The first thing Viktor felt when he woke up was the warmth. Not the heavy, sticky heat that had filled the room for the past three days, but the soft, gentle warmth of Elias's body curled against his chest. The sheets were tangled around their legs, the air still thick with the faint sweetness of vanilla and something darker... Viktor's own scent, now permanently mixed with Elias's.
Viktor didn't move for a long time. He just stared at Elias's sleeping face, the way his lashes rested against his cheeks, the way his lips were slightly parted, the way his hair stuck out in every direction like he'd been through a storm. Three days. Three full days of Elias's heat, of holding him, of knotting him, of whispering apologies into his skin when he thought Elias was too far gone to hear.
He almost reached out to touch Elias's cheek... just a brush of his fingers... but he stopped himself. His hand hovered in the air for a second before dropping back to the mattress.
