They laid like that for a few hours. Xan drifted in and out of sleep but he didn’t move. There were a few times that Finn would snuffle against Xan’s chest before relaxing. It was entirely adorable and incredibly endearing.

Xan just wanted to hold Finn there forever. He didn’t want Finn to go back to the demons chasing him in his sleep. He still had no idea what Finn was running from but obviously they had left their mark within his mind.

Eventually the snuffling turned into stretching. Finn was waking up.

Finn slowly opened bleary eyes.

“Sleep a little better this time?” his voice was hardly more than a whisper.

Finn’s hand still gripping Xan’s shirt tightened. “Yeah” his voice was rough and scratchy.

Xan didn’t want to break the spell just yet. He also didn’t want to let go of Finn just yet; it had shaken him as well.

Finn didn’t seem keen on it either. He laid mostly still, eyes boring a hole in Xan’s chest, his fingers though were fidgeting with the fabric of Xan’s shirt.

Xan gathered it must be a nervous tick. Finn was probably fretting over their current situation on top of everything else. He decided to calmly stay put and let Finn try and figure out the next best move.

Maybe fortunately for Finn he didn’t consciously have to, his body spoke for him. His stomach sang like a starving whale washed to shore.

Xan couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped. Finn chewed his bottom lip, his face flushing a cherry red.

“How about we get up and eat? You skipped breakfast, and it’s almost past lunch. You really need to get something to eat and drink.”

Finn nodded and the pair slowly climbed out of bed.

The storm outside was still going. Flashes of lightening illuminating the window and thunder rumbling the floorboards. At least now it had passed overhead and would be moving away.

Xan made Finn sit in the actual chair and passes him his portion of the dry rations and a flask of water. He ducked out briefly to go to the kitchen and grab lunch. He would try to get as much food into Finn as the kid could stomach.

When he got back Finn was still nibbling at his food and sipping from the flask almost dutifully. He was staring at the window watching the flashes and rain pelt the glass.

Xan added lunch to the spread on his desk. Finn glanced at, his surprise at being presented with food hadn’t dissipated, he was merely hiding it better than before.

Xan also noticed Finn looking cold. Maybe it was a tremble, maybe it was a shiver. Regardless soft blankets make everything better he thought. He shoved some dried meat in his mouth before going to the bed and pulling out one blanket. He draped it around a very confused Finn’s shoulder.

He wedged himself back onto the stool between the shelves and his desk again and quietly ate his late brunch.

They sat in silence through lunch until it was all gone. Finn had eaten more in one sitting than he’d eaten in months. He felt incredibly full and that also felt surreal.

“I’m sorry for earlier. I…” The words died on his tongue. What had he meant to say? Was there anything he could say? He’d woken up from that horrendous nightmare choking on smoke that didn’t exist and screaming bloody murder. Xan had busted through the door and he’d ended up sobbing like he was a child. How do you apologize for everything he’d just done?

“There’s no need. You don’t have to apologize.”

Finn’s head snapped to look at Xan, who looked uncomfortable in his oddly contorted position on such a small stool.

“You don’t have to apologize and you don’t have to tell me anything. We all have our own struggles.” his voice was so calm, there was something in it that made a little of the tension between Finn’s shoulders relax.

“Maybe one day… maybe one day you’ll consider me a friend and tell me about it. For now, just tell me what you want.”

Finn stared wide eyed at the pirate. That hadn’t been the response he’d expected, not by far.

He considered the offer for a moment before he moved. He thumbed through the bookshelf before plucking out one of the bestiary additions. Then went back to the bed and used it like a lounge. He grabbed a pillow sticking it between himself and the wall and propped up in a sitting position.

He’d opened the book and was about to start the first page when he looked up. Xan was still sitting on the tiny stool, staring at Finn with a raised eyebrow.

Finn patted the spot next to him.

Xan folded himself off of the stool and grabbed a book himself before going to sit on the bed and read with Finn. He arranged himself in a similar position and left a gap between them. That was until Finn leaned his shoulder against Xan.

It was the most companionable either of them had felt in quite some time.