It's starting to snow. You blink up, the sky overcast, the entire world dull and grey. You've been chopping wood for... a while. It was dark when you started. You're shivering, now, too, your sweat gone cold beneath your clothes.
You stand slowly, groaning, rubbing your already sore arms and shuffling back towards the cabin. You leave the maul, and all the wood, scattered around the yard, wincing at the idea of bending over and piling it all up. You'll do it later.
On the porch, you stomp the snow and ice off your boots before quietly ducking back inside. It's blissfully warm in the cabin, and you strip off your outer layers, hanging your jacket by the door before retreating to your room.
Noel is still asleep, curled up in the blankets and furs with just the top of xir sleeping cap poking out from under the covers. You sit down on the edge of the bed, rubbing your face with your hands, frowning down at the fresh blisters forming on your palms. You can't help but pull up your sleeve and eye your forearm, flexing your hand and touching the old scars there.
Noel stirs behind you then, and you glance over your shoulder at xem, just as xir face appears from beneath the blankets. Xe blinks up at you, and it takes xem a moment, blinking the sleep from xir eyes, before xe reaches out and presses a hand to the small of your back.
"Good morning," xe mumbles, drawing slow circles over your back with xir hand.
You grunt, moving to pull your boots off, while Noel sits up behind you.
"How long have you been awake?" xe asks softly, wrapping xir arms around you and resting xir chin on your shoulder.
You sigh, melting back into Noel's warmth as xe lifts xir chin and presses a kiss to your shoulder. You don't know how long you've been awake. If you even slept at all. Noel shifts and pulls xir hands back then, before draping one of the blankets over your lap.
You stare down at the blanket, running your hand over the thick fur, though you stay unmoving, sat on the edge of the bed. If you lay down right now, you don't think you'll be able to get back up. You really overdid it this morning. You're not as young as you used to be.
Noel's hand on your back again as xe slides closer, another kiss placed just between your shoulder blades. And then xe slips xir hand under your shirt and starts to massage your shoulders, your back, with another kiss on the nape of your neck. Noel's hands are warm, unlike yours, and you close your eyes, letting out a long breath.
"Let's stay in bed today," Noel says, and you chuckle, opening your eyes again, wincing as Noel works xir hand against one of the knots in your shoulder.
"I'm not going to argue that," you say, and Noel smiles, sliding xir hands down your back, holding your sides and kissing your neck again before xe gently pulls you back towards xem.
You let Noel guide you, groaning as you push yourself up onto the bed, your arms heavy, your back twitching as you flop back onto your pillow. Reflexively you grab at your arm, holding it against your chest, though you know the soreness is just from chopping wood. You know this. But you can't help touching the scars again, cradling your arm and flexing your hand.
"Is it bothering you?" Noel prompts, lowering xemself down on xir pillow next to you. Xe reaches out, putting a hand overtop yours, before grabbing at the blankets and pulling them up around the both of you.
"Yeah," you say gruffly. "It's nothing. Just getting old," you joke.
Noel chuckles. A few seconds of silence then, with unasked questions hanging in the air between you. Did you sleep? Are you having nightmares again? Is it getting worse?
But Noel doesn't ask any of that, though you can feel xem staring at you, can feel xem shifting closer, can feel xir warm breath on your neck. You turn to look at xem, closing the rest of the space between you, reaching out and laying a hand against xir cheek. Noel turns and presses a kiss into your palm before closing xir eyes, sinking into the pillow as you trace xir cheekbone with your thumb.
When xe opens xir eyes again, xe searches your face for a long moment. Those familiar golden eyes.
"I'm here for you," xe says then.
You pull your hand back, glancing sideways, staring at nothing. You don't say anything, instead just rolling onto your side and wrapping your arms around Noel, burrowing down into the mattress as Noel pulls the blankets up over your heads, a shield against the cold and everything else.
You'll worry about it later. Right now, you just focus on Noel in your arms, the little kisses xe presses to the back of your hand, the rise and fall of xir breathing against your chest, just the two of you in your own little world.
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