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soft morning sunlight filtered in a lazy, golden wash, slipping through curtains onto bedsheets patterned with what kinich could only describe as childlike. little sharks and pink pufferfish, dancing in faded blues and coral pinks. so unmistakably her.
he was never one for sleeping in. survival had taught him to rise with the sun, to listen for the first sounds of morning before the world woke. but with her, his rhythm had changed into something softer. slower. when she was around, mornings seemed to stretch themselves out tenderly, like they, too, wanted an excuse to stay and linger.
snow white hair was a mess against his chest, two twin braids tangled into the heavy covers. her arms - warm, strong, and marked with those familiar tribal patterns were wrapped snugly around him, holding him close even in her sleep. her breath came slow and steady against his skin, the rise and fall syncing with the faint hum of the ocean breeze outside.
she always buried her face against him when the sunlight crept in, like she could hide from the day itself. and every time, it made him smile. that small, quiet smile that he rarely wore for anyone else. he’d long accepted that waking her was his task. had been since before they ever called it love. a habit turned comfort.
he couldn’t say mualani shared the same sentiment, though.
his hand moved in slow, careful motions, slender fingers tracing up and down her back - the way one might soothe a restless wave. “lani,” he murmured, voice low and quiet, softened by the weight of the morning. it wasn’t meant to wake her so much as to remind her he was there.
as expected, she didn’t budge.
a quiet sigh slipped from him, fond and familiar. his other hand found its way into her hair, threading through the messy white strands, the tips catching faint sunlight. “come on,” he coaxed gently, “we promised we’d have breakfast with kachina today, remember?”
a muffled sound came from the bundle pressed into his chest - drawn out and reluctant. “that’s… today…?” she mumbled, voice thick with sleep. kinich only hummed, the sound low in his throat as he absently twirled a lock of her hair between his fingers.
“shoot… noooooo,” she groaned, rolling off him in defeat before burying her face deep into her pillow. “five more minutes,” she pleaded, her voice small and drowsy, half lost in the sheets.
he couldn’t help the quiet chuckle that slipped out as he came to sit up in bed. mualani always said five more minutes, and he always let her. watching the rise and fall of her shoulders beneath the covers, he brushed his thumb along her temple before leaning in just enough for his breath to brush her ear.
“you always say that, and then you oversleep.” he murmured, voice still low and warm, laced with amusement. “you don’t want me to get ajaw in here, do you?” that earned him a lazy, half asleep groan and a hand emerging from the blanket cocoon just to swat blindly in his direction.
mualani eventually lifted her face from the pillow, elbows sinking into the mattress as she propped herself up. she looked an absolute mess: eyes half lidded, hair a tangle of white, lips dry from sleep, but somehow kinich thought she’d never looked softer.
“geeez… threatening me to wake me up now? evil,” she accused, her voice hoarse and playful all at once. “no need… i’m up…” she added, though her words were immediately followed by a yawn that nearly disproved her claim.
kinich’s lips quirked into a small, genuine smile - one of those rare ones that reached his eyes, softening the usually sharp lines of his face. “thank you. trust me, i didn’t want to get ajaw in here, either.” he folded his arms loosely across his chest, letting her have her moment to properly wake up.
she blinked slowly, her head tilting as her gaze settled on him, still sitting there in the golden spill of morning light. it caught the edges of him in the gentlest way, highlighting the scars across his skin, the defined planes of his shoulders, the depth of those emerald eyes. a sleepy smile tugged at her lips. “you look nice in the morning,” she mumbled, voice barely above a whisper.
kinich huffed out a quiet laugh, the sound soft as the light between them. “you say that every morning.”
“yeah, well,” she murmured, cheek pressed lazily into her hand, “it’s true every morning.” her voice still carried the haze of sleep, soft and slow. she then pushed herself up just enough to reach him, the blankets falling from her shoulders as she leaned in and pressed her lips to his. it was a small, sleepy kiss - tender and unhurried, the kind that spoke of quiet love rather than passion.
kinich returned it after a moment, his breath steady, eyes fluttering shut as he melted into the stillness of it. her hand found his cheek, thumb brushing along the line of his jaw.
when she finally pulled back, she stayed close - close enough that their foreheads nearly touched, close enough that her breath mingled with his. she took him in like she was memorizing him, every line softened by the intimate golden light that spilled between them.
his eyes met hers, green and gentle, like sunlight filtering through leaves. she smiled, warm and full of quiet affection. “good morning, kinich,” she whispered, the words carrying a kind of peace that settled between them.
kinich knew it then. for all the mornings he’d spent alone, all the years that had felt like survival and nothing more - it struck him how worth it it all had been. to have her here. to be loved by her.
he breathed out softly, his lips curving just slightly.
“good morning, mualani.”