writing drabble - ocs (alexei&riley, onesided alexei/riley)
mostly here for ease of sending to people but if the masses see it then yay
cw/tw for internalised homophobia and very slight self harm mention ♡
The unit had to do missions in the human cities sometimes. Regrettably, this meant sleeping in hotels, in whatever pair they ended up in. This time, it was Alexei and Riley.
Riley had been assigned to help Alexei - an offensive idea, really, that he could only help - and thus, they were standing with a temporary handler, waiting to be allowed into their room.
Riley expected something like they usually got. A shitty room, with two tiny single beds. He did not expect the words 'double room' and 'queen bed' to come out of the receptionist's mouth. Handler nodded, taking the key and clicking his fingers at his hip before starting to walk. The hybrids both followed the command, obediently padding after him.
The queen bed looked comfortable, neither would deny that. But it was also intimidating. Alexei sat on the edge, the pinnacle of confidence as he listened to Handler explain when he'd be there to pick them up in the morning. All the while, Riley was standing tensely, staring at the bed. Only one. A small part of him, one that he regularly stamped down, felt a flutter of warmth, of excitement. The rest just felt horror.
Handler left, and Alexei looked up at Riley, gentle. Always gentle. Never harsh. It was a jarring difference between them - where Riley used his claws and teeth, Alexei always tried to speak first. Alexei removed his muzzle with a practiced effortlessness, and reached for the water they'd been left.
"You can sit, you know." Alexei said, voice holding that usual rasp of pain. Riley still just stared.
After a few long moments of unblinking eye contact, Riley moved. He removed his own muzzle, and then set it down slowly. Shaking, he took in a breath, trying to calm himself.
"It is just a bed." Alexei piped up unhelpfully. It had the same effect as petting a skittish cat - Riley stepped back again.
"Riley... Come here." He said, lower this time. More firm. Riley obeyed, it was in his nature. "Sit down. Get comfortable. If you need, you can fall asleep first and I will join in the night."
A small smile snuck its way onto Riley's face, and it felt like a betrayal of his very being. Here was Alexei, a paragon of sweetness, despite their upbringing.
"..Okay." He whispered. Then, he finally sat down, moving to unlace his boots and get comfortable. Alexei padded away, going to make tea or god knows what to keep himself busy while Riley got situated.
Deep in the night, Riley stirred, feeling a weight over his middle. He blinked, eyes still blurry, and glanced down. A momentary shock passed over him when he processed it was Alexei's arm, holding him, practically cuddling him.
A wave of complicated disgust hit him, and he shuffled away as subtly as he could - even in his upset, he didn't want to wake up the other man. The space of his midriff that Alexei had been holding felt burnt; he knew, logically, that friends or colleagues being close was fine. But it felt different with Alexei. There was an undercurrent of feelings he wasn't willing to think about.
Riley glanced at the steadily blinking alarm clock. It was barely past midnight, he must have fallen asleep quickly though since he didn't remember Alexei coming into the bed. A flitting appreciation hit him for the fact Alexei had followed through on the offer to wait; he had put in the effort to make Riley comfortable, safe.
He sat up, then got up fully off the bed. May as well shower now, he wouldn't have time in the morning and he didn't know when next he'd get chance.
As he clinically washed himself, he thought back to Alexei, still soundly asleep in the bed. Why had he even gotten that close? Best case, it was unconscious. Or.. would the best case be purposeful?
Riley scrubbed harder, as if trying to get those thoughts away by distracting himself with rough pain.
Eventually, he returned to bed, after thoroughly drying himself. He decided it was to make sure the bed didn't get damp, instead of a desperate measure to avoid the proximity again. Regardless of reason, he fell back asleep quick (he told himself it wasn't thanks to being close to Alexei). He made sure to be further apart on the bed this time, just for good measure.