first arrived in this world, my goal had been simple: stay out of trouble, avoid the main characters, and live a quiet life. Yet, despite all my efforts, here I was, surrounded by them.

And more than that—I had let them in.

A quiet smile tugged at my lips. Maybe… maybe these changes weren't so bad after all.

But we couldn't stay out here all night. As carefully as I could, I shifted Claire, slipping my arms beneath her before slowly lifting her up. She barely stirred, instinctively curling into my warmth as I carried her in my arms, bridal style.

Light. She's actually lighter than I thought.

With steady steps, I started making my way back toward the dorms, trying not to jostle her too much. The academy was quiet, most of the students already asleep, save for a few lanterns flickering through the windows of late-night studiers.

And then—just my luck—I ran into Diana.

She stood at the entrance of the courtyard, arms folded, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow as she took in the sight before her. Claire. In my arms. Like a princess.

For a moment, she simply stared. Then, with an amused sigh, she shook her head.

"You know what? I'm not even going to ask."

I groaned. "Diana—"

"Relax," she said, grinning as she walked past me, her eyes glinting with mischief. "I was just on my way to get some water. But I see you two went on a little midnight outing."

"It was her idea," I muttered defensively, shifting Claire slightly in my arms.

"Of course it was." Diana chuckled, crossing her arms. "Tonight's one of the best nights for star-gazing. Perfect for someone like Claire. I take it she gave you an entire history lesson on constellations before passing out?"

I blinked at her. "You knew about that?"

Diana rolled her eyes. "Obviously. You aren't Claire's only friend."

She took a glance at Claire, still asleep in my arms, before smirking. "She's pretty cute when she's like this, huh?"

I glanced down at Claire's peaceful expression, her lips parted slightly as she slept.

"Yeah," I admitted without thinking. "She is."

And then I froze.

Wait.

Wait, wait, wait—

I whipped my head up, but it was already too late.

Diana's smirk stretched into a wicked grin, her golden-green eyes practically glowing with amusement. "Oh? Did I just hear that correctly?"

I felt my entire soul leave my body. "Wait—"

"No, no, no, no, Sera, by all means, continue." Diana's smirk deepened as she leaned in closer, her voice positively dripping with amusement. "'Claire's cute when she's like this,' huh? My, my."

"I WAS JUST STATING FACTS."

"Oh, of course you were," Diana teased, her voice sing-song.

I groaned, my face burning as I tightened my hold on Claire, turning slightly away from Diana in an attempt to escape this nightmare.

"You better not say anything."

Diana placed a hand over her chest, feigning innocence. "Me? Say something? Oh, please, Sera, have some faith in me."

I have absolutely zero faith in you.

Before I could dig myself any deeper, I hurried past her, making a beeline for the dorms, hoping—praying—that she'd just let this go.

Spoiler alert: She wouldn't.

And somehow, I knew… this wasn't the last time I'd be hearing about this.

Somehow, against all odds, Claire had managed to stay asleep through everything.

The talking, the walking, the Diana teasing me into an early grave—none of it so much as stirred her. She was completely out.

Maybe she really was a deep sleeper? Or maybe I had just exhausted her with my inability to understand constellations. Both were entirely possible.

Either way, I wasn't about to risk waking her now. Not when I had finally made it back to the dorms in one piece.

Carefully, I nudged the door open with my foot and stepped inside, the dim moonlight casting soft shadows along the walls. I moved toward the bed as gently as possible, doing my best not to jostle Claire too much as I lowered her onto the mattress.

For a moment, I hovered over her, making sure she was still asleep. Still breathing. Still completely unaware of the absolute hell I had just endured thanks to Diana.

Good.

I let out a quiet sigh of relief and started to pull away—

—only for Claire's arms to suddenly snap around my neck and pull me down with her.

"EH?!"

Panic. Pure, unfiltered panic.

I barely managed to catch myself before completely collapsing onto her, my hands bracing against the mattress on either side of her head.

What. What. WHAT.

Claire didn't move. Didn't react. Didn't so much as shift in her sleep.

Her arms, however, remained very much wrapped around my neck, locking me in place.

I swallowed hard, my face now inches from hers. Too close. Too dangerously close.

She's asleep, right?

I waited. A second passed. Then another.

Nothing. No teasing remarks, no smug grins—just the slow, steady rhythm of her breathing.

I let out another sigh, this one more exasperated than relieved. "Of course," I muttered under my breath. "Of course this would happen."

At this point, I should have expected nothing less.

But… what was I supposed to do now? Untangle myself? She was holding on tight. Not enough to hurt, but definitely enough to keep me from moving.

I glanced down at her sleeping face. Completely at ease. Totally unaware of the existential crisis I was currently having.

For a moment, I just… stared.

She looked different like this—softer. Her usual bright energy was nowhere to be found, replaced instead by a peaceful kind of quiet. It was—

Okay. No. We are not thinking that.

I shook my head and tried again to pry her arms off, but nope. She only tightened her hold, shifting slightly so that her head was now nestled under my chin.

Oh. Oh, this was worse.

I froze.

My brain short-circuited.

The warmth of her breath tickled against my collarbone, and I had never been more aware of someone's presence in my life.

Alright. Fine.

Fine.

I gave up.

With one final sigh, I adjusted my position slightly, carefully pulling the blankets over us.

"…Whatever," I muttered, defeated.

And as I lay there, heart thudding far too loudly in my chest, Claire instinctively curled closer, pressing against me like I was the most natural thing in the world.

This is fine. I repeated the words like a mantra, though I was very much aware that this was, in fact, not fine at all.

Just when I thought I had finally calmed down, I heard it.

A soft, barely audible mumble against my shoulder.

"…Comfy…"

I stiffened.

Oh. Oh no.

I dared to glance down at her. Claire's face was relaxed, her breathing even, her violet eyes fluttered shut in peaceful slumber. But that tiny, half-formed word had wrecked me.

The sheer softness of it, the sleepy little sigh that followed—

She was too cute.

I bit my lip, suppressing the sudden urge to laugh (or scream, I hadn't decided which yet).

She had always been lively, always radiating energy like an uncontainable sun, but this? This was different. This was quiet, vulnerable, entirely unguarded.

I had no idea she talked in her sleep.

Curious, I shifted just slightly, wondering if I'd hear anything else.

Silence.

Then—

"…Sera…"

I stopped breathing.

Okay. Nope. We're done here.

I squeezed my eyes shut and willed myself to fall asleep immediately.

There was no way I was about to start overanalyzing whatever that meant. Nope. Not happening.

So, I did the only thing I could do.

I pulled the blankets a little higher, settled into the pillow, and let her warmth lull me into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Tomorrow would come soon enough. Future Sera could deal with the consequences.

Present Sera? Well… she was making questionable life choices.

Because instead of keeping a safe distance and sleeping like a normal person, I hesitated for just a moment—and then I did the exact opposite.

Slowly, carefully, I draped an arm over Claire's waist.

For warmth, obviously. Not for any other reason. Not because she smelled faintly of vanilla, or because her presence felt unexpectedly soothing.

Nope.

And definitely not because I wanted to.

But the second my arm settled around her, Claire stirred ever so slightly, shifting closer—her breath fanning softly against my collarbone.

I nearly died.

And as if that wasn't bad enough—

"…Sera…"

She sighed my name.

In the softest, sleepiest, sweetest voice I had ever heard.

My brain completely short-circuited.

Panic? Through the roof.

Heart? Demolished. Obliterated. No longer functioning.

At this point, I had two choices.

Immediately remove my arm and pretend none of this ever happened. Accept my fate and let whatever this was happen.

Unfortunately, my body made the choice for me.

I stayed exactly where I was.

Because, apparently, I had a death wish.

I closed my eyes, trying desperately not to focus on the way her warmth seeped into me, or how our breathing slowly synced.

I was doomed. Absolutely, completely doomed.

But… maybe, just for tonight—

I could allow myself this.