Silver Ch. 06

"We will conduct our own from here and 'Silver'," Tristam said. "We can go through everything via the ship's AI. We will find this threat."

****

As night fell, Xavier and Theophilus were readying themselves to sleep. Neither male was dressed and so at the gentle tap to their door, Theophilus sat amongst the cushions, carefully shielding himself as Xavier checked who it was. He gave a smile, inviting Uist and Sholto into the room. The cat-man wore sleep pants and Sholto an oversized t-shirt. Sholto looked exhausted, but his stomach had become unsettled and they had retired earlier than the other two couples.

"We cannot rest," Uist growled.

Theophilus had risen instantly and drew Sholto into a hug. He felt the auburn-haired human snuffle at his neck. Smiling, he urged Sholto into the nest to lie alongside him. His smile widened as the smaller man curled on his side, burying his face against Theophilus' shoulder and fell asleep almost instantly. Sholto had always settled quickly when able to breathe the natural, sweet scent of the blond.

"Sholto is fine here, my brother," Theophilus whispered. "Do you wish to sleep here, too?"

Before Uist could reply, there was a second tap and no one in the room was surprised to find Rayner and Tristam outside.

As Tristam, Uist and Xavier murmured quietly amongst themselves, Rayner simply joined Theophilus and Sholto, taking his place at Theophilus' other side. He, too, had been unsettled for a while, the stress of the day taking its toll. He just wanted to be as close to his husband and brothers as possible and had been sure Uist and Sholto would be thinking the same. He gave a wordless sound of thanks as Theophilus' arm encircled him and he mimicked Sholto's position, both humans' hands entwining over the gentle swell of Theophilus' stomach.

Theophilus decided to let the others make their own decisions about where they slept. He was content to look after Sholto and Rayner and was sleeping just seconds after the brunette.

Xavier smiled at the three sleepers as Uist and Tristam argued quietly about taking shifts on guard duty. He gently squeezed their shoulders to get their attention.

"Join your husbands and sleep well, my brothers," the reptilian smiled. "I can remain awake without difficulty through the night and rest with my beloved tomorrow. Go," he added as the two men hesitated, yet looked longingly at where those they loved slept. Xavier watched as Uist and Tristam curled around their husbands, the bigger men's hands coming to rest over the entwined hands of Rayner and Sholto. Nodding his approval, the lizard moved to place himself between his family and the door, taking a weapon and his laptop. He knew the house was well-protected, but it made him feel better.

It was going to be hard on all of them until the new threat was eliminated.