Rolling over in bed for the tenth time, Seba glared at the other three pillows he'd tossed about while trying to get comfortable. He could tell by the light coming in through his balcony windows that it wasn't even midnight yet. Wonderful. Moving onto his back, he sighed up at the ceiling as he heard his pup panting quietly in the other room. 

He's not asleep...

The thought to call him over immediately made itself known in his mind, but he quickly tamped it down with a shake of his head against his pillow. He couldn't just call him over. They'd talked earlier about the new restrictions that his master had placed on them. He'd been mad about the new situation at first, but now he wasn't sure what to think. He'd thought that not having Ruoka in his personal space, watching him, waiting on him, would allow him to relax a bit more, but it seemed like it was somehow having the opposite affect. 

Turning onto his side, Seba looked out the window. The moon stared back at him, silently judging his unease. It somehow felt as if it were intentionally shining its light specifically on him to point out his own recent mistakes.

With a quiet grumble, he rolled onto his other side, giving the moon his back as he snuggled further beneath the covers. 

Go to sleep.  

He forced his eyes to close and relaxed his body... only to blink them open again a short time later as a scowl covered his face. 

Master, is everything alright? 

Seba immediately sat up at hearing Ruoka's voice, but after a quick scan of his room with his tired, slightly blurry eyes, he realized that the man's voice had been in his head. He was about to respond with nonchalance, but stopped himself before he could. 

I can't sleep. 

He could sense Ruoka's unease from his response, but when the werewolf didn't end up responding, he sent him another thought. 

Why are you still awake? 

Ruoka only took a moment to answer that question. 

I was waiting for you to fall asleep, but I kept hearing you tossing and turning in bed. 

Seba felt a blush try to color his cheeks, but he hadn't fed recently so they would likely remain pale, hiding his embarrassment as he fell back down to the blankets with a quiet grumble. 

Go to sleep. I'll be fine. 

Is that an order? Ruoka asked calmly. 

Seba felt his brow furrow as he sat up again and stared at his closed door. 

"An order?" he whispered to himself, surprised at the man's question. 

No, of course not. I just don't want you to stay up for me. You should rest. 

He heard Ruoka move around a bit in his own bed before he replied calmly. 

I understand, but I am not tired yet. 

"Oh," Seba whispered, a little more embarrassed that he was taking things so seriously. 

It made sense that Ruoka wouldn't be tired. Werewolves didn't need to sleep as often as normal humans. 

I have to sleep as often as normal humans... and sometimes, more often, he thought to himself.  

Feeling his stomach twist with both frustration and hunger, Seba settled back down and pulled the blankets up over his head. He stayed like that for quite some time, glaring at the underside of his blanket, until he heard Ruoka begin to scratch at an itch in the other room. 

You're in your wolf form? he asked abruptly as his chest tightened the slightest bit. It wasn't stressful when Ruoka was on the bed with him in his wolf form...

Yes, I am more comfortable with it, Ruoka replied calmly. 

Nudging his blanket away again, Seba curled up and looked toward his door. 

Will you come here? 

He quickly turned and buried his face in his pillow the moment he'd thought the words to Ruoka, but he couldn't take them back. It had to have been his exhausted mind thinking for him. When Ruoka didn't respond right away, Seba turned his head and looked over toward the wall that their rooms shared. When he did finally get a response, it wasn't what he'd expected, at all. 

Not as a wolf. 

"But you just said that you're more comfortable as a wolf," he mumbled as he tugged his blankets back up to tuck against his chin. 

I am, but if I am to come to master's room and share his bed for the evening, I will do it only as my human self. 

Seba pursed his lips as he quickly rolled over to face away from the wall they shared. 

"Stubborn, illogical wolf," he grumbled as he made himself close his eyes again. 

He actually did manage to sleep for a little while, but the next time he opened his eyes it was clear that only an hour or so had passed. Tears began to pool in his now-aching eyes as his lower lip began to quiver. Trying not to make enough sound to alert Ruoka, if he was still awake, Seba reached forward and tugged an extra pillow against his chest to burry his face in. 

I'm so tired. 

A headache began to throb behind his eyes as he hugged the pillow tighter. Several different thoughts ran about in his exhausted mind. One wanted him to go downstairs and feed, while another wanted him to beg Ruoka to come to his room, human or not. 

He heard his wolf move a little bit in the other room, then begin panting again. 

I'm sorry if I woke you, Seba thought to him immediately without thinking his words through. He was just too tired for that. 

It is alright, was Ruoka's only response, making him realize that he had, in fact, disturbed his sleep. 

 Rolling slowly onto his back, Seba tried to blink away the blurriness from his vision as he began to feel some of the muscles in his body start to ache. 

I need to go feed.

Turning his head on the pillow, he eyed the pull-bell for the servant's quarters. It wouldn't wake anyone up, but it would get the attention of the one or two people responsible for the overnight shift. 

He was just considering reaching for it when he heard the sound of nails on the hardwood floor right outside his room. Seba quickly pushed himself up, but nearly fell right back down as his head spun for a few seconds. As soon as it settled he looked over toward his door. He could see a shadow from something pacing beyond it, but everything was still too blurry to make out specifics. The familiar scent that came to him a few moments later, however, confirmed his suspicion about who it would be. 

"Ruoka? What are you doing up?" he asked before lifting his arm to cover a string of coughs. 

Master needs to feed, Ruoka replied as he continued to pace in small circles outside his door. 

"You know that I can't feed off of you."

The paws outside his door stopped abruptly right before a nose lowered to the tiny opening beneath it and huffed out a breath.  

I will get you something to drink, Ruoka eventually said before Seba heard the sound of his paws disappearing down the stairs. He carefully got himself out of bed, but the walk to the door was a bit harder since he wasn't feeling well. Thus, by the time he actually got there and managed to grab the door handle with a shaky hand, he could hear Ruoka returning up the main staircase. 

Wait, he'd shifted? 

There was no way paws sounded that loud on the stairs. Just the thought of opening the door up to see a naked Ruoka made him hesitate just long enough so that when he did finally open the door, what he saw standing on the other side was a quietly panting wolf sitting behind a goblet of blood. 

"You're the best," Seba said with a slightly scratchy voice as he knelt down and picked up the cup of blood. 

He downed it in just a few moments as he leaned against the doorjamb. When it was completely empty his eyes closed as he let the blood begin to settle throughout his system. When he finally forced them to open again, now fighting with just his normal exhaustion, he was surprised to see Ruoka beginning to walk back to his own room. 

"W-wait!" he whispered abruptly as he took a step out of his room. 

Ruoka stopped immediately and turned around, then tilted his head curiously. 

Is there anything else I can help master with? 

Seba looked down at the floor for a moment before hunching his shoulders a little. He was so tired, and while he probably would be able to finally fall asleep now that he wasn't extremely hungry, he doubted that he'd be able to rest for long without...

"Are you sure that you don't want to rest in my room as just your wolf?" Seba asked, then hurried to add, "I wouldn't bother you. You can have as much of the bed as you'd like, too." 

Ruoka calmed his quiet panting as he looked up at Seba, meeting his eyes with his beautiful soft brown ones. 

Master...

Seba fidgeted with the hem of his nightshirt as he waited for Ruoka to finish deciding what he wished to say. 

Master, if you wish for me to rest with you as a wolf, I will. 

He couldn't hold back his overjoyed smile, but it died on his lips as his pup continued speaking. 

Once you are asleep, however, I will return to my human form for the remainder of the night. 

Licking his lips nervously, Seba lifted a hand and rubbed at the back of his neck. He could feel the blood try to color his cheeks now that he was fed, but thankfully he managed to calm himself fast enough to keep a blush from appearing. 

"U-um, I guess that's okay... but you'll put on a pair of undergarments after you shift back, right?" he asked quietly. 

Ruoka sat down a few feet away as he considered his request. It didn't take him long, however, to decide on a response. 

No. I will not. 

Okay, he was absolutely blushing now, but thankfully Ruoka didn't seem interested in pointing it out as he watched him silently. 

Master would surely wake up if I got out of bed to get dressed. You like to hug my wolf, too.

He... actually wasn't wrong. Just the thought of having Ruoka's wolf in bed with him had his arms itching to hug his soft pup to his chest and nuzzle his face into his warm fur. 

"You'll wait till I'm completely asleep before you shift, though?" Seba asked, needing to at least double check what was going to happen. 

He was honestly past the point of being able to tell him to go back to his own room, anyways. There was no way he was going to be able to rest well unless he had Ruoka's wolf beside him. It would be a shock waking up next to Ruoka's naked human form, but the sleep would hopefully be worth that little startled start to his day. 

Yes. I will not shift until you are comfortably asleep. 

With that much-needed reassurance, Seba gave an understanding nod and walked back into his room. He quickly set the empty glass he'd been holding on top of his dresser, then hurried into bed. He was just settling beneath the covers when Ruoka's wolf slowly stepped into the room. It calmly nudged the door closed with its nose, then turned and stalked toward him. 

Why does he suddenly look hungry? 

Before Seba could question his sudden change in demeanor, the wolf was hopping up onto his bed. Its large paws easily traversed the slightly uneven terrain of the layered blankets, then turned as it got to the top of the bed before abruptly leaning down to shove its muzzle beneath the mound of blankets. He then flipped them up just high enough to give himself enough room to dart beneath them. 

Seba couldn't help but chuckle quietly as he reached forward and tugged his wolf firmly up against himself, then nuzzled contently into his soft fur. He knew that he would wake up to a human man in his arms, and not a wolf, but he would just accept that situation. Maybe he could even learn to get used to it... 

Are you asleep yet, master? 

Seba felt his face immediately warm as he snuggled further into Ruoka's fur, shaking his head at the same time. He heard a faint chuckle in the back of his mind at his response, then realized that Ruoka had been teasing him. 

There's no way I'm going to get used to this. 

(Edited)