wait what if anaxa is deeply tired and comes stumbling home to his so? (i wanna give him a widdle kith on the forehead before bed 💞
"anaxa?"
"mmh." your lover's reply is nothing more than a muted hum of acknowledgement. he doesn't look at you, nor does he stop what he's doing, but he does slow down. he does this often, but there's never any disrespectful intent behind his actions; he frequently runs on auto-pilot, too engrossed in his work to give you all of his attention.
but there's no work in front of him right now. anaxa has just come home after a particularly long day; the only thing he really needs to do is shed his clothes and prepare for bed. he seems listless this evening, appearing to glide aimlessly across the floor like a ghost from one corner to the next. watching him like this, you wonder if he's even aware that he's at home.
anaxa pauses for a moment in front of the hooks near your front door. all of your outerwear goes there, yet he stands there with glazed eyes for a moment before turning away. you grimace at the sight and walk over to him.
"anaxa, darling," you try calling his name again. he wordlessly acknowledges you again, but doesn't stop. just as he starts into your bedroom, you catch his sleeve to stop him. "you've yet to take off your coat, my love."
something about the way you address him seems to wake him up just a bit. he slowly turns to face you and you can see the deep shadow under his eye. you brush your knuckle over his cheek, a motion that makes his shoulders sag. "you're exhausted, my love." you tell him. "when was the last time you slept?"
"last night." his eye flutters shut. "albeit not for long."
you purse your lips in thought. he wasn't in bed with you at all last night — or for the past three nights. upon realizing that, you waste no time helping him shrug his coat off of his shoulders. anaxa doesn't resist and helps you. he observes you as you dart about your shared home helping him unwind.
in the blink of an eye you've managed to help him into more comfortable clothing and seat him on the bed. he moves so he's lying down as soon as he touches the mattress, much to your delight. "are you hungry, my love?" you ask as you sit beside him.
he shakes his head. "when i wake later, i—" he's interrupted by a yawn that he fails to stifle in time. "forgive me," he murmurs. "i'll eat later, my dear."
you nod in understanding. you've experienced exhaustion like this before. it breaks your heart to see the indomitable anaxagoras in such a state, but the feeling is overshadowed by relief knowing that he's in your care. you lean down and kiss his forehead, prompting him to close his eye and hum yet again.
"will you join me?" he asks. a hand closes around your wrist and you realize that he's not really asking.
"am i allowed to refuse?" you joke.
he doesn't seem to have the energy to banter with you. "i'd rather you didn't." he pulls you in, and you press another kiss to his forehead. "if you don't want to sleep, then stay. that's all i ask."
your heart melts. "anything for you, my love."
