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Kinich doesn’t sleep in.
Years of solitude and survival training had drilled into him the rule of rising with the sun, of listening for world’s waking noises before the people followed suit. When the Traveler entered his life, a star fallen from the heavens above, he’d learned her habits were the exact same as his. She woke with the dawn like him, alert and ready, on her feet and moving before the world had fully stirred. It was one of the first things that had drawn them together after the war; a mutual understanding of discipline, of strength, of being prepared for whatever came next.
This morning is different, though.
Their daily rhythms had become slower now. After the war, commissions from the Natlan branch of the Adventurer’s Guild were few and far between, so both of them had more free time on their hands. They were able to relax for a bit.
He’d spent some of that time on a high branch of a baobab tree, enjoying the gentle breeze and warm rays of sunshine. That was until the Traveler had found him about to fall asleep, so she’d invited him into her Serenitea Pot for the night. He’d struggled to say no to her. How could he?
Now, he was glad he’d said yes.
Soft morning light slips through curtains and onto silken bedsheets. The warmth of her body presses against his. Her arms, strong and scarred, wrap snugly around him to hold him close. Blonde hair fanned out on his bare chest. He doesn’t move right away, allowing himself the rare indulgence of lying still and listening to the soft rhythm of her breathing.
Then, slowly, he moves a hand into her hair. It’s silky between his fingers, catching the morning light in strands of pale gold. He brushes the layered hair away from her cheek before tracing it with his thumb. He cannot help but marvel at how vulnerable and peaceful she looks. It’s starkly different from the warrior who’d fought beside him through countless battles against the Abyss.
The Traveler shifts slightly in her sleep, a soft sound escaping her lips. She buries her face into him, and he can’t help but smile. It’s not an expression he wears often, not when he’s around others. But with her? Sometimes he finds himself unable to stop smiling, no matter how hard he tries.
This is one of those moments.
He’s not an affectionate man. Never has been. Yet his slender fingers slide up and down her bare back, slow and careful, and her name comes from his lips in a murmur, softened by the weight of sleep. “Lumine.”
She didn’t budge.
He smiles to himself, unsurprised. The Traveler has been taking full advantage of the peace by sleeping longer. He brushes his thumb along her cheekbone one more time before trying again, his voice a little firmer but still gentle. “Lumine.”
This time, her eyelids flutter. A soft groan escapes her lips as she shifts against him, arms tightening around his waist in protest. "Mmm…" she hums against his chest. "Just a little longer," she mumbles, words muffled against his skin. Her fingers trace lines along his side, as if that would convince him to stay still and let her drift back to sleep.
Kinich's chest rises with a quiet breath, his hand moving through her hair in slow, soothing strokes. He’s glad neither of them have anything on their agendas for the day, because if they did, the warmth of her against him would make it difficult to care about schedules and promises.
He twirls a strand of her hair between his fingers. It catches the light like spun gold. "Five more minutes," he says, voice soft with resignation. After all, he'd never been very good at denying her anything.
Five minutes became ten, then fifteen. Neither of them move to leave the warmth of entwined limbs, tangled sheets, and shared breaths.
Lumine stirs from her sleep until an hour later. She lifts her head from his chest to look at him. She smiles, soft and fond, at the sight.
His dark hair’s a mess, fanned out on the pillowcase. His cheek has a crease from sleeping on it. The large slash across his chest moves with his breathing, up and down in a slow, steady rhythm.
Her fingers drift to his chest scar, drawing on it with a featherlight touch. She's mapped this mark a hundred times before, but it never fails to remind her of how close this world had come to losing him once.
Kinich's eyes open. That deep emerald gaze meets hers with warmth and kindness. His hand comes up to cover hers on his chest, fingers intertwining with her own. "Can't sleep anymore?" he asks, voice still rough with sleep. When he speaks, it’s a quiet rumble in his chest that she feels beneath her palm.
Lumine shakes her head. "No," she admits, her thumb brushing over his knuckles. "Just wanted to look at you."
A corner of his mouth lifts, and he squeezes her hand. "Is that so?" There's a hint of amusement in his tone, though his expression remains soft. He shifts slightly beneath her, adjusting so they're both more comfortable, but makes no move to pull away.
“I can’t help it. You look nice.”
He brings their joined hands to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss to her knuckles. "You're not so bad yourself," he murmurs against her skin, eyes never leaving hers.
Her smile grows at his words. She leans down to press a kiss to his lips. She lets it linger, savoring the warmth of his lips against hers, the security of his arms around her, the stillness of the morning. She pulls back and settles against him once more.
They stay like that for a while longer, wrapped in each other and the gentle quiet of morning. Eventually, she shifts, propping herself up on one elbow to look down at him properly. Her hair falls like a curtain around them, creating a small world that belongs to just the two of them.
"We should probably get up," she says, with no conviction in her words.
He raises an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth twitching with amusement. "Should we?" he asks, his hand sliding up her spine in a way that makes her shiver. "I don't recall having anywhere to be."
She laughs softly, the sound warm and full of affection. "Fair point." She leans down to press another kiss to his lips, this one briefer but no less tender. When she pulls back, her expression turns thoughtful. "Though I suppose we should eat something eventually."
"Eventually," he agrees, though he makes no move to let her go. His fingers continue their slow journey through her hair, savoring the simple intimacy of the moment.
Lumine settles back onto him, her ear pressed on his chest. "Five more minutes?" she asks, echoing his earlier words.
Kinich's chest rumbles in quiet laughter. "Five more minutes," he confirms, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.