I love this ship so much, I cannot deal with their softness. Of course, I don't own any of the rights to Critical Role, The Mighty Nein, nor D&D. Enjoy!

Caleb awoke suddenly, sharp eyes scanning the surroundings of his room in the Xhorhaus. He wasn't sure what had woken him and his eyes betrayed nothing to him as they looked about the empty room. He raised his hand to summon Frumpkin to his side, but before he could complete the incantation, a voice sounded from deep within his own mind.

"Caleb?"

"Essek?" Caleb whispered into the darkness, instantly recognising the voice calling out to him.

"I'm outside," Essek's voice resonated in Caleb's head and for a moment he paused, tilting his head in a similar manner to that of a confused cat.

"What do you mean you're outside? Outside the house?" Caleb replied, swinging his legs out of bed.

"Yes, come here... don't let anyone else know," Essek spoke the final phrase with a hint of nervousness, though Caleb couldn't possibly fathom why. It wasn't as if any of the Nein would do anything if they knew he was here, aside from probably inviting him in and offering tea. Although, the fact that he had arrived in the middle of the night did raise a few questions. Sighing, Caleb pulled himself to his feet and, as quietly as he could manage, he made his way to the front of the house. Holding the bell still to prevent it from making too much noise, he gently unlatched the door and opened it. There he saw Essek floating- no, he was actually standing on solid ground- in front of him.

"Hello," Essek smiled and, for a brief moment, Caleb lost track of everything but the warm feeling in his chest at the sight of that smile.

"It's a pleasure to see you, as always. But what exactly are you doing here, might I ask?" Caleb whispered, stepping outside and gently shutting the door behind him.

"I came to see you," Essek said simply, as though that was all the explanation that was needed.

"At 4:30 in the morning?" Caleb questioned with a raised eyebrow; it was actually 4:24, but he knew it made him look like an asshole if he was too pedantic about these things.

"Sorry... if this is a bad time, it can wait-" Essek began to turn away but, before Caleb could even think about what he was doing, he caught him by the hand and pulled him back.

"No, it's fine. Honestly, now you've just made me curious," Caleb smiled slightly, trying as hard as he could to not focus on the sensation of Essek's hand fitting perfectly with his own before letting go and allowing his arm to fall back to his side.

"Oh, well... shall we walk and talk?" Essek offered and Caleb nodded. Together, they began walking down the narrow streets of Rosohna, seemingly in a random direction. Unbeknownst to either wizard, Caduceus watched them both from his place underneath the tree atop the Xhorhaus. He smiled to himself as they walked into the distance before rolling over and returning to sleep; this was good, Caleb needed this, he will leave them be.

As they walked, Essek began discussing various arcane signatures and how some could be changed to form new spells and potentially even entirely new schools of magic. Caleb listened intently, offering his thoughts on how schools of magic could be combined and manipulated through time and practise. He became so enraptured by their conversation that he only realised where Essek had subtly been leading them both when they stopped in front of a door- to be specific, the door to Essek's house.

"Would you like to come in?" Essek offered as the latch on the door lifted with a wave of his hand. Slightly bewildered, Caleb offered a silent nod in response. Together, they stepped inside the house and Essek quietly closed the door behind them. Automatically, Caleb began making his way towards Essek's study- he had spent a fair amount of time there recently and he knew the way by heart. But before he could get very far, it was Essek's turn to catch him by the hand and pull him back.

"I'll be honest, I didn't ask you here to discuss spell making," Essek admitted, glancing down at his feet, and suddenly becoming almost shy in Caleb's presence.

"Then why am I here?" Caleb raised an eyebrow, a little confused at Essek's sudden change of demeanour and the fact that he still hadn't let go of his hand yet.

"I, well... I umm want to- I mean, I was just going to..." Essek stumbled over his words and Caleb's confusion changed to concern. Instinctively, he stepped closer to Essek and used his free hand to gently lift his friend's face so their eyes met.

"Is something wrong?" Caleb asked, his fingers lingering by Essek's jaw. Essek's expression softened slightly and, for a moment, the two stood in silence simply looking at one another.

"There was something I wished to tell you. But, it seems I may be having trouble finding the right words," Essek eventually said, barely louder than a whisper.

"That seems very unlike you," Caleb smirked and a quiet laugh escaped Essek's lips, "well, you could always show me; actions speak louder than words and all that,"

"I suppose you're right," Essek smiled, his eyes twinkling with something Caleb couldn't quite figure out. But, before he could question him further, he found Essek's lips pressed against his own. For a moment, he froze, unsure of what to do. Essek quickly started to panic and began to pull away, but Caleb wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him closer. Everything seemed to fade away, until it was just the two of them in each other's embrace, surrounded by infinite time and space. Essek reached up and ran his hand through Caleb's hair as Caleb's grip on his waist tightened, pressing their bodies together. When Essek finally pulled back, he rested his forehead against Caleb's and smiled at the sight of his flushed cheeks and slightly tousled hair.

"My heart is yours, Caleb Widogast," Essek whispered with a finality that he never in his life thought he would be able to express.

"And mine is yours, now and always" Caleb replied, feeling a tug in his chest as he finally let his emotions tumble out of him. They stayed quiet for a while, just feeling the closeness between them, alone together in the darkness of Essek's house.

"You should probably get going, the others will be waking soon and they may wonder where you are" Essek said but made no attempt to move away, and neither did Caleb.

"They'll live without me for a few more hours, I'm sure," Caleb smiled, knowing his friends wouldn't worry too much as long as he returned within the hour.

"Well, in that case..." Essek smirked before kissing Caleb once more, the younger wizard all but melting into his arms as he did so. Okay, Caleb thought to himself, maybe he could stay a little longer than he thought.