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"–keru."
There was a noise.
"Kakeru."
He heard his name being spoken by a very soft voice, somewhere above his head, a tad louder now.
"Kakeru, wake up."
It was a warm voice, gently calling him to another world. His conscious slowly changed, started to wander towards the place where the origin was residing. There was warmth, everything he touched was soft and fluffy; Kakeru was surrounded by a nest of blankets and body heat.
"Kakeru? Are you awake?"
Maybe this was still a dream. Either way, he wouldn’t mind being called by Haiji’s voice in such a tender tone. It soothed the faint pain which was pressing against the insides of his skull.
"Kakeruuu~," his husband’s singsong ghosted over Kakeru’s skin close to his ear.
So it was real after all.
"Nhnn," he groaned, making himself become noticeable.
"Oh good!… Kakeru?"
He pressed his nose further into the pillow to savour the warmth and softness as he laid on his side. One ear was uncovered for his husband to whisper morning greetings into though he tried to ignore the pestering voice.
"Kakeru, come on. We can have breakfast together, hm?"
The black-haired man shuffled forwards, hoping that it was the right way to escape, but his nose nudged against warm skin, radiating heat. Kakeru sighed out and looped his arm around whatever it was which felt unbelievable comforting.
"Not waking up but hugging me like a pillow, huh?" Haiji chuckled softly.
"Hnn… –ji…"
"Yes, Kakeru? Waking up?"
He could literally hear the happy expression spreading over Haiji’s face and wanted to return something, but all he could muster was a breathed out mumble.
"Hm? What was it?"
He took a deeper breath. "… up."
"Hm?"
Kakeru was about to repeat his words with at least a little bit of strength but was irritated by a hand starting to stroke through his hair. The gesture was so full of love and tenderness that Kakeru could only sigh out blissful, his initial anger disappearing while Haiji’s fingers carded through his tussled strands, disentangling them carefully.
"Hm?" Haiji asked once more.
"Shut up," Kakeru said softly and pressed his face against his husband’s chest, chin grazing a nipple.
Haiji continued stroking his hair and chuckled quietly, the sound reverberating through his upper body.
"When did you come back home last night?" He asked then.
Kakeru frowned and tried to give an actual time as an answer but gave up. His mind was clearly in no position to think coherently yet and there was also the persisting headache.
"Late," he finally said, sighing out.
He noticed that his leg had gotten uncovered when he had moved and pulled it under the covers to shift it between Haiji’s calves where it was warm. His husband hissed and his hand halted, but then he relaxed again, rubbed his legs against Kakeru’s and resumed the movement of his fingers.
"Late, huh?" He mumbled. "I didn’t hear you when you came back. Was it fun?"
Kakeru thought about this question. There were a few memories returning to his dizzy mind, starting with the frisky gathering of his co-workers celebrating an early Christmas party where the actual Christmas day was still a week away. There was the taste of sake strong and clear on his tongue and the light happy haziness when he had tried to climb up the stairs to finally be back home. He had opened the apartment door and had somehow managed to find the way to their bedroom where he could melt into the softness of the mattress, enjoying the body warmth which had waited for him.
He nodded slowly against Haiji’s chest.
"I’m glad," Haiji mumbled and kissed his head.
"You?" Kakeru asked then, hoping that his husband would understand what he wanted to know.
"Hm?"
"How’s your even’g?" His voice was slurred as he tried to speak so many words at once after waking up.
"It was fine," the other explained, quietly. "I thought about the new training schedule, texted a bit with King and Yuki about Aotake’s Christmas party, the one we still do every year."
"Nhnn."
"Then I watched some TV."
"What?"
"Re-watching a record of your last Ekiden?" Haiji offered innocently.
Kakeru groaned. "Why?"
His husband shrugged and wrapped his other arm around his shoulder, hugging him tightly, his fingers were still buried in black tussled hair.
"’Cause I missed you," he mumbled even quieter.
"It was just one evening, Haiji."
"Missed you lots," his husband added stubbornly.
This made the younger man smile and he pressed a lazy kiss against the sternum in front of him.
"I’m here now," he reassured, his thumb stroking over Haiji’s spine.
"Yeah. You are."
They fell into a comfortable silence. Kakeru lulled himself into a false sense of security and sighed out contently. He allowed his mind to drift off again, wandering back to unknown lands and soft pillows next to his husband’s warm body.
"By the way," Haiji said, ripping him out of wherever he was heading.
"Hm?" He asked, sleepy.
Haiji made a pause and it seemed like he hesitated but then he chuckled very softly.
"Where are your pants?"
Kakeru blinked his eyes open, irritated by that question.
"What?" He returned confused, trying to feel anything below his stomach which wasn’t resting between Haiji’s legs.
"You’re aware that you don’t wear anything? At all."
Kakeru tilted his head downwards to throw a peek underneath the blankets but it was too dark under the covers and his eyes still too tired. He started to rub his legs over the mattress which were soft and comfortable to the touch, and now he indeed felt that there seemed to be no fabric wrapped around his body, separating his skin from his surroundings.
"Now I am," he sighed out, didn’t mind it at all and closed his eyes again to resume hugging his husband.
Haiji giggled at his reaction. "Oh?"
"Do you mind?" Kakeru mumbled, shrugging.
"Mhm, I don’t. I’ve seen all of it anyway."
"But… you don’t want to wash the sheets or something?" He asked, unsure if he would see the desire to do that as an act of offence.
"It’s just your naked body, Kakeru, nothing disgusting like…"
"Yeah, I know what you mean." He grinned weakly as he was reminded of other occasions which had certainly needed cleaning after.
They fell into another pause which didn’t last as long as the previous one so that Kakeru had no chance to fall back into another realm.
"So, what about breakfast?"
"Just a bit more," he groaned, nuzzling his nose against a taut chest.
"It’s nearly 11, you know?" Haiji snickered, cupping Kakeru’s head with his firm fingers.
"Huh?" He was surprised to hear this. "And you’re still here?"
Haiji shrugged. "I had a late night as well as I was busy watching TV and stuff. I just went up some time ago to go to the bathroom but I came back to…."
"Wake me?"
"Cuddle!"
A sting shot through Kakeru’sstill pounding head but he nevertheless smiled at his husband’s exclamation. "Was it worth it?" He asked, grinning lopsidedly.
"Oh, totally." There it was again, the clear happiness in his voice.
"And why did you decide to wake me up?"
"Because I wanted to talk to you. I said I missed you, right?" Haiji’s voice was muffled as he pressed his nose into black hair.
He nodded slowly, careful not to give his husband a hook to the chin by doing so. "You did."
He waited a few seconds before finally tilting his head backwards to look up and for the first time this day he saw into Haiji’s bright brown eyes gazing at him lovingly.
"Can we just… stay here until lunch?" He pleaded with a smile which Haiji returned.
His husband lowered his hand to rub his thumb over Kakeru’s cheek.
"That long?"
"Just some more," Kakeru hummed, leaning into the touch.
He watched his husband studying him carefully while stroking his skin.
"I can’t promise that I’ll be here all the time though," he mumbled then, leaning down to press a kiss on Kakeru’s forehead.
"Help yourself," the younger said, smirking. Haiji chuckled. "I just want to sleep a bit more. I’ll be all yours after."
"Oh?" Brown orbs grew round and wide and very interested. "You promise?"
"Sure," he said smiling.
"I think," Haiji said and let out a satisfied sigh. "I can wait a few more minutes."
Kakeru hummed and pressed his face back against Haiji’s chest. "Yeah."