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Hot hands coasting over pale skin, stolen kisses and lost breaths, flickers of a midnight romance, and… the sharp ringing of a morning alarm. The loud rattle of brass ripped the doctor from his hazy dreams, and without a single thought he slammed a hand against the clock to shut it off. Edward lied there for a moment, pulling his eyes open and sighing to stifle a sleepy yawn. After laying for what felt like much longer than it was he decided to get up, and so he pulled the comforter to the side and began to slip out of bed. As soon as the cold air hit his skin, the man’s brain was whirring, preparing him for the day ahead before it had even properly started.
Since staying in the lovely house of Agartha, Edward had found himself accommodating for the lack of action with other things. He cooked, he cleaned, he taught the kids different useful things that they might need later on, for whatever reason. Edward honestly didnt know what to do with such free time, as he had never had it before. Before getting roped up in the mess that was fate, the doctor worked diligently with his group and his mentor, and before that he had been studious, clawing his way up the social ladder through his intellect and charm alone. Being able to wake up when he wanted, in a warm bed in a warm house with people who loved him, or at least cared about him, was… New. Likable. Yet at the same time he was left antsy and anxious with so little that needed urgently to be completed.
With all of that buzzing around the doctor’s mind before his feet even hit the floor, it was no surprise when he nearly jumped out of his skin at the grip of a strong warm arm that wrapped around his torso and yanked him back down to the mattress and up against a solid chest.
“Was—?” Edward whispered out from the initial scare, but the force of hitting the mattress knocked the rest of his sentence right out of his mouth.
“Stay.” The sleepy giant that held him spoke, though to even call it a word was generous.
“Dempsey. I need to get ready for my day.”
“No. Stay.”
Edward sighed. There was no way he even had the heart, let alone the physical strength to get out of this grip. Not without using his knowledge of human anatomy to play a couple tricks, but honestly, he couldnt be bothered.
“Stop thinkin’ so much Ed. I can hear your brain gears from here.”
“I need to get up. I have things to do today, I can’t just lay here all morning.”
“You have things to do every day,” Dempsey grumbled, pulling the other flush against himself and tucking Edwards head underneath his chin. “But be honest. You don’t have to do any of it. You’re just keepin’ busy.”
“Dempsey, I—”
“Keep busy with me instead.”
And so he did. Edward stayed trapped in the warm hold of his lover, and it shifted to a loving embrace instead of just being a grasp as he stopped fighting the forced relaxation and let himself unwind. He didnt fall back asleep, he couldn’t, but Edward took the time to listen to Dempsey breathe as he inevitably drifted off, and out of habit the doctor measured the other’s breathing, noting the shifts and reading his sleep stages. It was comforting to just be able to relax for a bit, in all honestly. A thought came to Edward that he stuffed all the way down almost immediately, but besides that, he was just fine, laying in bed until the other properly roused for the morning, [or rather, afternoon].
Maybe, the man had considered for a brief moment, he should relax more often.