Archive of Our Own ^beta

Fingers tapping against keys was enough to tell Ollie how his lover was feeling.

Sometimes it would be the way his fingers were positioned that gave away his mood, and sometimes it would be the speed or pressure he used when tapping on the keys.

Ollie was nearly convinced that Aaron loved his laptop more than he loved his own boyfriend, so it was a day of frustration when he constantly pushed the space bar and abused the backspace key. It was a day of excitement and energy when he typed rapidly, the speed of his fingers moving ringing through the room.

However, like days such as that day, Ollie could tell by the slow sounds that blended with extended periods of silence, that his partner was tired.

“Aaron, are you sure you don’t want to come to bed?” Ollie mumbled, rubbing his eyes as he leaned against the doorframe tiredly.

Aaron hummed, probably spacing out and not paying attention.

Ollie grumbled quietly and walked over to him, sighing and suppressing a yawn. He tapped on the back of the chair next to Aaron’s ear as a warning, and then he gently poked his cheek so as to not startle him.

“Huh?” Aaron blinked and looked up at Ollie, and his eyes widened slightly. “O-oh shit, sorry, did you say something?”

He snorted quietly and sighed, pushing Aaron’s chair back a little so he could climb into his lap and rest his shoulder against Aaron’s shoulder. Aaron brought his hand up to Ollie’s hair and he ran his fingers through it.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come to bed?” Ollie mumbled into the crook of his neck, and Aaron smiled at the tickle of his breath against his skin.

“I have stuff to do.” He whispered back.

“You’re not doing anything besides sitting here and spacing out because you’re tired,” Ollie lifted his head and kissed Aaron’s nose. “You’re just forcing yourself to sit here so you can try to scrap something out, and it’s not working.”

“It’s…” Aaron sighed, resting his forehead against Ollie’s. “It’s working…”

“Baby, there’s no use in trying to convince yourself. We all know it’s not.” He smiled in amusement and quickly kissed Aaron.

Aaron frowned and sighed, closing his eyes and leaning back in to kiss Ollie.

“I don’t think I can go to bed yet. If I get up now, I’m not gonna be tired anymore if I ruin this moment.” He mumbled. Ollie squinted his eyes at Aaron before he hummed in thought and slid out of his lap.

“Well,” He turned around and saved Aaron’s progress so he could close his laptop, “We could always go and then I could help make you tired again.”

He looked back at Aaron and tilted his head, letting his suggestion linger in the air while Aaron considered.

“I could always just sleep here.” He mumbled, and Ollie frowned at him for even thinking that was an option.

“No,” He said firmly, with no real tone of annoyance in his voice. “Don’t even try to consider that, m’kay? You are coming to the bed with me right now, and I will talk your ear off and help you calm down.”

“Worth a shot.” Aaron smiled tiredly in amusement at Ollie’s expression.

Ollie huffed and gently grabbed his boyfriend’s hand, tugging it so he would stand up. Aaron sighed and leaned his head back against his chair.

“Get up.” Ollie said flatly.

“Babe I don’t wanna.” He groaned, and Ollie just rolled his eyes. Aaron watched as he walked around the back of his chair, and he jolted up and yelped when Ollie yanked his chair back and rolled it to the door.

“C’mon you stubborn little meanie, you’re going to bed.” Aaron laughed and stood up, grinning when Ollie immediately grabbed his hand and pulled him to the bed.

The sleepiness had definitely faded away from Aaron’s eyes, but that was okay. Ollie pulled back the blankets and practically flopped onto the bed, pulling his boyfriend with him. Aaron chuckled as Ollie immediately rested his head on his chest.

The typing that echoed in the room of their office faded into silence, and it was replaced by the steady sound of Ollie’s heartbeat.

Ollie could tell the mood of Aaron by how he typed, considering he did it a lot. But Aaron could tell the level of contentment of Ollie by how his heart sounded against his ear.

Maybe one was more effective, but one was definitely much more enjoyable to hear.

“Ollie,” Aaron muttered, and Ollie hummed sleepily. His heart melted in his chest at the quiet sound, finding comfort in the softness that oozed out of his boyfriend’s throat. “Thank you, for- y’know… I just… I wouldn’t be where I am today without you.”

Aaron exhaled deeply when Ollie brought his hands up and his nails gently dragged across Aaron’s scalp, massaging away all the stresses of the day.

When the typing started getting too much of anything, Ollie would immediately replace it with a heart that was carried with soundwaves.

“Aaron,” Ollie mumbled back, “Thank you for getting me where I am today too. I also wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you,” Aaron sighed in tranquil when Ollie pressed a featherlight kiss to his hairline. “I wouldn’t have gotten the courage to move from the old place and into a new place with you, and I wouldn’t have switched to your team, and…” Aaron swallowed and buried his face in Ollie’s chest. “And I wouldn’t be as happy as I am right now if I wasn’t with you. So thank you.”

Aaron grumbled in complaint, but they both knew that he didn’t actually mind the words that Ollie was saying.

“I thought you were supposed to be getting me to fall asleep, not trying to make me emotional.” He mumbled.

Ollie chuckled, and the typing of his heart sped up a little. Aaron’s heart made it a competition by speeding up a little bit more.

“Technically speaking, some emotions can make you more tired.” There was an obvious grin in Ollie’s voice, and it just made Aaron roll his eyes but smile nonetheless.

“You’re lucky my love isn’t one of them.”

“I am pretty lucky, aren’t I?”