It had been several nights since Daniel's last night terror, and several nights since he had begun sleeping in the baron's chambers. Alexander was a cryptic fellow at best, and his suggestion had first been offhand, and of dubious sincerity. Daniel had never suspected the kind of blissful sleep that the older man's company would provide. Though Alexander did not always accompany Daniel to bed, he was remarkably unobtrusive. Morning would break on Daniel clear and bright, with no sign but the faint memory of Alexander shrugging off his coat and the scent of rose oil to suggest that he had not slept alone. But tonight, when their work was done and it came time for sleep, Daniel opened the door to Alexander's chambers to discover the old baron already curled up under the heavy velvet sheets.
He had been kind enough to leave the candles lit – a relief, as Daniel still had no stomach for the dark – and slept soundly in spite of them. Daniel stopped at the foot of the bed, mesmerized by the enigmatic man who seemed, then, peculiarly forthcoming. Sleep brought an openness to Alexander's face. Where it was more often difficult to work out just what the man was feeling, sleep provided a sort of clarity. Daniel frowned. He looked so tired, and when he stirred, his brows furrowing, there was a sadness there that arced its way right to Daniel's heart. A little whimper parted Alexander's lips and he burrowed a little more into the velvet. Daniel's first thought was to wake him, but as the baron seemed to sleep so rarely, he did not wish to jeopardize his rest, even if it came to him with some discomfort. He stripped off his jacket and shirt, tossing them onto a chair by the door, and carefully slipped into bed. Another plaintive moan shuddered its way out from the sleeping baron, and sympathy instructed Daniel in what to do next. He reached over and put his hand on top of Alexander's where it clutched at the pillowcase.
"…Daniel…?" One of the baron's mismatched eyes cracked open, glinting tawny in the candlelight. Daniel hushed him, and – later, he would agonize over why he'd felt compelled to do this – pressed a kiss to Alexander's temple.
"Sleep…" That bright eye slid closed again, and the baron's fingers relaxed their grip on the pillow. Daniel twined their fingers, and snuggling closer, he kissed Alexander's hair, and settled down to sleep.