A Wall Between

Chapter 53

As bedtime neared, Sasha and Cooper brushed their teeth side by side. Afterwards, Sasha settled into his bed while Cooper went to grab his stuff. Cooper had been wearing a T-shirt during their brushing routine, but when he came back, balancing his futon mat atop his head, he had changed into a singlet.

"One sec," Cooper said as he dashed out of the room. When he returned, he had the bedding that had slipped off his futon mat while he was carrying it.

Sasha gave the bed next to him a pat. "We can't sleep together, but we can have goodnight cuddles."

Cooper's eyes lit up. "Ooh," he exclaimed, leaving his bedding in a heap as he made his way to Sasha.

As Cooper climbed onto the bed, Sasha held up the blankets, ready to envelop him in warmth. In Australia, they didn't have the snowy winters some places did, but that often meant being less equipped for the cold they did get. Sasha pulled Cooper close, rubbing his arms to generate some heat. "Do you need another blanket?"

Cooper shook his head with a smile. "Nah, I should be fine."

"Okay, but remember, after lights out, we only talk if it's something important. And needing another blanket? That's definitely important. Don't stay cold."

Cooper smiled and wriggled closer, draping an arm across Sasha's chest and resting his forehead against Sasha's shoulder. "I love you," he murmured.

Sasha responded with a gentle pat on Cooper's head, "I love you too."

They lay in contented silence for a bit, but Sasha knew better than to expect complete quiet from Cooper. True to form, Cooper broke the silence after a few minutes. "Did you know blobfish don't really look the way they do in those pictures?"

"'Like what'?" Sasha prodded.

"Like, you know, all blobby," Cooper explained. "In their natural habitat, they're pretty ordinary-looking. It's only when they're taken out of the deep sea and exposed to rapid decompression that they get that blobby appearance. Kind of makes them relatable, right? Just because you turn into a mess outside your usual environment doesn't mean that's who you really are."

"Hm. What's my natural environment?"

Cooper leaned up to plant a gentle kiss on Sasha's cheek. "Right here with me, baby."

Sasha's response was a soft "Mm," his eyes closing and a smile spreading across his lips. "Okay."

They lay together for a while longer until Sasha started to get yawny and then Cooper moved to the floor. Sasha could still hear the occasional rustle and shift as Cooper settled in, but the distance made it less intrusive. It didn't feel like an interruption anymore, allowing Sasha to drift off to sleep as easily as he usually did.

#

Sasha was drifting between sleep and wakefulness the next morning when he heard Cooper quietly rise and sneak out of the room. A smile tugged at Sasha's lips as Cooper gently closed the door with the slightest whisper of a sound. Despite his usual impulsive nature, Cooper always poured his full heart into the things that mattered.

Stretching languidly, Sasha thought back on his night. He'd woken up once to go to the toilet and he'd spent a few seconds squinting into the darkness, trying to make out the shape of Cooper's sleeping form on the floor, but afterwards he'd gone straight back to sleep. Sure, not every night might be this smooth, but if this was what sharing a room with Cooper usually looked like, it was something Sasha could happily get used to.

Cooper continued to share Sasha's room after that. There were nights when Sasha lay awake a bit longer, tuned into the sounds of Cooper moving, or was jolted awake by Cooper getting up to pee, but overall it wasn't too bad and Sasha figured he'd gradually get used to the noise.