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Puddle rolled onto their side for the twelfth time that night. Early morning light was starting to peek in through the blinds, and they soon gave up on their attempts to sleep with a heavy sigh. It wasn’t their fault, not this time. Their back ached, they could hardly move without painful protest at the motion. At least they weren’t alone.
Before them, Kingsly lay motionless. His chest rose and fell with shallow breaths, his eyelids fluttered, and he mumbled incoherently in his sleep. Oh how Puddle envied his restfulness. Despite the jealous streak, they couldn’t help but smile at the sweet display. They huffed, cuddling up to his side.
He stirred and, under the slivers of sunlight, turned to meet his partner’s eyes.
“Hm?... ‘s it morning?”
“Yeah, how did you sleep?”
“Had a weird dream.”
“Again?”
“Mh…”
Puddle hummed, leaning in to kiss his rosy cheeks. He whined and buried his face in the plush of their chest, hugging them tightly round the middle. It would have been cute, how easily he could fluster, but the stabbing pain in their back soon distracted them. They gasped, lightly tapping his arms in the hopes that he’d loosen his hold.
He pulled away, idle hands fitfully grabbing at the sheets. “Ah, sorry– are you alright?”
“Yes dear, just–” they groaned at another twinge of pain, “I think I threw out my back yesterday…”
“Oh, honey..”
Ever the dramatic type, Puddle pouted, draping their arm over the redhead’s shoulder.
“Kiiiings… I’m getting old!”
“Old?!” Kingsly scoffed, “You’re younger than me!”
“Yeah, you’re old too!” they giggled, still loopy from another sleepless night.
“Whatever you say, love. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Hold me, gently please.”
“I think I can do that.”
But before he had the chance to act on their wishes, they heard the familiar jingle of Puddle’s ringtone echoing around the quiet bedroom, followed by a loud groan from the stylist.
“...Forgot I had an appointment today, gotta answer that–”
They rolled over and reached around in the dark to find their phone, but they were stopped by Kingsly, who grabbed them (thankfully gently) and held them close. He nuzzled the space between their tense shoulder blades, mumbling into the soft skin.
“Cancel it, have a day off.”
“But you– the flower shop! You have work!”
“Day off.”
Puddle soon gave up on trying to change his mind, he was always a little stubborn when it came to things like this. Always such a sweetheart, making sure they were taken care of. But, stars… they were not excited to get that angry phone call. Oh well, they were pretty tired anyway. Maybe if they focus on Kingsly’s warmth and not the pain they’d be able to get some sleep.
Despite the incessant buzzing of their phone, the atmosphere was quite calming. It wasn’t too bright, it was warm and cozy, and they felt themself finally relax.
Their eyelids drooped, and they felt themself drift off in their lover’s arms.
When their eyes opened next, they were alone. But they weren’t cold, not in the slightest, Kingsly would never let them go cold. An extra fluffy blanket was tossed over the duvet, gently tucked in at their sides.
They sighed, finding a seated position after some pained struggle. Ah, their phone was ringing before they fell asleep, they really ought to apologise for the inconvenience their lazy day was causing. Though, when they felt around on the bedside table, they found… well, nothing, their phone wasn’t there! Perhaps Kingsly answered the call for them. That could only end poorly, knowing their clientele.
There was an odd smell that wafted through the air, something they only noticed now in their wakefulness. Their eyes trailed over to the bedside table, where a sunflower sat by the edge, filling in the space that their phone once was. An adoring sigh left them, and they picked it up by the carefully snipped stem. They brought it to their nose and took in the earthy smell, and the lasting heat that warmed their cheeks, as if it had only been cut that morning.
Speaking of smells, there was something else, much further away… something sizzling? Puddle raised an eyebrow choosing to leave the soft comfort of their bed to investigate. Unfortunately their back was still giving them some grief, though they eventually made it off the mattress, limping out to face what was causing all that noise. The flower remained between their shaky hands.
In the kitchen, Kingsly hummed to the tunes on the radio as he cooked something on the stove. It smelled amazing, but they couldn’t quite figure out what it was with him blocking their view. So they closed the distance, hugging the man from behind, the vibrant yellow flower pressed to his chest. He tensed at the feeling, glancing at them over his shoulder.
“A-ah! You’re awake?”
“Yeah… I like the flower.”
“I’m glad, just picked it this morning too!”
Puddle smiled against his nape, taking in the smell of his perfume, “I can tell.”
Kingsly paused for a moment, as if lost in thought. It didn’t last that long as he suddenly took the frying pan off the burner, turning around to look at his partner properly.
“You should be in bed. Doesn’t your back hurt?”
They pouted when he pulled away from them. Though, now that they thought about it, the pain was starting to flare up as they stood without support. Puddle nodded after some hesitation, before a smirk crossed their face. If they were going to do what they’re told, they would play it up all the while.
“Oh Kingsly!~ I don’t think I can make it back to bed myself. Woe, I can barely stand up on my own!” they whined, clearly able to stand up on their own.
The florist sighed. “...Alright, hop on.”
“Yay!”
As Kingsly turned back around, Puddle wrapped their arms and legs around him, clinging to him like a koala. They rubbed their cheeks in his messy bed hair, the soft frizz making them giggle.
From here, they could actually catch a glimpse of what it was Kingsly had been preparing. Bacon and eggs sizzled away in the pan, a hearty breakfast that was pleasant, although cheesy and a little overdone. They hummed, leaning in to savour the nice smell.
Though before they really had the chance to get comfortable, Kingsly shut off the gas. Thank the stars, he was on the verge of reducing the bacon to charcoal!
“Alright, I think it’s time to get you back to bed!”
“Aww, already? But you’re so warm!”
Kingsly chuckled, “I’m almost done here, I promise.”
Maybe they were still a little tired… Fine, they’d play along for now.
With a sigh, Puddle slumped against his shoulder, accepting their sentence as they were carried back to the bedroom.
He gently set them down on the mattress, handing them a throw pillow to support their back. They hadn’t thought of something that simple until now, surely it would do them some good.
They stared at the ceiling for a while, hearing as the door quietly shut. At this point, they weren’t sure they’d be awake by the time Kingsly finishes up in the kitchen.
It lasted only a moment, their eyes closed.
When they opened again, it was to the sound of the door opening and closing once more. How long had they been sleeping this time? They didn’t have long to think about it, as a plate and glass of what they assumed was water were placed on the bedside table.
Bacon and eggs. A hearty breakfast… arranged into a smiley face.
A smile of their own formed. When they said cheesy and overdone, they didn’t mean…
Kingsly brushed their hair out of their eyes and helped them sit up. It was easy to forget how strong he was despite his soft demeanor. And how gently he treated them, they felt they may have been dreaming. Well, if their back wasn’t hurting as much as it was, then they may have been dreaming.
He wordlessly offered them the glass of water, dropping two small pills into the palm of their free hand. Painkillers.
Oh, they had married an angel.