Chapter Text
Marius only realized he had fallen back asleep when he re-awoke, missing the warmth at one of his sides. The weight on his chest and the lack of blaring music meant that his muse was still there. And that it wasn’t yet 7AM. He could hear Artem trying to move around the room quietly, worried about waking up either of them.
Rather than make Artem feel the slightest amount of guilt for waking him up, Marius kept his eyes closed, curling against Alice, taking in the smell of cedar and leather, realizing she absolutely stole Artem’s shampoo last night. There was still the underlying smell of cherries and nuts that came when she used her normal shampoo.
The quiet click of the door was all the signal Marius needed to open his eyes. He leaned in to press a kiss to the top of Alice’s head as he slowly pulled away, replacing his place with a familiar plushie. It warmed his heart to know that she kept it at her bedside for when she slept alone. The student stretched, hearing his back crack and he winced, knowing he’d been stuck at a desk too much recently. He smiled watching his muse curl around the plush and pulled the blanket back over her.
He retrieved his phone and checked the time quickly.
30 minutes…
Just long enough to swipe breakfast from Artem and kiss his muse good morning when she got up before he had to head off to class. Marius shed his hoodie, going for a button-up he had stowed away in Alice’s closet. Leaving it half buttoned, he put on pants before quietly sliding out of the room. He bumped right into his blue jay coming out of the bathroom.
“Morning, amore.” He winked, leaning it to peck his lover on the cheek, loving the way Artem’s face went red.
It only took a moment for the elder to recover, returning the kiss, “Morning…dear. I thought you were sleeping in.”
Fuck . Marius knew his face was red. It was still rare for Artem to use endearments like that, even in private, but every time he did, it got him.
“C-couldn’t move with you and Aly keeping me pinned down so I went back to sleep.” Damnit, the man in front of him caught the stutter, just based on the smile turning into a small smirk.
“You deserve the rest, Marius,” Artem leaned in to brush his lips against the artist’s cheek once again, “I’ll make breakfast. Vincent picking you up soon?”
At that, the said artist cursed under his breath, pulling out his phone at those words, “Gonna tell him to come 15 minutes later,” Artem’s laugh was music to his ears, and Marius enjoyed it regardless of his own minor panic. “Alright, alright, you wouldn’t let your boyfriend go to classes hungry, would you?”
“Not at all,” There was something so soft in Artem’s voice that made Marius’s heart skip a beat, “Go clean up and I’ll have something ready.”
His boyfriend left him there, flushed, and decided to head down to commandeer Alice’s kitchen. Shaking his head, Marius stepped into the bathroom to clean up.
Ten minutes later, he headed downstairs to the smell of bacon frying. He bit his lip at the smell, thankful for his amazing boyfriend, “Bacon?”
“Bacon and cheddar omelette. Sorry, I need to take Alice grocery shopping after work, she didn’t have much.”
A lost cause, mostly because Alice survived on Alex’s cooking for so long, And really, Alice’s kitchen was Artem’s and it was never used otherwise . Marius licked his lips at the sight of his boyfriend in an apron, and while it wasn’t the first time, it never got old. Taking the offered plate, he settled for stealing a kiss that morning.
“Thank you, blue jay.”
Marius reached over and grabbed the second plate, as Artem slid a third one into the warm oven for when Alice got up. They both ate at the kitchen counter in a comfortable silence and every bite had Marius thankful for his boyfriend’s cooking ability. At least, the silence was there until Marius held out his fork, “Say ‘aah’.”
“Hu-“ And the lawyer barely got to express his confusion as the bite entered his mouth. He had to swallow it with his face red as Marius watched, enjoying seeing how off-guard Artem was, “…Thank you.”
“Thank you for the amazing breakfast.” Marius finished off his omelette, just as he spied Alice walking down the stairs. He stood up, smoothly stepping to the stairs to pick up Alice (as she squeaked!) and spun her before setting her down and kissing her on the forehead, “Morning, my muse.”
Still slightly bleary eyed, Alice half-heartedly glared up at him, cheeks puffed in a pout. She tugged at his shirt to pull him closer to her level, and tiptoed to kiss him on the cheek, “Morning, dear.”
She freed him from her grasp before gliding over to Artem and giving him the same treatment. Though, she narrowed her eyes after seeing both of them, looking back and forth between them. Marius didn’t even get a chance to ask what she had noticed because his phone pinged in a familiar tone, one that meant Vincent had arrived.
“Shoot,” Marius grabbed his phone off the counter, briefcase off the couch, and stole kisses from both Alice and Artem, “Love you both, muse, jay bird. Have a good day at work, destroy them in the courts!”
The student was halfway out of the door before Alice called out and he was a deer in headlights as Alice snapped a picture, “Huh?”
“Just check your texts later, dear!” That smile didn’t mean anything good. It never did. He didn’t have the time though, not with Vincent already waiting. He dashed out the door, trying not to think about whatever Alice was about to do with that picture.
--
Alice pointedly ignored her older boyfriend’s questioning look, fighting back a yawn. She had come down to wish Marius a good morning but didn’t expect to find that surprise waiting for her.
“I’m going to do my makeup…” She looked back, halfway up the stairs, smirking, using her phone to snap a picture, “And your shirt looks a little big, darling.”
Artem blinked in confusion before realizing just what Alice was talking about, and he went red. Then he remembered how Marius’s shirt had seemed a little tighter than normal. And that their girlfriend had taken pictures of them both.
“Alice!”
“I have to get ready for work, darling!”
--
Sitting in the back of the car, Marius continued to read over the documents Vincent had said were urgent and tugged at his collar before realizing that his shirt was a bit tight now that it was all buttoned up.
Oh no.
Shit, that was what his muse had noticed. He had taken one of blue jay’s button ups instead of his own. And he just knew that he wouldn’t live it down. And looking up, he caught his assistant’s eye in the rearview mirror, and just from the glint in his eye, Vincent knew too. The artist sighed, knowing that he wouldn’t get the chance to change until he got to office at Pax. Not to mention, whatever pictures Alice had that would immortalize this.
His phone pinged and checking it, he couldn’t help chuckling.
tesora <3 : A bit of a mix up this morning, dears?
At least he wasn’t the only one who made a mistake this morning.