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The morning rays filtered their way into your bedroom, the golden hue making it seem ethereal. Your eyes remained closed, your mind in-between sleep and consciousness. You almost let it drag you back into the soft dark void of sleep, but—
“Baby~,”
IV seemed to have other plans for that morning. A small smile made its way to your lips.
You had no complaints about that.
“Mmm?” you hummed in question, not moving just yet.
“Love…” you could feel the bed dip as IV re-positioned himself next to you, his bare, slightly hairy chest emitting a lovely warmth into your side.
“Yes, Ivy?” you spoke, eyebrow raised but eyes still closed. “Open your eyes for me, come on.” IV all but begged as his arm laid to rest on your chest.
You peek open an eye and your gaze meets his, the blue of his eyes almost glowing in the sunlight. His smile is bright as well.
“Do you know what day it is?” he asked, leaning down to almost kiss you, but not quite, his lips just barely ghosting over yours
“Hmm… Wednesday?” You can't help the cheeky smile that pulls at your lips.
“Nope, well yes, but—” he places a deep kiss on your lips before pulling away just enough to speak.
“Happy birthday, you cheeky brat.” Another kiss is placed before IV sits up fully, his hands pulling at your arms, urging you to get up along with him. “Come on, time for breakfast, birthday boy. We’ve got a full day planned.”
You laugh at his insistence, but you relent, letting him guide you out of the bed and onto your feet. The wood floor greeted you with a slight chill, but quickly warmed with the residual heat from your skin. IV held your hand in his calloused one as he dragged pulled you through the flat and sat you on the couch.
“Stay.” he said, with his hand out. “Wait here.”
You let out an indignant scoff. “I’m not a dog, IV!”
“But you’re my puppy, and I know you'll listen to me~,” he taunted as he made his way to the kitchen, where a large white takeout bag was placed on the countertop. “Besides, the boys stopped by earlier with this. You don’t want it to go to waste, right?”
You let your silence be your answer as he got the plates filled with pancakes, bacon, sausage, and some fruit.
Breakfast was a quiet affair, and once the plates were cleared and placed into the sink, you took the lead by grabbing his hand, and leading him to the bathroom.
The bathroom was small (alongside the flat.), but the shower was just big enough to fit both of you, even if it was a tight fit. Once you stepped in, the warm water streaming against your chest, you felt IV's arms snaking around your waist, letting the curve of him press against your back perfectly.
After soaking in each other's presence for a bit, his arms unwrapped themselves from you and reached for one of the various bottles on the shelf instead, lathering the soap between his fingers, before carding them in from your hairline.
He massaged the soap into your scalp, and the movement made you sigh, pressing your back further into his chest. He let out a soft chuckle, leaning down to speak into your ear.
“As much as I want to, love, but we don’t have time for that, and you know it.” you pout, but relent, letting him finish cleaning your hair.
As the last of the suds meet the drain, you took him by his hips and spin, placing him under the showerhead, the water now streaming down his neck, chest, and stomach.
“Duck.”
“Goose.” He offers you a grin as you stare at him, unimpressed, before he ducks his head into reachable distance for you. “Thank you.” You lather the soap into own hands before carding your fingers into his hair.
You don’t miss his gaze, soft and full of love, as you finish up, before resting your hands on his chest, letting your forehead rest against his Adam's apple. The silence between you was peaceful, but the water quickly ran cold, signaling that it was time to get out. And with great reluctance, you did, stepping out onto the steamy bathroom.
Getting ready was a ritual between the two of you, and while it's only a little delayed from stopping to share a bit of affection between each other everything few minutes. (it was simply too tempting not to gently smack his ass as he slipped into his nice black jeans.), you finish getting dressed in record time.
Just as you brush your teeth, you glance behind you in the mirror at him, his form searching for something in his drawer where his socks were. Cussing under his breath, he slammed the drawer shut, now opening his nightstand drawer instead, his hands shuffling through the loose papers and objects.
“Ivy, your wallet’s in the living room on the table, if that's what you’re looking for.” Your voice carried from the bathroom, muted slightly as you brushed your teeth and spat into the sink. You hear him let out an ‘Oh.’ before heading into the living room.
“IV, are you okay?” you call from the bathroom, once you finish at the sink. You peeked your head out from the bathroom, and see him stuffing his wallet into the inner pocket of the jacket.
“Yeah, love, I'm just… making sure I’ve got what I need before we go.” His gaze shifted as he fiddled with his jacket zipper. You furrowed your brows and stepped closer.
He’s anxious about something.
“Ivy, if you don’t want to go out today, we can jus-”
“No!” His outburst startled you slightly, blinking at him. “Shit, wait, I’m sorry.”
Okay, something is eating at him, judging by his nervous jitters. “Are you worried you’re gonna get recognized?” you step out into the living room, placing a hand on his bicep, squeezing it gently.
“No, it's not that—it's just, I want…” He stumbles over his words, rubbing his face. “I want your birthday to be better than last year.” Yeah, that was not a fun time, when you got hit hard with the flu a couple weeks before tour, just when your boyfriend couldn’t afford to get sick, so you had made him sleep in the living room for his sake. (you had offered to go stay in a hotel, but his sad blue eyes convinced you otherwise. He had looked like you kicked him when you told him that.)
“It will be, with you. We could just order some butter chicken curry from that place I like, and just have a movie night. We could watch Sinners again?”
While it was tempting to do just that, IV shook his head. “Nope, we had this planned for a month now. We’re doing this.”
“Brave boy.” You lean up and place a kiss on his lips, letting him deepen it again, but he pulls away before it gets out of control.
“Let's go before I change my mind. You look too damn good, and I will lose my mind if we stay any longer.” You snort at him, but let him take the reins, guiding you out of your home and into the city air of London.
The car park was across the street, and as you crossed it, IV took your hand in his, bringing it to his lips, and pressed a kiss to the back of it.
You remained unaware of IV’s other hand that remained in his jacket pocket; his grip was tight around the small black box that he had brought about two months ago.
Hopefully, you wouldn’t mind saying yes.