Work Text:
Still sleepy, Asa's first thought was of the warm body pressed against his.
Anthony.
The heavy curtains kept the morning light from fully entering the room, allowing him to easily open his eyes.
He realized that they must have shifted positions during the night, as Anthony’s body was now pressed against his. Anthony’s head rested in the crook of Asa’s shoulder, and one of his arms was wrapped around Asa’s waist.
Memories of the night slowly returned to Asa, and he blushed slightly.
Anthony had been amazing; he had been so caring toward Asa. He had treated Asa with tenderness and passion while giving him the chance to do the same.
Asa had never experienced anything like it. With Anthony, he had felt cherished in a way he couldn't quite describe.
He lowered his head to gaze at his handsome, sleeping lover.
Anthony knew he was falling hard, and very hard at that.
It was even more than that, if he was honest with himself. Even if the newness of their relationship kept him from putting a name to it.
What he had always sought and dreamed of experiencing with a partner was finally happening between him and Anthony. It was like the stories of the main characters in the romance novels he liked to read.
Actually, it was better, so much better, because it was real.
The romance novels he read were just words on paper, but what he was feeling right now was real.
It almost took his breath away.
As he ran his eyes over Anthony's body, he felt an overwhelming urge to touch him and confirm this reality.
He slowly moved his hand toward his lover's face, stopping just a few millimeters away.
"You can touch me, you know."
He jumped at Anthony’s voice and saw that his eyes were wide open. Anthony was looking at him with a smile.
Asa hesitated for a moment before fully turning toward Anthony and pressing a brief kiss to his lips.
Then another.
Anthony laughed softly and said, "Yeah, just like that."
Asa laughed too and gave Anthony a slightly longer kiss. When Asa tried to pull away, though, Anthony wrapped his arms around his waist. With a deft movement, Anthony switched their positions, ending up straddling Asa, who giggled in response.
Anthony leaned in close to Asa, almost touching noses, and brushed his tangled blond hair back.
In a hoarse whisper, he said, "Good morning," and pressed a light kiss to Asa’s nose.
Asa replied almost whispering, "Good morning."
"Did you sleep well?"
Asa nodded.
"Better than ever."
"I'm going to tell you a secret." Anthony leaned in and whispered in Asa’s ear, making him shiver. "Me too."
After trailing a path of light kisses along Asa’s jawline, Anthony reached his lips and rewarded them with a long, tender kiss.
Then he asked, "What time do you start work today?"
"10 a.m. Derek opens the shop, and after that, it's nonstop until tonight. It’s Saturday, and the bookshop is open all day."
"Shit!"
Anthony slapped his forehead, and Asa looked on, confused.
"What?"
Anthony started to get up, talking at top speed: "I have to go to Cambridge today to finalize my transfer, hand in my keys for good, and take my last boxes."
Asa said soothingly, "It's okay. Like I said, I’m busy all day, so we wouldn't have been able to see each other anyway."
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Anthony ran his hand through his hair and shook his head.
"No, that's not it. I have to stay there until tomorrow. My former coworkers organized a farewell dinner and planned several events for my departure, so I won’t be back until early evening."
"Oh..." Asa murmured.
He wouldn't deny that he was disappointed at the thought of not seeing Anthony for almost two days. But, he told himself, it was normal. After all, they didn’t live together, and couples don't see each other every day. It was exceptional that they’d seen each other daily since they first met.
Anthony stroked his cheek.
"Hey, where’d you go? You were far away from me."
Asa bit his lip and hesitated.
"Asa, tell me."
"I...I'm actually a little disappointed."
"No kidding!" Anthony exclaimed. "I'm very, very, very disappointed!"
"Don’t you think that’s a little immature?"
Anthony straddled Asa again and said, "That means you're going to miss me. That makes me pretty happy. There's nothing immature about that. I'm going to miss you, too. Does that not make you happy?"
He buried his face in Asa’s neck and ran his hands down his body. Then he added, "I'm going to miss you. I’m going to miss all of this."
They shared one last kiss before sitting up because it was almost time for Asa to leave.
"Breakfast?" Anthony asked, hopping around while putting on his pants.
Asa, who was putting on his own while sitting on the edge of the bed, shook his head. "No, I'd like to stop by my place, take a shower, and change clothes, otherwise, Derek's going to tease me all day."
"That Derek. You’ll have to tell me about him when we have more time."
"Why?"
"Well, because I want to know what your life is like. Don’t you want to know about me?"
Asa nodded eagerly. "Of course!"
They still had so much to learn about each other.
They got dressed together and it took longer than expected since they couldn’t stop kissing and touching each other whenever they were close.
Asa spent five minutes in the bathroom trying to look somewhat presentable, and then Anthony walked him to the door.
"I don't think we'll be able to see each other before I leave," Anthony said with a look of contempt.
"It's okay. I understand. Come on, one last kiss for the road, please."
Anthony didn’t need to be asked twice. He kissed Asa long and hard before letting him go.
Just as Asa turned to leave, though, Anthony grabbed his hand.
"Wait."
"Anthony, I have to—"
Anthony picked something up from the table in the entryway and placed it in Asa's hand.
Asa was surprised to realize it was a key.
"Anthony, what is—"
Anthony scratched the back of his head and said, in a hesitant tone Asa had never heard from him before, "Keep it. It’s a spare."
"But...you realize we've only known each other for a few days, and you're giving me the keys to your place."
Anthony asked sarcastically, "What, are you going to rob me?"
"Pfff, idiot." Asa then seemed to change his mind and continued playfully, "Mind you, you have a nice collection of books."
Anthony’s expression turned serious, and he placed his hand on Asa’s open palm where the key lay.
"Please, Asa. Keep it. If you’d like, you could wait for me tomorrow night so we can see each other." But only if you..."
He was interrupted by Asa’s soft laughter.
"You're so cute, you know."
Puffing out his chest, Anthony said in a feigned serious tone, "Hey, I’m a respected astrophysics professor. I’m not cute."
"You're not fooling anyone," Asa teased, chuckling.
Anthony was delighted to see how comfortable Asa was becoming in their relationship.
"Is something wrong?" Asa asked, noticing his silence.
"No, quite the contrary. Everything's fine," he answered, kissing Asa tenderly.
"I really have to go," Asa said as they parted.
He quickly kissed Anthony on the cheek and hurried off.
He didn’t turn back because he knew he wouldn’t be able to resist going back.
However, as soon as he stepped outside, he couldn’t help but type a message.
Have a safe trip, and come back soon.
Then, he put his phone in his pocket and hailed a taxi, which luckily arrived quickly.
Once in the taxi, his phone vibrated.
He took it out and looked at the screen.
Of course I’ll be back soon, especially if my
sweet angel is waiting for me at home.
What a smooth talker!
Asa couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
"Are you all right, sir?"
He smiled at the taxi driver who had asked him the question and replied, "Yes, everything's fine."
He sank into the seat of the taxi and sighed contentedly.
It felt good to be able to say he was fine and genuinely mean it.
He quickly tapped on his phone.
I'll wait for you.