Devan

Devan was on the verge of sleep when he felt something dip the mattress on his right side. Normally, he’d be worried and have rolled out of bed to snatch up his sword to face the intruder.

He knew precisely who was sneaking into his bed, though, and that made him just sigh instead.

He should have known better than to follow Tan back to his castle that night. He really should have. He’d been tired and not thinking straight, after spending a good portion of the previous night taking care of the sorcerer. He’d only been thinking of putting his feet up, getting horizontal somewhere, and sleeping for eight hours straight. When Tan offered to portal them back so he could rest and start early in the morning, he’d not thought too deeply about it.

Laying here in the guest room, with Tan sneaking under the covers, Devan regretted his naivety. Deeply.

Without opening his eyes or turning over, he challenged the man. “Tan. Really?”

Stealth abandoned, Tan promptly rolled in and snuggled up against his side, head pillowed on Devan’s shoulder. Of course he wasn’t the type to second guess himself. When caught, he went all in.

“I’m suffering from SCD. Only you can help me.”

“What the hell is SCD?”

“Severe Cuddle Deficiency.”

Devan just sighed. His bones rattled under the force of his sigh. 

“I can’t possibly work tomorrow without cuddles,” Tan insisted, his arm tightening around Devan’s waist.

“Of course you can’t,” Devan muttered, finally giving in and opening his eyes. He stared at the ceiling, praying for patience. Didn’t matter which god was listening, any of them would do.

“Really. Cuddles are a necessary part of life.” Tan added a beat later, “Sex would be even better?”

Devan dared to turn his head and look down. Damn, Tan looked cute like this. Even in the faint moonlight shining in through the window, he still looked cute. His silky black hair was all ruffled because he’d washed it and just let it air dry. Those slanted dark eyes were ingenuous and innocent looking up at him, lips parted as if poised for a kiss. (He likely was.) The warmth of him pressed close stirred something in Devan that he hadn’t felt in quite some time.

Instinct said to take advantage of the offer so clearly here.

Sanity said proceed at your own risk.

Dammit, as tempting as it was to roll them over, to press Tan into the bed and take him hard and fast—

A mental image of them entwined together, skin on skin, breaths hot and fast against each other’s mouths as he drove into Tan over and over, felt the warmth and heat wrapped around him—

Devan mentally yanked himself out of that vision. Dammit, libido, down. Yes, Tan was a tempting package because he was fucking adorable. And knew it. But having sex with him wasn’t a one-and-done situation, either. Tan absolutely wouldn’t let things go if he gave in. The man was the type that if you gave him an inch, he’d take a mile.

Devan still had to work with him tomorrow. He had oaths holding him in check. Sex would be a serious mistake.

Tan tried to somehow snuggle in closer. “Sex yes?”

“Sex no.”

“Dammit. Cuddles I insist on.”

For what he’d done, for all he risked, for the trust he displayed in Devan over and over—for all of that, he owed this man something. If he really wanted a night of cuddles in repayment, then that’s what Devan would give him. Sighing, he let his eyes fall shut and gave in to the inevitable. “Fine. Cuddle as you like.”

Tan made a happy noise and tried to impossibly snuggle in more.

Not wanting to reveal just how tempting it was to give in to that other invitation, Devan rolled over onto his side, letting Tan curl up against his back. He lay there, felt the man press in close, and a rueful smile tugged at his mouth. When he’d initially hatched the plan to come here for help, he’d never have imagined they’d be in this situation. Tan had just been the most powerful sorcerer he’d known of who might be willing to help. The man embodied the label of chaotic neutral, after all.

To this man who had done nothing but help him since their first moment, Devan felt a lot of conflicting emotions. Confusion, certainly, respect, grudging attraction, even more grudging trust. Devan couldn’t ignore everything good Tan had done. It was also strangely comfortable to be around the man. He’d never felt like this around the princess. Really, Tan and Serenity were the flip side of two coins, Tan being crazy but helpful, Serenity crazy and harmful. If the fight up north had shown Devan anything, it was that when push came to shove, Tan was on his side. It was incredibly heartening. Sometimes, Devan felt so alone in this fight, trying to keep people safe, that his heart nearly broke under the strain of it. In fact, if Tan had refused him, trying to save Siset might well have broken him.

Fate had been kind and given him Tan instead. Cute, flirty, intelligent Tan with a spine of steel and a stubbornness to see even the most difficult of fights through. It was to this man, who he now acknowledged as an ally, that he owed words.

“Tan.”

Tan leaned in to whisper directly against his ear. “Yes, my darling?”

Such a fucking tease, this one. Even as Devan rolled his eyes, he bulled forward. “You really went above and beyond what I asked of you. We’d have lost the town if not for your actions. Thank you. The words aren’t enough, but thank you.”

Tan went still and perfectly silent for a long second. Oh, shocked speechless? It amused Devan. Is this what it took the shut the chatterbox up for a moment? Sincere thanks? He’d have to remember that.

In a rasping whisper, Tan spoke against his back. “You’re very welcome, dearest. Do call on me again, won’t you? Don’t take on all the burdens of the world. I’m here to help you. Every time.”

That sounded sincere, too. Those words felt warm to his heart and strangely like a lever, lifting a burden off his shoulders he hadn’t been fully aware was there. If he’d been told a year ago that hearing this out of one of the most notorious black sorcerers’ mouths would make him happy, he’d have scoffed. In this moment, knowing what Tan had done for his sake, it only made him happy. He had someone solidly in his corner.

“Thank you,” Devan repeated, eyes falling shut as exhaustion slowly took him under. “You’re crazy, but dependable, and I like having you as an ally very much.”

“I’m also hysterical and sexy.”

Yes, so he was. Devan smiled into the darkness and refused to rise to the bait.

Tan poked him in the back. “You’re already asleep, aren’t you? Dammit. If you weren’t so exhausted, I’d seduce you, I hope you realize that. Fine, fine, think of me as an ally for now. Just wait. I’ll have you as a lover eventually.”

Don’t tempt me was Devan’s last thought before he succumbed completely to sleep.