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The first thing Torch felt when he woke up was warmth. An unmistakable, soothing warmth, paired with the familiar sensation of weight on his chest and soft, steady breathing against his skin. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, squinting slightly as the morning light filtering through the flaps of the tent briefly dazzled him.
It was early morning. He could hear Bandito Camp slowly coming to life around him: someone nearby was unzipping a tent flap, another walking past and humming quietly to themselves; muted greetings and the first conversations drifting in from the distance.
Torch knew he should have been up long ago. Life in Trench was far from easy, and as the leader he had a ton of responsibilities, which usually kept him busy from the very start of the day.
He experimentally tried to move his arm first, then his leg, but to no avail. Something (or rather, someone) was effectively preventing it. He looked down, and a smile crept unconsciously onto his face.
Clancy was sprawled across his chest, snoring softly, his mind still deeply lost in sleep. His long eyelashes cast shadows over his cheekbones, dusted with a healthy peachy blush; a small trail of drool escaped from the corner of his mouth, landing right on Torch’s pecks. His fluffy brown ears twitched, tickling Torch’s chin as he mumbled something incoherent under his breath.
He must have been dreaming.
Clancy looked so relaxed and peaceful in his sleep. Almost ethereal.
Torch could have watched him for hours and never grown tired of it. He didn’t have the heart to wake him, but the clock on the nightstand was mercilessly ticking, urging him to get up. After a moment’s hesitation, he carefully shifted beneath Clancy’s weight, taking hold of his shoulders, as he slowly tried to ease Clancy off himself, hoping to get up without waking him.
The attempt failed, because the moment Clancy sensed his giant cuddle toy trying to slip away, he let out a heavy, sleepy sigh and stirred, his grip around Torch’s waist tightening unconsciously.
“Mmm, morning,” Clancy mumbled, still half-asleep.
“Morning, sleepyhead,” Torch smiled and kissed him on the top of his head. “Sorry I woke you up. I wanted to make us breakfast.”
“Five more minutes…” Clancy nestled his head in the crook of Torch's neck and nuzzled him a few times, a loud, contented purr rumbling from back of his throat.
Clancy was always more cuddly and affectionate in the mornings. It was hard to get him out from under the blanket when he clung to him with his whole body, begging for scratches behind his ear.
“Alright, but only five,” Torch sighed, not even trying to argue. He had always had a soft spot for Clancy. He couldn’t resist his plea, so he decided to allow himself a little more time to relax. Banditos could wait a little longer. “How did you sleep?” he asked, smoothing down the unruly strands sticking up from Clancy’s head.
“Not bad.” Clancy instinctively tilted his ear toward the touch, and Torch immediately granted his silent request, scratching him at the base of his ear. “Fell asleep pretty quickly this time.”
Clancy usually had trouble falling asleep, but Torch’s steady heartbeat always calmed him down and lulled him to sleep.
“Good. Any dreams? No nightmares?” Torch asked with concern, now showering Clancy’s face with small kisses, starting with his forehead, then his cheeks, and ending on his nose. Clancy often had nightmares and would wake up screaming in the middle of the night;, but fortunately, that had been happening less and less lately.
“Your morning breath is awful,” Clancy grumbled, but he craned his neck, demanding even more affection.
“I don’t complain when you decide to eat raw fish and then want to kiss,” Torch chuckled, wrapping his arms around Clancy's waist to pull him closer.
Clancy rolled his eyes, his tail flicking with feigned irritation, but he immediately melted into Torch's arms.
“Anyway, I had a good dream this time. About us.”
“About us?”
“Mmhmm.”
Torch paused for a moment, stopping his kisses and looking into Clancy’s dark eyes.
“Tell me about it.”
Clancy laughed nervously.
“It was cliché. You’re gonna laugh.”
“I won’t.” Torch assured him, pressing a kiss to his knuckles.
Clancy exhaled, loosening up.
“It was… like a different world. Dema and Bishops didn’t exist. We lived together in a small cottage by the lake.”
“A cottage by the lake? I’d like that,” Torch murmured against his skin, going back to stroking him behind the ear.
Clancy started kneading Torch’s chest, purring even louder. His tail curled around Torch’s calf as if he wanted to pin him in place, though Torch wouldn’t have been able to escape even if he tried. Clancy was lying on top of him with his full weight, so close they could feel each other’s heartbeats, their limbs tangled together.
“Our kids were running around the yard, wreaking havoc among Banditos next door.”
“You want kids?” Torch cut in, his eyes wide.
Clancy blushed deep red.
“ I… I don’t know. I’ve never thought about it before. Maybe I would. And you?”
“I would. Even a whole litter of kittens.”
Clancy chuckled.
“All your furniture would be scratched up.”
Torch’s gaze drifted to one of the cabinets where Clancy loved sharpening his claws. Among the scratch marks, there was a tiny heart carved into it.
“ I can live with that.”
Clancy muttered something like “stupid” under his breath, then went on.
“We didn’t have to rush anywhere. We had lazy, slow mornings every day… Just cuddling, eating breakfast, and laughing at something stupid, not caring about the world.”
“Clancy…” Torch cupped his jaw, running his thumb over his cheek, studying every freckle adorning his pointed nose.
He wished he could make that dream come true. If only he could take Clancy far away from here, just the two of them… If only he could defeat Nico. Then he could turn Clancy’s dream into reality.
He wished it were that simple.
“I know, I know. We should get up,” Clancy sighed, interrupting his thoughts as he slipped out of Torch’s arms to stretch. He arched his back with cat-like grace, his flexible spine curving as he yawned widely, revealing a row of sharp teeth.
The moment he moved off him, Torch already missed the familiar weight on his chest, the warmth of his sleep-warmed body, the fluffy tail rubbing against his calf. He didn’t want this fragile moment to end.
“Wait,” Torch grabbed his wrist. “Come back.”
“Didn’t we have to get up?” Clancy raised an eyebrow, but obediently moved closer to Torch, sliding onto his lap.
Torch just smiled, and captured Clancy’s lips in a kiss.
“Just five more minutes.”