Why Is She Sleeping in My Bed?
Why the hell was she sleeping here?
I couldn't help but let out a disbelieving chuckle.
There on my bed, sprawled out like she owned the place, was that bright orange hair on the back of her head.
Aria had pulled the blanket all the way up to her chin, breathing in steady, even rhythms as she slept deeply.
Her own bed was perfectly fine on the other side of the room.
Hell, with her face buried deep in my pillow, she looked exactly like a loyal guard dog staking out its territory.
I quietly closed the door without a sound and tiptoed over to the bedside.
Even as I got right up close, the round bundle of blankets on the bed didn't so much as twitch.
What the hell do I do with this?
I probably had to wake her up.
But disturbing someone who's sleeping soundly is always awkward.
Especially if it's someone who couldn't sleep because of me.
"Hey. Aria. Wake up."
"Mmm..."
Aria furrowed her brow slightly and squirmed a bit.
Instead of opening her eyes, she hugged the blanket tighter and rubbed her cheek against my pillow.
"Ugh... just a little longer..." Even sleep-talking. She must've been out cold.
How exhausted was she to conk out in the wrong bed like this?
Part of me wanted to just let her sleep it off, but I couldn't exactly crash in her bed.
She'd probably feel weird about it if she woke up.
I reached out and poked her soft, protruding cheek with my finger.
"Wake up. Go sleep in your own bed."
"Hng..."
Maybe annoyed by my poking fingers, Aria flailed her hand unconsciously.
Thwack.
And just like that, she grabbed my wrist by accident.
Her hand was hotter than I expected.
Aria pulled my hand toward her cheek, then nuzzled her face against the back of it instead of the pillow.
"Hehe... so warm... smells nice..." Her lips mumbled in sleep-talk as she rubbed against me.
Her warm cheek pressing against my hand, her steady breathing.
At this point, waking her felt even more guilty. Forcing my hand away might jolt her right out of her deep sleep.
But I couldn't just stand here all night.
I shook her shoulder lightly with my free hand. "Aria. Seriously, get up. I'm tired."
Only then did her eyelids flutter.
"Mmm... okay..." Her half-lidded, sleepy eyes slowly opened. Her hazy gaze wandered the air, passed over my hand on her cheek, and finally trailed up to meet mine.
One second. Two seconds.
Her slow brain finally clocked reality.
Her eyes went wide as saucers.
"H-Hiiiik?!"
Aria let out a shriek like she'd been stabbed and sprang up like a coiled spring.
But tangled in the blanket, her body wouldn't cooperate.
She let go of my hand in a panic and tumbled awkwardly toward the headboard, blanket and all.
"W-Woah?!"
Thud!
A dull thump echoed as she crashed into the corner of the bed.
"Ow ow ow..."
She looked kinda cute, whimpering under the blanket.
I couldn't help but smirk at the sight.
"Sleepyhead finally awake?"
"L-Lady Elise?"
Aria threw off the blanket and stared at me, her hair a total mess.
"Wh-when did you get back...?"
Her eyes darted between where she was sitting—my bed—and her own empty one across the room.
Once she pieced it together, her face fell.
"Oh no...!"
"Yeah."
I perched on the edge of the bed and asked, "So why were you sleeping in my bed? Yours is right there."
"W-Well..."
Aria's eyes rolled around as she scrambled for an excuse, fidgeting with her fingers and avoiding my gaze.
Finally, she squeezed out, "Uh... t-to warm it up for you...?"
What a ridiculous excuse.
"What am I, a bird incubating eggs? You were bedwarming for me?"
"N-No! That's not it!"
Aria flailed her hands in denial.
"You were in the hospital, so... I thought you'd be tired when you got back, and if the bed was cold, you might catch a cold..."
What nonsense. It wasn't even midwinter, and the room was plenty warm.
Plus, she'd been drooling all over my pillow.
But seeing her face beet red and peeking at me nervously, I didn't feel like pressing her further.
"Fine. Thanks to you, it'll be nice and toasty. Now move."
"Y-Yes...!"
Aria bolted off my bed like it was on fire and scurried to hers.
She yanked the covers over herself and turned to face the wall.
Probably dying of embarrassment.
I glanced at her huddled form once, then climbed into bed.
Flop.
The moment my back hit the mattress, a pleasant warmth enveloped me.
Her excuse wasn't total bullshit, apparently.
Her body heat had lingered in the blankets, turning the cool bed into a furnace.
A faint lavender soap scent—pure Aria—tickled my nose.
I'm gonna die.
I lay there staring blankly at the ceiling.
A rustling came from the other bed.
I turned my head slightly. Aria was peeking at me from under her covers.
She yanked them up over half her face the second she realized I saw.
"Not sleeping?"
She mumbled from under the blanket at my question.
"I-I will... "
"Good night, then."
I closed my eyes.
My body felt heavy, the bed perfect.
Just sleep already.
Ten minutes passed. Thirty.
...Can't sleep.
I snapped my eyes open.
My mind was wide awake, sharp as a tack. Zero fatigue.
Of course. I'd passed out in the underground sewer, then lain unconscious in the hospital for a full 14 hours.
And after that, Lilliana healed me and I slept more.
Peak condition, basically.
"Haa..."
I sighed softly enough that Aria wouldn't hear.
I tossed and turned, trying to find the perfect sleep position.
But it only made me more alert.
Screw it. I gave up and propped myself up on my elbows.
Rustle.
Then, another careful rustle from her bed.
I turned to look. Aria, who I'd thought was asleep, was fidgeting on her side, back to me.
Her breathing wasn't steady like when she'd been out in my bed.
She's awake too.
I smirked and called out. "Hey, Aria."
Silence.
She thought I hadn't noticed, apparently—no response.
Her fidgeting had stopped the second I spoke, obvious as hell.
"I know you're awake. I can hear you tossing."
"......"
A short sigh leaked from under her covers.
The blanket lump slowly shifted, and Aria turned toward me.
Chin buried in the blanket, her big eyes stared at me.
"I... can't sleep."
"Me neither."
She cautiously lowered the blanket a bit more at my curt reply. "Are you... really okay?"
Her voice carried the thick worry from earlier that she hadn't fully shaken off.
"Fine. No scars left, so don't worry."
But she didn't seem convinced.
She sat up slowly, slid off her bed, and crept over to mine.
Stopping at the edge, she asked, "Can I... check for myself?"
"...Do you have to?"
"You lost so much blood... how could it just heal like that..."
The gruesome bleeding from the sewer had clearly left a deep trauma.
I nodded helplessly. If I didn't let her, she'd probably fret all night.
"Fine. Go ahead."
I undid the top couple buttons of my nightshirt.
Click, click.
I pulled the collar aside to bare my right shoulder.
The soft fabric slid smoothly over my skin, exposing the pale curve.
Bluish moonlight from the window bathed it softly.
"See? Perfectly fine."
No red marks, not even a faint scar where the wolf's fangs had sunk in.
"It's... really gone. Not a trace."
A faint sigh of relief escaped her lips.
But apparently, seeing wasn't enough.
She reached out tentatively.
"Can I... touch it?"
"Knock yourself out."
Her fingertips brushed my shoulder feather-light.
Twitch.
Someone else touching my body still felt weirdly off.
Like a disconnect or something.
But I didn't pull away.
Her fingers traced the spot where the wound had been—slowly, delicately, like verifying if it was real or illusion.
A strange tickle spread every time they glided over my skin.
"Thank goodness..."
She whispered so faintly it almost dissolved into the air.
Her voice mixed deep relief with emotions too complex for words—guilt, remorse, unspoken gratitude.
Her fingers paused at my shoulder line, then dropped limply.
"Lady Saintess... she's amazing."
Aria bowed her head. Shadows darkened her moonlit face.
"When it happened, I was too scared to do anything... just a burden..."
Her hands clenched her nightgown tightly.
"If I'd been a little stronger, you wouldn't have gotten hurt protecting me. I'm... so pathetic."
Endless self-deprecation. The helplessness from the sewer had crushed her self-esteem.
Her big eyes shimmered with tears. She bit her lip hard, fighting back the surge.
We'd talked about this in the hospital, but dragging it up again meant my words hadn't stuck.
Fine then.
If talk wouldn't work, show her.
I grabbed her wrist as she stood by the bed.
"Wh-wha?"
And yanked her straight toward me without hesitation. "C'mere."