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When Ajax wakes up he’s drowsy. That, in itself isn’t very unusual. He’s not the kind of person who wakes up instantly alert unless there’s an emergency. Regrettably, he’s woken up to quite a few before. The slow ascent into consciousness he’s experiencing this morning is a sign of safety and security.
There’s a shift on the bed next to him. With a low sound deep in his throat, Ajax rolls over, wrapping his arms around a slim waist, forearms resting on the top of bare, jutting hip bones. He presses his face into Kaeya’s side with a grumble even he can’t quite discern. There’s a soft, huffing laugh from above him and the warm body between his arms moves with the sound. The scrape of hard nails against his scalp makes a shiver run down his spine.
The hand dances in his hair for a moment longer before a gentle, but insistent tug on his hair prompts him to shift his body and raise his head. Ajax presses a kiss to the exposed shoulder in front of him before pressing his forehead into the smooth skin.
“I do need to get up.” It’s unfair, he thinks, that Kaeya sounds so good even when he’s just woken up. Ajax grumbles something against the fabric of Kaeya’s shirt - he thinks he must have voiced his thought because Kaeya is laughing again.
He thinks that’s unfair too.
“...little longer?”
Kaeya hums, a question in his tone when the hand leaves his hair. He feels Kaeya shift against him, pressing back into him. Some part of Ajax is satisfied that he is a welcome presence. He lifts his head to rest his chin lightly on Kaeya’s shoulder. The skin is cool on his neck. Kaeya shivers as breath tickles his ear.
“Stay a little longer.”
He can feel the surrender (though he’s not fool enough to think it has anything to do with his request, rather, it simply provided an excuse for Kaeya to do what he already desired, but couldn’t let himself admit) in the way Kaeya relaxes against his chest. Their breathing is synced.
Kaeya laughs again, this one sending a warm feeling through Ajax’s entire body that’s only accentuated by the firm press of closed lips to his cheek. The tone is humoring when he speaks again, words spoken with lips dragging against his skin. “Only a few more minutes.”
That’s all the permission Ajax needs before he’s dragging Kaeya back under the covers with a broad grin. He drifts back into semi-consciousness with the feel of Kaeya pressed up against his chest lulling him into dreams.
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It isn’t long before he wakes again, only this time to Kaeya pulling on his pants in the doorway. Ajax spares a moment to admire how perfectly those pants frame Kaeya’s figure. A quick glance out the window tells him it’s not yet dawn.
In the dim of early morning they share a look; a promise of a repeat of the previous night, before the other man leaves without a word, Calvary Captain once more. Tartaglia rolls over in his bed, wishing for just a moment longer as “Ajax”. Ajax, the lover of Kaeya - without all these bothersome titles and conflicting responsibilities.
He rolls onto his back, listening to the door click shut, arms folded under his head. Someday, he thinks to himself, they won’t be fettered by their backgrounds and every morning can be just like this one. No sneaking off back to where they should be and only relaxing inside each other’s hold. The thought does little to calm the swirling vortex building in his gut, but Tartaglia forces it down into the pit of his stomach, forces its shape into something easier to ignore and less likely to be an emotion that needs naming.
They’ve yet to talk about ‘eventually’s or ‘will be’s in details, but a smile drifts across Tartaglia’s lips at the thought of his forever with Kaeya.