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Many people joked that Simon and Bobby were night and day. It was true. In more ways than one.
"Th' fuck're y'doin' up, y'menace?" Simon grumbled into his pillow when light assaulted his eyes. He dragged the blankets over his head, groaning when it was tugged back. "It's arse o'clock in the morning, get back to bed."
"Simon, it's seven in the morning."
"And work doesn't start till nine. That's at least another hour of sleep."
"And miss all this glorious start of the day?" Bobby sounded cheerful. Far too cheerful for the time of day it currently was. Joke's on him for marrying a morning person. "Maybe you should've listened when I told you to go to bed earlier last night."
Simon squinted from over the edge of the pillow, glaring daggers. Bobby only grinned at him, sitting by his side to ruffle his hair. Was he— how the fuck was he already dressed and ready? Simon buried his face back into the pillow with a long groan, Bobby laughing at him. Gentle fingers combed through his tangled locks, trying its best to smooth over them. Simon pressed into the touch as Bobby began scratching his scalp, catlike. He'd start purring if he could. The hands wandered down his back, massaging the knots and tensions there. A sound of contentment escaped him, loud enough for Bobby to notice.
"You're cute."
"Cute enough for you to close those blinds and leave me the fuck alone for another hour or so?"
"Hmm… Half an hour."
"Forty-five."
"Fine. I'll get breakfast ready."
"Godsend."
With a parting pat to his back and a kiss pressed into his hair, the blinds were closed, blessedly bathing him in darkness again. Okay. Maybe marrying a morning person had its perks. Breakfast was always a plus, Bobby's even more so.
On the flipside, Simon thrived in the later hours of the day. Hours that Bobby struggled to keep his eyes open to. He worked more productively and enjoyed the quiet that the nights brought. It was something he dreaded in prison, leaving him lonely and unable to chase the shadows away. Now, it was different. He spent the hours unwinding from busy work days, taking the time to be with himself and relax. Like right now, sitting in front of his laptop while Taka dozed on his perch next to him. However, soft footsteps alerted him of someone's presence, an unusual thing this late into the night.
"Why are you still up?" Bobby draped himself over Simon's back, wrapped up in their blankets. "Thought I told you to come to bed hours ago. Christ, it's already two a.m."
"It's only two a.m.," Simon corrected pointedly.
There was an insistent nuzzle into the back of his neck. "What are you even doing?"
"…Reports."
"Is that what we're calling MagiSteel fanfiction these days?"
He whacked him lightly on the shoulder.
"They are reports for the trial that I have tomorrow."
"Later today."
Simon reached back to pinch his cheek and tug. "You're so annoying."
"Ow!"
Simon laughed at him before settling, leaning into the warmth of Bobby's body behind him as he continued his work. Even with the complaining, Bobby didn't leave him alone and the company was nice. Eventually, he found Bobby in his lap, somehow managing to fit on the small desk chair with him and making it creak ominously. Simon adjusted the blankets around them both and held him close, warm puffs of breath warming his neck as he dozed. It wouldn't be long until Bobby groggily dragged him back to bed so he better wrap up his reports soon.
Even still, there were days where sleep eluded them. Days where memories caught up with them and left them restless.
"Tea, love?" Simon called out from the kitchen.
"Yes, please!"
The motions of making tea were familiar and soothing. It gave his hands something to do and his mind something to focus on aside from the anxiety, guilt, and paranoia. Instead of worrying, he could be useful – he could at least provide some sort of comfort to others. The worst of the nightmare has already passed, his awakening rough and violent, but the unpleasant feeling lingered.
It began when Bobby burst into the room at his shout earlier that night. "Simon? Are you okay?"
His breaths came in short bursts, the feeling almost suffocating him. He stared down at his shaking hands, scarred but unshackled. His eyes stung with the threat of tears and his chest heaved, a sob just about ready to escape.
It's over. It's over. It's over.
"Simon. Look at me?"
Simon did and blinked, realising where Bobby was. Where he had come from. Had he not…?
"Can I touch you?"
Simon looked at him. Really looked at him. Was it really him? How could he be sure that this one wouldn't hurt him again?
"It's me." He showed his hands, front and back, free from any stab wound scars. "I promise it's me. May I?"
Right. The Phantom was behind bars, no longer free to wreck the lives of those he loved any longer. He could trust him. This was the real Bobby. He nodded slowly and soon Bobby was holding his hands, easing the shakes and warming them. Simon took a moment to breathe and feel Bobby's hands in his.
"Were you not asleep?" he asked once he was calmer, recalling that Bobby was not in the room when he first came to.
His smile was wry and tired. "Let's just say we both had the same idea."
So here they were now, sat on the couch in the early hours between morning and night. Simon handed him his mug, steaming with the herbal blend, and cuddled close with his own mug. Bobby curled his free arm around him, head tilted against the backrest. The living room was quiet and dark, save for the one lamp they left lit. The warm glow of it was cosy but still, he felt on edge. From the way Bobby held himself, he could tell that he wasn't alone in feeling that way. There was a soft rustle of feathers and soon, Taka nestled in between their bodies, unwilling to be left out. Simon ran his fingers through his feathers, once again finding something to do with his hands. Bobby's hand moved from his shoulder up to comb through his hair, copying his movements on Taka's head.
"Looks like you'll finally get to watch the sunrise with me," Bobby commented idly.
"I'm going to sleep out of spite. Your waking habits are atrocious."
"It's not that bad. You should try it sometime."
"In exchange you'll stay up with me?"
"I'm already staying up with you."
"Hm. I suppose that makes us even."
Bobby huffed a laugh, pulling him closer, careful not to spill the contents of his mug. Taka cawed softly, adjusting so he now perched on Bobby's lap. Simon moved closer, swiping the remote and letting Bobby trail chaste kisses up his shoulder and neck. He clicked through the selections and made sure the volume stayed low as he let the movie run.
"Really? The first Steel Samurai movie?"
"Would you rather we binge Death Note?"
"You're a dork."
They settled but something was still bothering him. Bobby had been woken by a nightmare just the same but…
"Why didn't you wake me?"
"You already sleep less than you should to begin with. I was fine."
"I don't care. Wake me up next time."
Bobby rested his head on his shoulder, holding him loosely. Simon dropped a brief kiss to his head, his hand moving from Taka to rest on Bobby's thigh, needing that tiny reassurance that the man was truly here and alive.
"They really did a number on us," Simon said, his voice quiet and so, so tired. "Well and truly fucked us up."
"We don't have to talk about it now. Just enjoy your movie."
Simon swallowed the lump in his throat but nodded anyway, ducking down to lay his head against Bobby's. Wrapped up around each other like this, he was warm and safe. The familiarity helped chase the demons away and he hoped he was doing the same for Bobby.
By the time the credits rolled, their mugs sat side by side on the coffee table and Bobby had his head in his lap, looking up at him with adoration clear in his eyes. Taka was long gone, let out when he tapped on the window impatiently moments prior. Simon idly twisted part of his hair into a braid, muscle memory left over from when Athena was growing up.
"How are you feeling?"
"Better. Still don't think I'm sleeping but…" Bobby's eyes glanced at the window. Simon followed the motion. It was getting light out.
"Up you get. Let's go."
"Huh?"
"Sun's rising soon. Come on," he urged and Bobby beamed a sunrise of his own.
In the tiny backyard, sitting on the edge of the porch, they looked up at the pinks and purples in the sky. The dark gave way to the first hints of sunlight and he could admit that it was beautiful. He could see the appeal. Simon threw a blanket over the both of them, keeping them warm from the chill of the morning as they held each other close. Bobby angled him for a kiss as the first rays of light greeted them.
With the dawn of the new day, the weight around his shoulders lightened.