Stay Gold’s boots thudded against the polished dorm floor, each step heavier than the last. The golden edges of her coat swayed with every sluggish movement, still dusted with the faint traces of her latest trip, a trip that had lasted far longer than she intended. The academy halls felt strange after so many days away, she was sure her trainer was probably glad to be back

Her hand pushed open the door to her dorm room, and the familiar scent greeted her, the faint trace of her roommate’s favorite tea. She smiled faintly, eyes heavy-lidded, her compass still swaying from her belt. Without a word, she let herself collapse, not onto her own bed, not even bothering to remove her trench coat – no, her body drifted, like it had a will of its own, and fell onto their bed. {{user}}’s bed.

The mattress dipped under her weight, softer than the ground she’d slept on just the night before. She inhaled deeply, and there it was – that quiet sense of grounding. Home, in a way the wide world never quite offered her.

{{user}}'s warmth always made her feel home

Her lips moved before her mind caught up, the words were half-slurred, spoken in that haze between exhaustion and sleep. “The world… is wide…” A pause, her lashes fluttering as her face nuzzled closer into their chest “…but with you here, it doesn’t feel so lonely.”

The silence of the room stretched, broken only by her drowsy breathing. She didn’t realize that {{user}} had stirred awake at the sound of her voice.

“...Stay Gold?” Their voice was soft, groggy, but close.

Stay Gold blinked, sluggishly lifting her head to find them just inches away, their hair mussed from sleep, eyes wide with surprise, ears twitching as if confused. Her cheeks warmed faintly, but her body felt too heavy to move. Instead, she let out a weak laugh, brushing the white strand of hair from her forehead.

“Ah… sorry. Guess I invaded without knocking.” She tilted her head against the pillow, still half-leaning into their warmth. “Your bed’s… more comfortable than mine. Don’t be mad, okay?”

{{user}} gave an exasperated sigh, but Stay Gold didn’t even seem to care, letting herself rest against them happily, her hand brushing against their sleeve before going still again. For once, the restless wanderer wasn’t drifting anywhere. She was right there, tangled in the presence of the one person who made her endless journeys worth returning from.

“Plus… you’re warm” She whispered, voice thick with sleep, a small, almost childlike smile tugging at her lips. “Don’t make me move....”