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therewasatale · 4 years

Text

making sure

On Ao3

Based on @craidvy Art

The streets of Ankh-Morpork was shrouded in twilight, the shadow of night was slowly crawling up the walls of the buildings, swallowing the light of the sun. Heat from the day clashed with the first cool breeze of the evening. The world stifled by scorching heat started to breathe again, and people begin their journey home. However, even if day turned to night, Ankh-Morpok really never slept, it was an ever-shining star on the Discworld.

There was almost complete silence in the Palace, in the room of the ruler of the city only the even breathing of two persons could be heard. Somehow, following the exact same rhythm. The room around them slowly succumbed to semi-darkness.

The figure, lying on the bed, slowly began to stir, and waking up lit a candle. Vetinari cautiously pushed himself up, placing his weight on his elbow. His hand still trembling from traces of the poison, he watched his shaking fingers in the candle like, slightly dazed. Maybe the excitement of the past few days had something to do with not being able to get enough sleep.

He glanced quietly at the man leaning against the edge of his bed. Vimes sometimes trembled in his sleep, one hand gripping the sheet tightly.

Vetinari wondered for a moment, how long had he been here? He must have spent most of the day in the yard. If he gone home in the meantime, he would have been here much later.

He let himself back to the bed, and gently buried his fingers into the Commander's hair.

He knew it too well that it would take time for him to fully recover, but it was not as if he would let anyone know this. It was the kind of information he thought was better to keep only to himself. Or maybe, he listened quietly to Vimes' breathing, maybe there could be an exception or two.

He turned his attention back to his fingers. He slowly and gently ruffled his hair, sometimes stopping to caress a gray hair or too, and smiled faintly when he realized how attractive he still found the man.

The candlelight illuminated the room, even as the sky over the city turned to dark.

The Commander began to wake up with a slight tremble. He blinked a couple of times, clearing away the daze of the dream, then leaned forward and kissed his lips.

Vetinari sighed pleasantly into the smoky kiss.

"How are you feeling?" Vimes slowly straightened himself out. "You're not as pale as you were yesterday," he said in a serious tone, "the poison is slowly fading away from your body, at least that's what the quacks said."

"I'm fine, Sam."

"Mh, no, you're not," he shook his head stubbornly, and a hint of guilt hid in his voice.

"Oh? Did you suddenly become a doctor too?" A tiny smile crept on the ruler's face.

"Based on what's the qualifications to becoming one in this city, I might as well be one." Vimes snorted and took one of Vetinari's hands.

They let the silence sit a little between the two of them, only the flame of the candle flickered a little.

"This shirt looks really good on you."

"Drumknott gave it to me," the Commander snorted again, but now with more haughtiness "saying we have to make sure you don’t catch anything while recovering. I think he was just grumpy because I didn't have time to change clothes before I came here."

Vetinari chuckled softly, which mellowed the Commander's mood considerably.

"So you didn't have time? Black really suits you."

It was just possible to see Vimes's face turning red in the light of the candle. The ruler took mercy on him and rolled a bit away from him.

"My bed is more comfortable, come on."

The Commander didn’t have enough energy to object, and perhaps, for once, he did not want to. He laid down next to Vetinari and giving out a small sigh, he gazed into his eyes.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'll be fine," he kissed the man on the cheek. "Would you blow out the candle?"

The room became completely dark. As their eyes got accustomed to the gloom, they were just listening to each other's breathing.

Vetinari closed his eyes as he felt the fingers of the commander's touch on his face.

"Yes?"

He gently caresses his forehead and then down his nose, pausing a little to touch the tip of the ruler's nose.

"Hmm," Vetinari said with a tiny smile and watched curiously the path of his finger as it wandered and run his fingers along his lips.

It was so fascinating that once the Commander let himself go, in the darkness, how direct he became. So it was when he kissed him one night, or when he came to the palace under the cover of darkness and slept out his exhaustion in the Patrician's bed. He took each step in the shadows.

"Let's sleep" Vimes kissed his forehead and hugged the slightly surprised ruler to his heart.

"Oh? Well, maybe we really need a little rest." He leaned his forehead to his chest and smiled as he felt the man's heart pounding fiercely. He wrapped his arms around him and closed his eyes.

Their breathing slowly synchronized in the darkness.

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