ARCANE

033

            They sleep well into the next day.

Wesley can't manage to force himself out of bed. In the middle of the night, Jamie curled up against him, resting his head against Wesley's chest. Now, Wesley tries to pause his body, preventing his lungs from taking in air, so that Jamie doesn't stir Once Jamie wakes up, Wesley knows the moment will be over. After all, they fell asleep on opposite ends of the bed, facing other directions.

Then, Wesley begins to feel guilty for stealing this moment when Jamie wouldn't want it. Wesley nudges Jamie, who groans. The smaller of the two boys rolls off of Wesley, on to his side. Wesley copies his movements so that their faces are only inches apart.

"What time is it?" Jamie mumbles. His hand sloppily wipes away the sleep from his eyes.

Wesley watches Jamie, slowly swallowing. He inches forward, only slightly, and tries to seem more relaxed. Despite this, his shoulders remain tightly wound up. "I've got no clue."

Jamie rolls on his back and stares at the ceiling. There is a skylight above them, and Jamie wonders how he isn't freezing. It can't be Wesley, since the taller boy is always ice cold. In fact, Jamie is beginning to notice that his body is too cold all the time. It can't simply be the cold fall air anymore.

"Well, this day is wasted," Jamie rubs his hands along the coarse sheets. They are foreign, probably because they've been sitting in a cabin in the cold for weeks since anyone else has been here.

It takes everything in Wesley not to curl up against Jamie. He could not think of a better way to spend the day. "I'm sorry."

Jamie turns to Wesley, scrunching his brow. He lets out the softest of breaths, the beginning of a laugh that is cut off by the doubt within him. "What do you mean you're sorry? I'm sorry. I kind of have a habit of blowing things out of proportion."

"I love when you ramble," Wesley exhales. His fingers lift to trace Jamie's lips. Jamie's breath tickles Wesley, causing his spine to shiver and his heart to pound. Whatever Percy thinks (though she has never spoken out loud) about them all being dead can't be true, because Wesley has never felt more alive.

"You love?" Jamie asks. He looks at Wesley, staring at the boy's chilled face. Wesley's face is sharply cut, with a strong jawline and a sharp nose. His eyes always caused Jamie's body to clam up. The harshness Jamie expects from a face like Wesley's is incompatible with the tremors in Wesley's fingers and the softness in his voice.

Wesley nods. "I love."

This time, Jamie leans in. He brushes his lips against Wesley's and then kissed them.

~~~

Hope is on the balcony. Cara notices her when she comes down the stairs. It took Cara longer than usual to get dressed, simply because the clothes don't feel like hers. Since Cara wasn't feeling in a shopping mood at the mall, June had picked up her stuff. While a white sweater and sailor pants aren't abnormal attire for Cara, they are too stiff for today.

"Hey," Eden calls out to Cara, the stairs creaking in his wake. June follows him down into the main room of the cabin. Eden goes out of his way to squeeze behind Cara, just for the excuse to put his hands on her hips if only for a second. He plops down on the couch, an arm outstretched on the back in case Cara sits down.

"What's she doing out there?" June asks, ignoring the pair. She heads over to Hope on the porch.

When June opens the door, Hope turns to face her. It hadn't occurred to Hope that others might be awake, even though it is so late in the day. Hope looks at the three others before she steps into the room.