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One of the many benefits to having a techno-organic alien roommate who could mould himself into any shape, Doug thought, was that you always had gloves, and sweaters, and shawls – even when your incompetent friends had just shrunk them in the wash.
Doug sighed and tried to concentrate on his calculus homework, despite the biting cold in his and ‘Lock’s shared room. In fact, it was so icy that his breath congealed into feathery white whisps in front of his face, and that the tip of his nose was starting to turn numb.
In Charles Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, the central heating had once again died on the dorms and the communal living areas – and that in the deep of winter.
But safe for his face, Doug wasn’t having any issue at all with the freezing cold. He’d wrapped himself in several layers of sweatpants, undershirts, and fuzzy socks, and Warlock in turn had settled over his upper body and hands, like a black-and-gold sweater, including gloves and shawl. It was very comfortable indeed if you asked Doug, and he’d voiced that same thought aloud to ‘Lock several times already. And every time he did, ‘Lock made a little happy face at him from where he was looking over his shoulder and said, “Self too thinks Selfsoulfriend looks very cosy in Self’s embrace.”
And if that always made Doug blush just a little, well, then he just blamed it on the warmth emanating from Warlock’s form wrapped around him.
During dinner, Warlock remained snugly wrapped around him, because the cafeteria wasn’t much better off than the student dorms temperature-wise. And Roberto didn’t even crack any stupid comments, just shot him a sly side-glance before he went back to scraping out his soup bowl. That was great, because one: Doug didn’t have to come up with yet another witty reply about how Sam and Berto were still walking on eggshells just as badly as he and ‘Lock were, if not even worse; and two: Berto didn’t have the right to say anything anyway because it had been his and Illy’s shenanigans which had led to Doug’s wool-wear being shrunk in the wash.
When dinner was over – the news of the day exchanged, their dessert plates neatly cleaned out – Roberto stretched and then not-so-inconspicuously settled one of his arms around Sam’s shoulders when he took them down again. “Alright, guys, gals, and non-binary pals – are you gonna join us for an hour or two in me and Sam’s room to watch a movie and warm up, or are you gonna be doozies and go back to your own rooms to freeze to death all alone?”
“The latter,” Dani replied dryly as she got up, holding Rahne’s hand.
“Not fair, chief,” Roberto grumbled. “You got your dog girlfriend to lay on top of you.”
Rahne protested, “Ah’m no a dug!” But Dani was already leading her away and leaning over to whisper in her ear – something sweet probably, Doug thought just a little wistfully, something only lovers whispered to each other – and there wasn’t any more time left for complaining.
“You, Doug?” Sam asked him now as he leaned into Roberto’s arm around his shoulders. Sometimes Doug wasn’t sure if Sam and Berto were just touchy-feely people in general, or if they were just too dense to see the thing that was blossoming between them.
“I’m going to go back to my room, I think,” he mumbled as he pushed back his chair to get up as well. “I still have the programming homework to finish for Friday. Maybe Warlock would like to go with you, though?”
“Self will gladly return with Selfsoulfriend to shared quarters,” Warlock promptly piped up from his left shoulder. “Self would like to ensure Selfsoulfriend’s continued survival under these conditions which are so hostile to Selfsoulfriend’s organism.”
That earned a hearty chuckle from Sam and Roberto, and even Illyana snorted as she reached out and ruffled Doug’s hair much like an older sister would.
“Yes, ‘Lock, make sure blondie here doesn’t freeze to death. Now-” She summoned her soulsword and cut a flaming wound into the air in front of her, then turned and waved Roberto and Sam over to the portal- “let’s go, boys! Who gets there first can choose the movie!”
And with that she was off, and Sam and Berto did their best to follow her quickly before she could close the portal in front of their noses. Somehow, Berto’s hand had slid down Sam’s arm to tangle their fingers, and Doug couldn’t help but think that they looked so right together like this.
“Not fair!” was the last thing he heard of his friends before the portal winked out of existence, and it made a warm, powerful feeling bubble up in him that was only amplified when he started the walk back to the dorms, and Warlock popped up his head to chat with him.
Three hours later, Doug was lying alone in his bed and trying desperately to keep his teeth from chattering.
After they had finished the programming homework, they’d decided to get ready for bed, and that was when Warlock had to unwrap from around Doug’s upper body so Doug could go to the bathroom on his own. And after Doug was finished, Warlock had gone to wash up or brush his teeth or whatever his going-to-bed routine was, and Doug had laid down already and closed his eyes, and by the time Warlock had come back into the room, Doug had felt that it would be too awkward to ask his friend to come cuddle with him for warmth.
So now he was staring out the window at the clear, cold winter night sky and the twinkling stars strewn about it as he curled up in foetus position, desperately trying to keep the warmth in and the cold out.
Their bunk bed creaked above him, and for a moment, he thought Warlock had changed his mind after all and would climb down to slip under the covers beside him – but of course, it all just turned out to be wistful thinking. The creaking must’ve been the wood straining against the cold, and the whisper of the sheets was probably Warlock turning over in his sleep.
Mildly distraught over the way he was starting to not feel his toes anymore, Doug let out a shuddering sigh.
Almost instantaneously, Warlock’s head appeared in his field of vision, a tad bit frazzled but appearing wide awake.
“Does Selfsoulfriend require Self’s assistance in falling asleep?”
For a heartbeat, Doug thought about refusing, because heaven knew about the teasing remarks Berto would come up with if he ever learned about Doug and Warlock cuddling during the night.
On the other hand, however, Berto never had to know.
“Yes, ‘Lock, that would be ni-”
Doug hadn’t even finished before Warlock flopped down onto his mattress and slid to him under the bedcovers, his techno-organic body looking a little like liquid silver streaked with gold in the light of the winter moon. Tendrils of him came to wrap around Doug’s chest and arms and to flow over his shoulders, and then blessed warmth enveloped Doug from neck to toe.
Doug sighed again, in relief this time, and laid a hand flat on the blanket of Warlock now covering his whole body. “Thank you, ‘Lock.”
“Self is always happy to help Selfsoulfriend. Self appreciates Selfsoulfriend more than can be expressed in mutant or human language.”
Doug grinned. “I’m a mutant with the power of understanding any language. You know that, right?”
Silence. Then, hesitantly, “So Selfsoulfriend Doug thinks that Self could communicate his feelings pertaining to Selfsoulfriend without translation issues?”
“Selfsoulfriend Doug thinks that very much,” Doug said before he could think about what he was possibly getting himself into. “Or at least it’s worth a try. We’ll never know if we don’t-”
The world lit up in colours and shapes that sent Doug’s mind reeling, and he gripped the hand-shaped appendage Warlock grew for him tightly. He’d always known that human communication was a far cry from the language Warlock had used before, but he’d never heard – seen, felt, tasted – it till now.
And what it said made him blush and squeeze his eyes shut and feel like crying and laughing, all at the same time.
When it was over, he opened his eyes and first took a minute to just breathe in and out, in and out. Then, when he could feel Warlock getting agitated, he asked quietly, “Do you really mean that, ‘Lock?”
“Self’s relating of feelings did not feel adequate to Selfsoulfriend?” Warlock sounded distressed as he shaped a part of himself into a frowning face in front of Doug’s eyes. “Self can try again to make clear the depths of Self’s feelings for Selfsoulfriend Doug.”
“No. No, Warlock, I saw them, I understood- and I think they’re beautiful, it’s just so much-” Doug shuddered, not from the cold this time, and squeezed Warlock’s pseudo-hand. “And… I like you very much, ‘Lock, and maybe I even like you more than that, because you’re the best friend I’ve ever had. We could – if you want, that is – we could try and see how we would be… together. And if that doesn’t work, we’ll still always be friends.”
His speech had slowed as he had strung out that train of thought, and now he noticed he’d stopped breathing, listening only to the fast beating of his own heart and to what Warlock would have to say.
“Self thinks Selfsoulfriend is the kindest being in the universe,” Warlock finally whispered into the cool silence between them. “Self thinks he and Selfsoulfriend belong together, as mates.”
“Ah, that word isn’t-” But Doug shut up. There’d be time to explain another day. Instead, he lifted Warlock’s hand to his lips and placed a shy, soft kiss on the warm black-and-gold knuckles.
The noise Warlock made at that, something between a chirrup and a giggle, was the happiest sound he’d ever heard.
“We should sleep,” he murmured at last. “It’s late, ‘Lock, and tomorrow we have classes early.”
“Rest,” Warlock agreed, wrapping himself even tighter around Doug. A tendril of soft wires snuck onto Doug’s pillow and cupped his cheek. “Selfsoulfriend need not be afraid of the cold. Self will keep Selfsoulfriend warm.”
“I know you will.” Doug smiled, even as his eyelids – so heavy, so tired – slipped closed, and his mind started to fog over with sleep. “I know you will…”
That night, he slept as soundly as he hadn’t slept in years. And the next morning, he and Warlock showed up at breakfast hand in hand, and Berto took one look at them and didn’t even bat an eye – just grinned at Doug, showed him a thumbs up and mouthed, Finally.
Finally.