Nyanta's footsteps echoed throughout The Roderick Firm's research building as he made his way towards the back of the large room. Normally the place would be bustling with activity as people busied themselves with researching the world of Elder Tale that the adventurers had found themselves trapped in. However, in the early hours of the morning, it was eerily quiet due to the guild members having retired to bed.
Well, most of them had gone to bed anyway.
He didn't know for sure yet, but Nyanta had a feeling that Roderick was still awake, toiling away with his latest subject of research. When he had paid his first visit to the Rod Lab to deliver a message from Shiroe to Roderick, Nyanta had not been surprised to hear that the latter had skipped his lunch due to being too absorbed in his work. Nyanta couldn't just let him go hungry, so he invited Roderick out for some ramen, and he had thought that would have been the last of their interactions.
However, as someone who loved to cook for others and make sure that those he cared for were eating properly, the fact that Roderick was so prone to skipping meals kept gnawing at the back of his mind. So, Nyanta had taken it upon himself to check up on him every now and then, after stopping by the ramen stand to grab them both a hot meal to share. Nine times out of ten, Nyanta did indeed find the overworking researcher bent over his desk, lost in a pile of paperwork with his stomach growling so loud that Nyanta could hear it from a few desks away. If he wasn't such a patient person, Nyanta might have been annoyed at having to take so much care of him, but Roderick always seemed grateful for his efforts, and he very much enjoyed the company of the enthusiastic man of science.
Maybe a little too much…
So much so that Nyanta found himself visiting less because of the need to keep Roderick fed and healthy, and more so because of his unexpected and rapidly-growing feelings for the man.
It had shocked Nyanta when he had finally figured out why he enjoyed his late-night visits to the Rod Lab so much, because after losing his wife all those years ago, he never thought that he would ever be able to love someone like that again.
And yet, the way that Nyanta's heartbeat quickened whenever Roderick smiled after finally noticing that he was there, and the feeling of peace that he felt when they casually talked about their Elder Tale lives (and sometimes their real lives as well), and how happy he felt just watching Roderick enjoy the meals that he brought him told Nyanta that this couldn't be anything other than the beginnings of love.
Nyanta's eyes widened and ears twitched when he finally spotted Roderick's desk, which was a bright spot in the otherwise dark room, due to the many vials containing glowing liquids of various colors that were strewn about the surface. As he had expected, Roderick himself was indeed still here, and that caused Nyanta to sigh and shake his head.
Roderick was bent over a sheet of paper, one of many scattered haphazardly over the surface of his desk. His pen was pressed against the paper, but his hand was still. Nyanta's gaze moved to Roderick's face, and he took note of the dark bags under his half-lidded eyes, that looked like they would slip shut any second now.
"Another late night, Roderick?" Nyanta said, and a smile tugged at his lips when Roderick didn't respond right away. A few seconds ticked by, before Roderick's head snapped up and his back went straight. His eyes went wide as his arm knocked into one of the glowing bottles on his desk, and Nyanta quickly reached out to steady it before it could fall over. He chuckled when Roderick breathed a sigh of relief, and Roderick's gaze finally fell onto him.
"O-Oh, Nyanta...I didn't notice you there." Roderick barely got the words out before he had to stifle a large yawn, and he pushed his glasses up so that he could rub at his eyes. Nyanta smiled and shook his head.
"I feel like if there was an entire raid happening in here, you wouldn't have noticed that either." Roderick blinked at Nyanta, before letting out a sheepish chuckle as he shrugged and ran a hand through his messy hair.
"You...are probably right." He sighed and slumped back in his chair, wincing slightly as he rubbed at his temples. "What time is it, anyway?"
"A little past 3am."
"It's that late already?" Roderick groaned and smacked a hand against his face. "No wonder I feel like I could pass out at any given moment."
A small smile crossed Nyanta's face as he pulled the chair from the neighboring desk next to Roderick's and sat down. "If you keep running yourself ragged like this, you'll be the first to find out if we adventurers can die of something other than combat in this world."
"I know, I know. There's just so much to research, so much that we still don't know." Nyanta placed a hand on Roderick's shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze as the latter worried his bottom lip between his teeth. "After what happened to Crusty, I've been trying to learn all I can about the flavor text of different weapons, but it's proving to be a rather daunting task."
"Well, if anyone can do it, it's you and your guild. I have the utmost faith in you, Roderick." Nyanta's heart skipped a beat when Roderick smiled at him. It was a tired smile, but beautiful nonetheless, and the fact that it was directed at him made it even more special to Nyanta.
"Thank you, I really appreciate the vote of confidence," Roderick said. He opened his mouth to say more, but he suddenly took a deep breath through his nose and raised an eyebrow.
"Mmm, something smells really good, what is it?"
A small smile crossed Nyanta's face as he reached into the bag that he had brought with him; he had almost forgotten about it. "I had a feeling that you might be working late again, and probably neglected to feed yourself - again - so I brought you a very late dinner."
Roderick's eyes lit up when Nyanta pulled out two steaming bowls of ramen. "Oh! I didn't know the ramen stand was open this late."
"It's not." Nyanta somehow managed to keep a straight face as he swallowed thickly to try and chase away the nerves that had suddenly taken residence within his gut. "I decided to try my hand at making my own ramen, and wanted to make some for you too." Nyanta neglected to mention that the only reason that he wanted to make his own ramen was because he wanted to make something for Roderick specifically. Making food for others was a love language for Nyanta, and he had a very faint hope that Roderick may catch on to that fact.
Roderick's eyes widened as he stared down at the bowl in front of him as a delighted smile crossed his face. "So, I finally get to eat the cooking of the person who figured out how to make food taste good in this world? I'm excited to try it!"
Nyanta laughed at Roderick's enthusiasm; the delivery of food always seemed to make him perk right up, no matter how exhausted he was. This relaxed side of him was a rare sight, as Roderick was usually so serious about his research and running his guild smoothly, and Nyanta was glad that he felt comfortable enough around him to let his guard down. Nyanta handed Roderick a pair of chopsticks and silently watched as he wasted no time in trying a bite.
"Oh, this is incredible," Roderick said, his eyes slipping shut as he let out a content sigh after taking two more large bites, "Nyanta, you really are a master chef. You could win anyone over with just a single taste of this ramen."
"They do say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach." The words tumbled out of Nyanta's mouth before he could stop himself, and he felt his cheeks start to burn; he was glad that his face was covered in fur to hide his blush.
"A man's heart, huh?" Roderick chuckled as he cast a sidelong glance at Nyanta. "Well, with your cooking prowess, you should have no trouble winning anyone's heart."
Nyanta smiled in response as he turned his attention back to his own bowl of ramen. He could only hope for that to be true, as the very man that his own heart longed for was sitting right before him, eating his cooking like it was the most delicious thing in the world.
"I do appreciate you always looking out for me, Nyanta," Roderick said between bites, and Nyanta raised a curious eyebrow, "and I enjoy spending these evenings with you. It's nice to talk to someone my own age."
"I agree. Everyone in Log Horizon is so young compared to me."
"It's the same in my guild. It's a shame that so many children got mixed up in this mess."
Nyanta nodded slowly as he chewed his food, a thoughtful look crossing his face. It had shocked Nyanta to find how many of his fellow adventurers were actually children in real life, especially when he had saved the scared and vulnerable Serara in Susukino. Even the likes of Shiroe and Naotsugu were still at least ten years younger than him, maybe even more so. Roderick, however, was one of the few people that Nyanta had met in this game that was similar in age to him.
They didn't talk too much about their real lives, but from what they did mention to each other, Nyanta knew that Roderick was also a devoted man of science regardless of which world he was in. Nyanta had also found that they had suffered similar tragedies regarding the sudden loss of loved ones, but that was something that neither of them wanted to talk about in detail and they both respected that.
It made Nyanta feel less alone, knowing that there was someone here who knew the kind of pain that scarred his heart, and maybe that was why his heart yearned for Roderick so badly. It didn't help that the man was also incredibly kind-hearted, always lending his knowledge to help the greater good and teach others how to do the same, even if he pushed himself too far sometimes. But that was something that Nyanta was all too happy to help Roderick out with.
"It is indeed unfortunate, but I do admire how you've taken so many young ones under your wing," Nyanta said, "Many of them almost rival you in their enthusiasm for learning and research."
Roderick's cheeks flushed at that, and he shrugged as he averted his gaze. "I suppose so, and I'm glad that all of them haven't picked up my bad eating and sleeping habits."
"I don't think The Roderick Firm would survive for long if they did." Nyanta grinned when Roderick laughed and shook his head.
"You're not wrong, but you don't have to say it, you know."
They continued to chat about whatever came to their minds as they ate, until Roderick set his empty bowl down onto the desk and stretched out his arms.
"Ah, that was wonderful! Thank you again, Nyanta. I didn't realize exactly how hungry I was," Roderick said, a glint of determination appearing in his eyes as he picked up his pen again, "Now I just need to finish this-"
"You really should go to bed, Roderick."
"But I still have so much work to do…" Roderick mumbled, letting out a sheepish chuckle when he saw Nyanta frowning at him, "Er, maybe I could just...rest my eyes for a bit."
Nyanta's gaze softened as he watched Roderick close his eyes, his head tilting forward slightly. "Alright, if you insist." Nyanta watched him for a few moments, not really wanting to leave, but it would be awkward to just sit around while Roderick was napping. He was about to get up from his chair, when Roderick's head abruptly fell to rest on Nyanta's shoulder, causing him to freeze. His heart leapt into his throat when he heard Roderick's breathing slow, and his pulse raced when he felt Roderick's hand brush against his own.
Nyanta guessed that Roderick must have been much more exhausted than he had first realized if the latter had fallen asleep that quickly. At least, Nyanta assumed he was asleep, because Roderick's hand had slipped into his own, and there was no way that would happen if he was still awake. Nyanta's fingers twitched with uncertainty, until he made up his mind and carefully entwined their fingers together. He might as well enjoy this brief physical contact while it lasted, as there was no way that a conscious Roderick would want to hold hands with him.
A few moments ticked by until Nyanta finally made himself glance at Roderick's face, and he bit his lip to suppress a laugh. Roderick's glasses sat askew on his face, pushed into an awkward position by the way he was resting on Nyanta's shoulder. He carefully lifted his free hand to Roderick's face and removed his glasses, folding them and placing them gently onto the desk.
Nyanta looked back at Roderick and noticed that his messy hair had fallen into his face. His hand seemed to move on its own as he reached up and gently brushed Roderick's hair out of his eyes. It was soft, and Nyanta thought that the silver-blue color suited him, especially in contrast to the dark blue of the Ritian tattoo on his face. He seemed so peaceful like this, and Nyanta couldn't help but want to help Roderick feel this peace more often as he continued to gently brush his fingers through his hair absentmindedly.
"Nyanta."
He froze, fingers still settled in Roderick's hair; he was apparently not as asleep as Nyanta had expected. His face felt like it had caught fire as his eyes locked with the one that Roderick had cracked open, and Nyanta's heart skipped a beat when a soft smile crossed his face.
"Thank you, for...everything," Roderick whispered as he fully entwined his fingers with Nyanta's, and he gave his hand a squeeze as his eye slipped shut again. Nyanta felt him relax against him, and Roderick's breathing evened out, telling Nyanta that he had really fallen asleep this time.
Nyanta watched him for a moment, not quite believing that this was actually happening, before he let out a soft chuckle. Well, if he was dreaming this all up, then it was a damn good dream. Nyanta gently let his head fall to rest against Roderick's, and he finally whispered a response as he closed his eyes.
"You are most welcome, Roderick."