Your ball python naga boyfriend always makes sure you take the time to rest.
He hasn't had much luck recently, though- you've been absolutely swamped with work and barely had time to see him, let alone taken any time for yourself to recharge.
Just a little bit more, and you'll be done…
When you find yourself snapped back into awareness, you're submerged in hot water, with a curious weight on your chest and your limbs.
Ah- you're in the bathtub, judging by the slippery feel of the smooth porcelain- and with the entirety of your boyfriend's long, serpentine body firmly wrapped around your body like tethers.
Bathtub…? Weren't you just working?
Realizing you're awake, the naga raises one of his palms out of the water to cradle your chin. It feels nice, and you lull your head into it, putting your confusion aside to indulge for a moment.
Then, he turns your gaze up to meet his line of sight.
A feeling of calm immediately washes over you, vision drawn into the vibrant spirals spinning in his irises.
Sleep would be easy. Sleep would be good. Yes, you should fall asleep-
"Stop that-" You protest, not meaning it at all, and weakly fail to turn his face away, only managing to simply smoosh your palm flat against his cheek in the process.
The dizzying, swirling pattern continues, making the lids of your own eyes start to grow heavy again. You barely manage to snap yourself out of it, before falling back too far into suggestion again.
Stubbornly, you squeeze your eyes closed.
"Fine, fine- keep them closed." He laughs warmly, clearly believing he's already won. The water shifts around you as he pulls you to his chest instead. "You'll fall asleep like that, too."
"Why." You huff, offended by the casual theft of your agency. "Why are you doing this?"
"Yeah, but-" You sigh, realizing the rest of your limbs are tangled up in what feels like a metric ton of snake. "You're not supposed to do that without permission…"
"It was necessary." He chuckles, tail squeezing you tighter for a moment before slightly loosening its grip again. "You were not listening to reason."
"But I have stuff to do-! Too much stuff to do." You bring your one moveable limb up to your face, fingertips finding your temple to rub in frustration.
"It really can't- Ugh-" You try to struggle out of his grasp, squirming to try to break loose and sit up, but it's no use. His grip on you is too strong. All you manage to do is slosh the bathwater around you, and convince him to constrict tighter.
"You're running yourself down. Making yourself sick. You're dehydrated." He says, more firmly this time, very pointedly not budging even a single scaly coil, despite your attempts at escape. "You can be cross with me if you want, but you're not going anywhere, boo."
You make a good show of grumbling and pouting. You would be crossing your arms to match your scowl, if you had the ability to move the both of them at the moment.
"I guess you have a point." You finally relent. You have been working much longer hours than normal…
"Uh huh," He says sweetly, and you feel his damp palm start to gently stroke your head. "Relax."
Now that you've finally given yourself the permission to relax, you're not much inclined to move, either. The tangle of snake around you has grown warm and cozy from the steaming bathwater and the enforced cuddling, and the flexing of dense, serpentine muscle is giving you the most subtle of massages.
It would be more than easy to let yourself lull to sleep in this makeshift sensory deprivation tank, with or without your boyfriend's hypnotic gaze.
…You suppose you can squeeze in time for a nap.
