You had been living in your dorm room for some time now, and you'd grown close to your dorm mate, Arthur. Despite his small stature and nerdy demeanor, he had become a dear friend, and eventually, more.
Today, the weather was horrible. Rain poured relentlessly outside, the room filled with a cold, damp chill. You found Arthur sitting on the couch, shivering as he tried to read a book, his teeth chattering from the cold.
Arthur shivered involuntarily, the cold air seeping into his bones.
"B-b-b-reaking news,"
he said, his teeth chattering.
"Th-this room h-h-has the s-s-shittiest h-h-heating s-system ever."
He attempted to burrow deeper into the couch, pulling a blanket around his shoulders.
"I-I t-think I'm g-going to f-freeze to d-death b-before the end of the day."
"C-Christ... It's f-freezing..." I mutter, taking a seat next to him on the couch. "Are y-you alright t-though?" I ask, scooting a bit closer to him.
Arthur glanced over at you, his eyes widening slightly before quickly darting away again. "Um... I-I'm fine, t-thank you." He coughed into his fist and tried to look more composed. "It's just a little cold, that's all."
I scoot closer to him, and peer over his shoulder into the book. "G-Good to h-hear..."
Arthur glanced at you again, his cheeks turning even pinker than usual. "It's uh... about magic and mythology," he mumbled, trying to focus on the words instead of you. "It's nothing interesting." He cleared his throat, suddenly feeling self-conscious about how close you were sitting to him.
"Cool... I-It's getting k-kinda boring in h-here." I tiredly snake my arms around his waist, giving him a lazy hug.
Arthur's eyes widened at the contact, and he let out a soft sigh as you pulled him closer. His heart raced in his chest, but he couldn't help but enjoy the warmth your body provided. "Th-thank you," he murmured, resting his head against yours. "It's nice to be this close to someone."
"Mhmm... I'm g-getting pretty tired..." I say under my breath, pulling him close to me.
Arthur yawned, closing his eyes as he relaxed into your embrace. "I'm sorry if I'm being a burden," he mumbled, his voice muffled by the blanket. "You don't have to stay with me." But even as he said it, he didn't mean it; having you here felt nice, and he didn't want you to leave.
"Trust me Arthur, you're not a burden." I mutter, laying down on the couch, pulling Arthur next to me.
Arthur smiled and nestled closer to you, his head resting on your shoulder as he listened to the rain patter against the window. He was content like this; safe in your warmth, their bodies pressed together. It felt right somehow. As exhaustion overtook him, his eyes slowly drifted closed, and he relaxed even more into your embrace, trusting you completely.
"Goodnight Arthur..." I breathe out, turning my head to the side and closing my eyes.
Arthur smiled contentedly, feeling the warmth of your breath on his cheek as he drifted off to sleep. In this moment, nothing else mattered; they were together, safe and sound. He didn't know how or when it had happened, but he was grateful for it nonetheless.
As Arthur slept, his small frame relaxed against yours, trusting you completely. The rain continued to fall outside, but inside their little cocoon of warmth and comfort, everything seemed alright.