Phovos shuddered as she wrapped her blanket tighter around herself. The weather outside was horrible, with violent radioactive storms rattling at the ship’s windows. While Phovos had definitely slept in more horrid places, something about the storm outside was bothering her. While she was sleeping in a climate-controlled room, Phovos found herself unable to sleep at all.
On the flip side, Phovos didn’t want to get up and out of her warm bed. She was just starting to feel warmer when the acid rain outside drizzled from above and the winds got stronger. The rain she could ignore, but the wind was nowhere near as pleasant.
All of a sudden, a new noise bounced around Phovos’s room. A knock on the door. Only just noticeable over the rattling winds.
“Ugh… who is it?” Phovos grunted, sitting up straight.
“It is me.” The reply from the other side of the door.
“What are you doing knocking on my door at this time of night, Retvik?” Phovos was not amused.
“The wind is bothering me. May I come in?”
Phovos rubbed her eyes, then climbed out of bed, opening the door with a sigh. There Retvik was, towering over her, holding a blanket in one claw and two pillows in the other.
“You know I have bedding already, right?” Phovos tutted as she stood to one side while Retvik entered, then closed the door behind him. “Don’t need to use your stuff too.”
“My stuff is bigger,” Retvik explained. “I must apologise for barging in, but I could not sleep and sensed that you were having the same problem.”
“I was, yes.”
Phovos watched as Retvik gingerly sat on her bed, putting the pillows to one side. He then scooted over, making a space for Phovos to sit down as well.
“Is there something else troubling you?” Phovos asked, taking a seat. Retvik’s body was giving off plenty of heat. Warm enough to be enjoyable, but not too cold either.
“There is, but I do not want to bother you with my troubles. Those are best saved until what is technically morning in this strange void.”
“We can talk now if you want.”
“I do not want to. I just wish to spend some time snuggling with a best friend. As in, you.”
Phovos blinked. “You want to sleep in here, with me?”
“Just for the moment. I feel some added warmth would be good for both of us.”
The Raptor fell silent, not really sure what to say. Snuggling sounded like a great idea, but Phovos was painfully aware that her snores might keep Retvik awake.
“Just snuggles?” Phovos eventually asked.
“Yes, snuggles and nothing more.”
“Alright…” Phovos gave in. “Lay down and I’ll join you in a moment. I want to lock my door first.” She made her way to the door, gently pulling it shut, then sliding over the latch to keep it shut. Phovos then joined Retvik back on the bed.
“How do you wish to be snuggled?” Retvik asked, leaning back.
“I’m not fuss-” Before Phovos could finish, Retvik wrapped his arms around her, then pulled the blanket over both of them. The bed was a bit too small for Retvik, and his feet and tail were sticking out over the end of the bed, but the warmth emanating from his body was wonderful.
“I think we both needed this…” Retvik muttered, holding Phovos close.
“Yeah…” Phovos finally admitted. “This is wonderful.”
“Good. Sleep well, Phovos.”
“You too, Retvik…”