Darkness met his blurry vision as Marsh drowsily opened his eyes. His mind couldn't focus, but the need to pee dragged him out of his slumber. He'd never been in such a hibernation and it was hard to function through the constant cloud of exhaustion settled in his mind.

"Marshall?"

Marsh hadn't even realized that he'd made it to the hallway until he heard Walker call out to him quietly.

"Are you alright?" the man asked as he walked up and knelt down in front of him, making Marsh give a quiet grumble. He'd meant for it to be a loud warning growl, but he couldn't muster up enough energy to raise the volume or even bare his teeth.

The sound he did put a small smile on Walker's face as he reached forward and gently touched Marsh's injured leg. It had been healing decently well, but it still made him limp often, especially when he wasn't paying attention.

"Go 'way," he eventually mumbled as he shuffled around the man and headed toward the bathroom.

He felt eyes watching him as he moved, but didn't expect Walker to suddenly run up behind him and press a hand to his forehead to stop him from walking. The action woke him up a little more, resulting in a quick but sloppy bite to the man's wrist, though he couldn't break the skin. A hint of satisfaction welled in his belly when he heard Walker hiss behind him and remove his hand, but then he realized what he'd been doing and actually felt a little bad. He'd stopped him from walking face-first into the closed bathroom door.

Turning, Marshall nervously looked up at Walker's smiling face in the darkness. He couldn't understand why the man still looked happy. He didn't bite him hard since he felt like he was permanently half asleep, but it still probably hurt.

"It's alright. I know that running up to you like that would probably get me a reprimand, but I didn't want you to hurt yourself by accident. It's my fault that you're here, anyways, so I should protect you while you're hibernating.

Marsh blinked up at him, but was struggling to get his mind to register a response. When he felt Walker settled a hand on his head for a brief moment, he frowned, then slowly turned as the man walked around him to open the door, then hold it for him.

"You needed to use the restroom, right? Go ahead, I'll wait."

Having nothing else to say, Marsh walked in and, catching himself right before he peed in the bathtub for the third time, he turned and used the toilet. Once he was done he flushed, then did his best to wash his hands while still in his daze.

When he stepped out of the room a few minutes after entering, Walker was waiting for him with his usual smile.

"Here, let me help a second before you go back to bed?" he asked as he slowly reached forward, giving Marsh plenty of time to retreat, but he didn't feel any hostility, so he let him gently grasp one of his hands and press the edge of his T-shirt against his damp skin, drying it.

Walker did the same with his other one, then stepped out of the way and nodded toward his room, which had technically become Marsh's. He'd been sleeping on the sofa downstairs but often came up to check on him. He could hear the door creak every so often in the back of his sleeping mind.

Marsh remained still as he processed the situation. Walker figured that he was doing just that and carefully stepped around him to go relieve himself in the bathroom.

When the man stepped back out a few minutes later, Marsh looked up and over his shoulder at him.

"Is everything okay? Are you hungry or thirsty? I can go get you whatever you need."

Was he hungry? Not really, Walker had been bringing him food if he didn't come down. He also wasn't thirsty, as the man had left a large container of filtered water beside his bed on the nightstand so that he could have it whenever he liked. He also kept it refilled and cool with some ice cubes.

He turned and took a step closer to Walker, curious what his reaction might be. The guy's eyes widened slightly and his right foot took a half-step back.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, confused.

Marsh took several minutes to configure his response through his hazy mind, but when he finally spoke, he was pretty sure that he had the words right.

"You should sleep in your room."

He knew that Walker would protest, but he didn't feel like trying to wade his way through an actual conversation. Exhaustion was permanently heavy on his mind and body, so he simply reached out and took the man's wrist, then turned and slowly walked back toward the room. His den of blankets was plenty big enough for another bear... he could share for at least one night. Besides... the guy definitely ran warmer than himself, and the added heat was not something Marsh could easily pass up.

Walker seemed hesitant to follow him, but he didn't fight the tug from Marsh's hand as he guided him back to his room. He also blocked Marsh from smacking his forehead on the doorjamb by accident, again. His bad eye just wasn't getting better and it made walking around at night, especially while in a daze, that much more tricky.

I can use him as extra vision, too.

He might have felt bad about it, since he continuously tried to kill the guy, but Walker hadn't exactly been perfect. He'd kidnapped him, twice, and caused his injuries, to an extent.

With a slight, rare smile, Marsh pulled Walker over to the bed and then turned around to face the guy who was staring at him like he was about to be eaten by his bear.

He eyed his clothed body briefly, but then realized that there was a damp spot on the man's shirt because he'd used it to dry his hands earlier. Not wanting to accidentally brush against the cold area, he reached forward and grabbed the hem, then tried to yank it over Walker's head... but because of his foggy mind, he was just tugging the guy closer to him.

"You want me to take it off?" Walker questioned after a moment as he awkwardly grabbed the edge of the shirt and pulled it up and over his head.

Marsh reached forward before Walker had even dropped the shirt, pressing against his chest with a satisfied grumble. He was warm. He would do.

Without hesitation, Marsh grabbed Walker's wrist and pulled him onto the bed, then beneath the huge mound of blankets he'd used to make his den. The bigger guy seemed to have some trouble getting into the mass of blankets without knocking over his hard work, but he took his time making sure not to mess anything up too badly.

Marsh tried to fix a few of the holes, but eventually just nudged Walker until the guy was lying on his back, then flopped over onto his chest with one arm draped over to the other side. He was out seconds later with the added warmth, completely uninterested in whether Walker was having a mental breakdown about it or not... which he was.







What is sleep?

Ranger looked out into the darkness as he sat lounging on the long seat there, yawning for the tenth time that night. It was already close to two in the morning, but his previous run-in with Heian was seriously bothering him. The worst part? He'd left with his favorite lasso still around his neck!

He wanted it back, but that meant that he'd likely have to go over to the guy's property.

Wait. He wouldn't bring that into the house. He'd leave it out in his barn... maybe the tack room.

Standing up abruptly, he felt a jolt of energy zip through his body as he shoved the window open, then slipped on his sneakers and hopped up onto the ledge.

"I'll just go get it. It's mine, anyways," he thought out loud as he carefully hopped down to the ground.

His shift helped him handle jumping from higher heights, making it easy to slip past his mother who would, no doubt, hear him trying to open the front door at such a late hour and question him till he spilled everything.

Tch, nothing to spill.

He'd forgotten a coat, but he didn't plan to be out long enough for it to matter. His shift made his body run hotter than most, anyways, and he was wearing his dark red flannel pajamas, too. He easily ran the distance separating the edge of their two properties, his muscles warming up, making it tolerable.

After clearing the main fence, Ranger heard the sound of a horse whinnying far off in the distance.

Probably that black mare that I always see running up to us when I return Heian's black stallion.

Shrugging off the thought, Ranger slowed his pace slightly, allowing himself to catch his breath. It took him about fifteen minutes, walking at a brisk pace, to see his neighbor's horse pasture come into view. It was next to his house, just like their own. He kept quite a few beautiful Frisians, but Ranger never noticed a male anywhere within the herd the previous times he'd been on the property.

As he approached the last few feet, the mare that had likely been the one making noise ran over to him. He chuckled at her enthusiasm so late at night, a bit surprised that she wasn't in the barn because of the temperature.

"Hey girl, aren't you cold?" he asked as he reached up to pat her nose, then moved his hand to her neck after he easily cleared the fence, then began walking with her toward the barn off in the distance.

She snorted and trotted ahead of him for a moment before turning back and prancing around him in a circle.

"I wish I had your energy. Haven't slept yet," he said as a familiar shadow appeared near the house a ways from the barn.

"Uh oh. Did you tell your dad that I was coming?" he asked jokingly, making the mare jerk her head up and down before running toward the large stallion calmly walking toward them.

He halted when the mare ran over to him and nuzzled his face. Heian's horse returned the gesture, flicking his tail as he did so. She ran around him a few times, nipping at his mane and snorting before running back toward Ranger.

When she was within reach, he gladly scratched her neck, then continued forward, figuring that he now had to deal with Heian, since he was somehow awake at this ungodly hour.

They met after a few quiet minutes, but when Heian didn't shift, Ranger raised an eyebrow and frowned.

"I just came to get my lasso. I didn't think that you'd be up, so I was just going to grab it from the barn," he said, already turning toward the building that would, undoubtedly, hold the item he was seeking.

"It's not there," came a voice from behind him.

He turned quickly, afraid that the guy might have shifted back before he could question him about it... and he was right. Heian's giant horse stared at him for a moment before flicking its ears and walking closer, then turning sideways.

"I'm not riding you. You are a dangerous animal," Ranger said with a scowl before he turned back toward the barn. "And you've got to be lying. There would be nowhere else to put it besides the barn."

He walked for a short time before looking over his shoulder. Heian's horse had turned and was walking back toward the house. It seemed to have sensed him watching, because it looked over its own shoulder, then jerked its head toward the home and snorted.

The house? You seriously put my lasso in your house?

Who would do that?

Him, evidently.

Ranger fought himself to keep walking toward the barn, but after a few harsh gusts of wind rustled his hair and finally began to illicit some shaking from his body, he grudgingly turned toward the house and started walking faster.

The door was open by the time he got to it, but Heian was nowhere in sight. He didn't see the mare, either, but he figured that she'd retreated back to the heated barn since the excitement was now over.

He didn't like the idea of simply walking into someone else's home, but the warmth called to him as his body began to shake violently from the frigid temperatures outside.

He said that it was in here... just go get it. He's a horse, you can easily tear him apart if you have to defend yourself.

Squaring his shaking shoulders, Ranger stepped inside. His freezing nose picked up the scent of something mouthwatering immediately, drawing his feet slowly toward where he assumed the kitchen was in the back of the house. He realized when he was about halfway there that he'd forgotten to take his shoes off, and quickly nudged them both off and pushed them to the side before continuing toward the scent.

He didn't exactly want to find Heian, but the guy would know where his lasso was, which would save him a lot of frustration searching.

When he got to the end of the small hallway Ranger stepped into a massive kitchen that was easily double the size of the one he had on his own property. Pots and pans hung from an apparatus on the ceiling and quite a few gizmos and gadgets lined parts of the immeasurable black granite counterspace.

Mom would be in heaven in here...

"She's welcome to visit if she'd like," Heian said from behind him as a thick, warm blanket was settled over his shoulders, then wrapped around his body at the same times the arms that were controlling it pulled him into a gentle hug.

Ranger snarled immediately and jumped forward, breaking free without an ounce of effort. It threw him off a bit, since he figured that the guy was trying to keep hold of him.

"I plugged that blanket in to warm it when Nia alerted me to your presence. I could feel our connection a lot closer than it normally is, so I knew that it had to be you who had come to visit... at close to three in the morning?"

Ranger felt his face heat as he tugged the blanket tighter around himself.

At least he put on some clothing before coming to find me.

The outfit was a pair of black silk pajama pants and a matching long-sleeved stop, but it was definitely better than naked.

"I just wanted my lasso back. I told you I was just here to get it out of the barn," he mumbled, looking away from the guy before returning his attention to his face with a glare.

"I see," Heian said as he walked over to the microwave and pulled out a large plate of roasted pork.

That smells amazing.

"Would you like some? I bought a bit too much, and I'm not a huge meat eater," Heian said, bringing Ranger back to his senses.

"I'm not here to eat," he said as he looked around, even though the kitchen was definitely not somewhere the guy would have left his lasso.

Why was he heating up food so late at night, anyways?

He forced his tired body to turn around and stalk toward the living area he'd walked through previously. It was very elegantly styled, but definitely showed some woodsy charm, too. The guy was a country man, that was for sure.

"Alright, you want your lasso back? Follow me," Heian said as he walked past him and headed up a dark wooden flight of stairs.

Ranger hesitated for only a second before following after him with some effort. He was really beginning to feel his exhaustion, but he knew that his shift could easily take Heian if anything happened. He had no idea why he had to keep reminding himself about that, though.

"It's alright. I would never hurt you," Heian said as he continued walking, clearly having picked up on Ranger's nervousness.

I'm not freaking nervous.

Heian gave a muffled chuckle abruptly, hiding the sound behind his hand as he turned and opened a door, then stepped inside a room that was warmer than the rest of the home.

Ranger hesitated by the door as his eyes were drawn around the expansive area, the giant king-sized bed with dark red blankets and black pillows, then finally landed on the fire burning calmly in the hearth.

It was a beautiful bedroom and far larger than any he'd ever seen.

He seems to like size over function.

"Oh, I can assure you that it functions quite well, even for its size."

The abrupt innuendo had his tired brain short-circuiting, drawing another quiet laugh from the man who had walked back over to him, the soft nylon of his lasso drew Ranger's eyes as it was gently tugged through Heian's long fingers.

Oh... that's mine.

"It is," Heian said as he calmly lifted a length of it and slowly, softly, wound it around Ranger's own neck.

"Spend the night with me, Ranger?" he whispered as he leaned down to press a kiss to the piece of rope still grasped between his fingers.

Ranger blinked, trying to process the man's actions, but failing. The lights seemed to be darkening every few moments. He opened his mouth to say something, to decline the absurd invitation, but his vision blurred, even though he blinked repeatedly to try and clear it.

He didn't want to fall asleep in such a place, and especially after such a proposition, but the cold had stolen the remainder of his strength faster than he'd expected. His head bobbed forward, his forehead landing against a soft fabric covering a firm chest.

A faint, gentle tug was felt before a lock of his hair was brushed aside, then tucked behind his ear.

"Don't worry, Ranger. I said that I would never hurt you, and I meant it. Rest here tonight. I'll wake you for breakfast tomorrow."

Ranger tried desperately to lift his head, but he barely managed to nuzzle against the guy, who had since wrapped his arms around his waist to keep him from dropping as his legs got shaky.

"I am extremely happy that you came to visit me, even if it was only to retrieve your rope, but I am also very mad that you did so in such poor clothing for the temperature outside," Heian said, his voice sounding more like a far-off echo in Ranger's mind now.

He felt the man sigh more than heard it.

"We'll talk about it tomorrow," he said before carefully picking him up.

A few seconds later and Ranger felt himself being settled into the large bed. He wasn't sure if Heian said anything else, or did anything else, but the moment his head sunk into a soft pillow, he was out cold.