For a while, Damen simply watched him, letting his thoughts drift wherever they may. His longing for this all to be real had never been greater. A sense of peace settled over him, seeing Laurent at rest with him, feeling him let down his defenses and simply lean on him, trusting him enough to fall asleep in his arms.

The sleepy murmur of his own name from Laurent's lips plucked at something tight and aching in his chest. Damen closed his eyes and arched into the soft nuzzle of Laurent tucked against his throat. He hardly dared move a muscle. He wanted this to infinitely last. The only parts of him that stirred were the deep constant breaths filling his chest, the slow graze of hands over Laurent's back.

His. But he could not say it. Not without breaking the beauty of this peace between them.

When sleep began to touch the edges of his own consciousness, Damen drew the slumbering Prince very carefully with him into the bed, tucking sheets and then himself around him. Damen unpinned his chiton and let the fabric simply pool at his waist. He hadn't bothered with any other garments today, nothing underneath that he need remove to sleep freely. The bareness of skin soothed him as he wrapped his chest around Laurent's back, his arms around shoulder and waist, and his forehead curled against soft blond hair.

This evening's fantasy had come true. Who could have ever predicted it?