Chapter Text
Liam wakes to a warm, vibrating weight nestled between his shoulder blades, and the occasional soft, barely there brush of fingertips on his skin. “She’s your cat,” he grumbles into his drool-stained pillow. “Why does she always use me as her personal mattress?”
“There’s a joke in there somewhere about you being a doormat.” Liam cracks open one eye, sees Theo on his back, absent-mindedly stroking Athena’s calico fur as he stares at the whirling blades of the ceiling fan. He tucks his free hand behind his head, arm bent, showing off his bare chest where the blanket has slipped down his torso. Pre-dawn light seeps into the room through sheer curtains. Theo is an Ansel Adams photo, the landscape of his body cast in dark shadows and soft dream-like shades of gray.
“Whatcha thinking about?” The words rasp from his parched throat, but he lacks the will and the energy to roll over and grab the glass of water off his bed table.
“Coffee.” Theo’s voice is still gritty with sleep, deep and resonating. It never fails to give Liam pleasant chills. “And what we should do today.”
“We should sleep in,” Liam mumbles, part demand and part plea. “I love sleep. It’s Saturday.” He closes his eyes, lulled by Athena’s contended purrs. When he opens them again, some time must have passed. From his warm, comfortable burrito blanket, Liam hears tittering birds greet the morning with song. The risen sun splinters through the window, raining warmth over their bed. Athena has abandoned Liam’s back to sprawl in Theo’s vacated spot, basking in a puddle of sunshine.
Theo stands in profile at the window, sipping pungent black coffee from Liam’s chipped university mug. A faded pair of plaid boxers cling to his hips, hair sticking up in disarray on top of his head, errant strands curling on his forehead. The curtains gathered and bunched to the side act as pillows for Theo’s body as he leans against the casing. Liam notes their ragged ends, where Athena liberally applies her claws. A trip to Bed, Bath and Beyond is in their near future.
The view is stunning—both his boyfriend and the scenery through the glass. To the right of Theo’s face the Space Needle jabs at a crystal-blue sky, and past the tall, dark blot of the Columbia building Mount Rainier floats in the distance. They’d lucked out, finding this condo in East Queen Anne, high enough in the hills for a magnificent view, but not too far from the culture-rich Seattle Center. Theo’s raised the sash, and sounds of the city filter inside: roaring planes in the sky from Sea-Tac international airport, cars rolling down their street in an endless parade, boat horns blowing in Puget Sound.
“Whatcha thinking about?” Liam can’t help asking again. The sun on Theo’s face feels like an invitation.
Theo turns at the sound of Liam’s voice, the steaming mug half-way to his mouth. He holds Liam’s eyes, leisurely arching his back and stretching one arm over his head. The display of muscles is obscene. Liam’s heart pitches precariously, like a ship in a hurricane. Theo smiles against the rim of the mug, hearing his effect on Liam. “I was thinking about the way that I feel when I’m with you.” Theo doesn’t elaborate, and Liam doesn’t need him to.
Liam unearths a hand from the blanket, reaches out toward Theo overtop Athena’s sleeping form. Abandoning the mug on the windowsill, Theo walks around the foot of the bed, shedding the light as he transitions to Liam’s side. Liam’s still too lazy to roll over, so Theo leans down behind him, nosing the covers out of the way.
“Wake up, sleepyhead. It’s a new day.” The words get emphasized with some semblance of a kiss, all hot, soft lips and tongue leaving goosebumps in their wake as they travel lazily down the back of Liam’s neck. Once upon a time, Liam wouldn’t dare turn his back on Theo Raeken, let alone allow him unmitigated access to the tender skin of his throat.
Oh, how things have changed.
“Come on,” Theo says, slapping his butt through the thick blanket. “Get your lazy ass out of bed.” Well, maybe they haven’t changed that much.
Liam throws the blankets away with a dramatic sigh, and wiggles until he’s facing Theo. He reaches his hand down, waits for Liam to take it. Liam lets himself be pulled into the light and Theo’s arms, from one warm, inviting place into another.
“It is a new day, isn’t it?” He mumbles against Theo’s smile; his reward is an agreeing hum and a gentle kiss. Today, the sun and Theo’s lips are both swollen with promise.
It’s the way that I feel when I’m with you, Liam sings inside his head. Brand new.
