Prey (Male!Naga x Male!Reader)

Chapter 35

It took until the following day for Y/n to realize one oversight. Precisely, it took until the moment Enlil woke him up, hands gently maneuvering the (h/c) man off the naga. Bright sunbeams dotted the dim cavern and the humid air was thick and warm, covering Y/n like a blanket. Needless to say, unlike yesterday, the (h/c) man was still very much drowsy and not at all ready to wake.

Yet, the naga was setting him aside, tongue flicking against his ear as Enlil told him the naga was leaving to fetch Y/n more food. Too tired to process much, Y/n could only watch in a daze as the naga departed silently from sight, slithering his way out of the den.

The (h/c) man didn't know how much time passed before he took in his situation with some measure of self-awareness. His injured shoulder was aching something vicious, his leg throbbed, and he was stuck alone on a hard rocky floor.

To which his only thought was: hell no. Y/n was not going to find any meaningful rest bruising his body by sleeping on the bare ground when the naga was out.

Blinking blearily around, the (h/c) man caught sight of his crutch nearby and imagined — just for a second — limping his way to a relatively comfortable cot with his name on it in Camp Charlie. Yet, rational thought eventually ruined that fantasy. He'd never make it that far without hurting himself further. And also... he did promise not to leave the den when Enlil was out.

Y/n preferred to keep the promises he made.

Still, this was a problem. Though the naga did seem very keen on fulfilling all of his needs. When Enlil returned maybe Y/n should just ask the naga for something — not a whole cot, but maybe a few sleeping bags, pillows, anything to cushion Y/n's body. Because he was not a naga with a tough enough exterior to survive sleeping on the rocky, uneven floor.

With that decision made, Y/n slowly lied back on the ground, cushioning the back of his head with his good arm. He simply had to accept the uncomfortable feeling of stone jabbing against his skin and putting an unbearable pressure on his spine. He would need a lot of rest these coming weeks to make sure he healed as quickly, and cleanly, as possible.

The minutes passing by were measured only by the amount of times that Y/n tried to move, to shift his posture to relieve some of the pressure off his back, only to realize he couldn't. Every minute shift brought more pain to his injuries. So Y/n laid on the rocky floor, trying to sleep, or at least doze, but miserably failing.

At some point though, he must've been out of it because one moment Y/n's thoughts ran in aggravated circles, cursing the ground beneath him. The next moment there was a cool hand on his cheek; fingers sweeping along his cheekbone down to his jaw.

Y/n eyes flickered open to see Enlil had returned, the naga's face hovering above his own. Then Y/n was lifted right back into the naga's hold — no words needed to be said it seemed. Thicks coils resting beneath his legs and the naga's chest pressed against his back. Enlil was purring, very faintly. Y/n couldn't even hear it; he just felt it vibrate against him.

The (h/c) man relaxed back against the naga, his eyes already slipping shut.

Later, Y/n would be concerned about his constant exhaustion — was it all simply a result of the healing process, the stress he had endured, or was it something more sinister? A sign of an oncoming infection? The anxieties swirled aimlessly in the back of his mind.

Only to be broken by the naga's own hesitant voice, "...Y/n?"

"Yeah?" the (h/c) man responded.

"You are..."

Something in the naga's voice has Y/n making an effort to wake up properly.

"Just tired," the (h/c) man murmured reassuringly. Looking around Y/n asked, "Did you get —?"