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By the time you wake up, your head is pounding. Throbbing can be felt from all corners of your skull as you lift your head up from the mattress. Any thoughts you have are muddled with the swirling, drunken feeling of last night’s shenanigans, and the shots you had with friends.
Weakly, your head turns to the left, blearily blinking your eyes at the sleeping heap sharing the bed with you. Dry, bleached blond hair is spread across his pillow. His expression is peaceful, one comforted by sleep and your company.
The lump in question was no one other than Tanaka, very man that had managed to snatch away your heart after years of being co-workers for the Company.
That same man, who was far too anxious to consider asking you out in the first place out of fear of losing you, too. That was something Tanaka wouldn’t be able to live with himself over. Something that you heard over and over during the occasional, authentic arguments broke out between the two of you.
That same man, who had dropped down on his knees during one of your dates, and presented you with the shiniest ring you’ve ever seen. Who had looked so anxiously up at you, despite his attempts to cover it up with his usual, laid-back demeanour.
For a long while, you simply stare at his resting form, a smile crawling onto your face.
Yesterday had felt unreal from beginning to end. A blur of pressed flowers and camera flashes, with laughter ringing too loudly in your ears playing a symphony of utter joy. The people you'd known your whole life were crying harder than you had, and sharing stories with the rest of the attendees over dinner.
Somewhere between exchanging rings, and being dragged onto the dance floor by overly enthusiastic strangers, the realization had settled in. You and Tanaka had gotten married.
Still, the thought doesn't feel real. It felt like a fever dream, a world away from the one you were laying within.
As your gaze drifts lower, you spot one of Tanaka's large hands tucked beneath the pillow. The other rests lazily across the blankets, his fingers slightly curled over the fabric.
Slowly, you slide one of your hands over to his exposed one, your digits intertwining with the larger set of fingers upon the blanket.
Then, a groggy grumble rumbles from Tanaka’s throat, his head lifting from his pillow slightly. “Morning already…?” He mutters, his voice rough with sleep.
From your spot, you jolt in place. You knew he was a light sleeper, but for him to wake up at your hands joining? That was new. “I thought you were asleep. Sorry.” You whisper out an apology, and watch as Tanaka sits up upon the mattress.
“Well, I was.” He starts, and shifts his weight around before laying on his side, facing you. “But, I could feel someone staring at me.”
You snort lightly. There was no way he could’ve noticed that, right? “I was not staring.” You counter, a slight laugh in your tone.
For a split second, Tanaka stretches, his shoulders rolling with an audible pop before he shuffles closer to your resting form. “‘Ya sure about that?” He questions you, a lazy grin spreading across his face
Lightheartedly, you roll your eyes. It’s not like Tanaka could see your reaction; not without his glasses. But, the grin tugging at your mouth gives you away. “I’m sure, positive.” You respond lightly, only for your smile to shift into a smirk. “You were drooling, by the way. Very attractive.”
Huffing a low, amused sound, Tanaka reaches up to scrub a hand over his stubbled jaw. That motion makes the muscles in his arm shift beneath sun-warmed skin. The faint black roots of his bleached hair catch the light where they’ve grown along his scalp. Even half-asleep he looks tall.
His gray eyes are half-lidded, gazing at you while if his shades rested upon the nearby nightstand. Even if he was completely blind without them, he always seemed to know where you were. In a way, he was like a bat. An odd one, at that.
For a moment, you just look at him. You really look at him, taking the time to give the freshly-awoken man a good long, lingering gaze. You could see the dry, bleached strands of hair sticking up in chaotic tufts. Nearby, there was the shadow of stubble along his jaw, with the relaxed line of his mouth.
Before you was a man who, at a moment’s notice, could become all sharp angles and decisive action. He was someone who despised the person that signed his paychecks, and who carried a quiet, serious purpose under all that laid-back strangeness.
Yet, here he was, looking at you with a sleepy, unguarded softness that made your chest ache. In this moment, everything felt normal. Like you truly were just two different people in a world full of impurities.
“Everything feels different.” You admit after a beat it silence, your voice barely above a whisper. “And… the same. It’s confusing.”
Tanaka hums, a low sound. It’s understanding in nature, you’ve grown to understand. Shifting his body once more, Tanaka rolls onto his back, pulling your hand with him to rest on his chest. You could feel the steady, solid thump of his heart beneath your palm.
“The confusing part’s probably the hangover.” Tanaka muses, his tone light, while those grey hues of his seem to fixate above with a thoughtful distance. “For the most part, it’s still just… us. We’re the same people we were yesterday. And the day before that.” A grin dresses face once more, as an eyebrow arches upward. “All that’s different is more paperwork, and a really nice party.”
Propping yourself up on one of your elbows, you look down at him. “Was that all it was to you? A party and some paperwork?” You ask as your other arm reaches for your pillow. There, you gently toss the soft cushion at your husband, earning a light groan from the blond man.
With a grunt, Tanaka turns his head to you, a rumbly little laugh vibrating from his lips. Briefly, that laid-back demeanour seems to melt away into something more direct and meaningful. Something soft and authentic. “Hmm, nah.” Tanaka hums, his response simple and sure. He takes your hand in his, giving it a gentle yet firm squeeze. “I think that what matters is that we’re tied to each other. Officially.” He lifts your hand up closer to his face as he speaks. “No matter what weird, messed-up case the Company throws at me, I get to come home to this.” His free hand gestures vaguely around the sun-drenched bedroom, before pressing two kisses to the back of your hand.
The first is quick and almost peck-like. The second is much slower, and thoughtful. His lips linger in your skin for seconds that feel longer.
Once he releases the kiss, he smiles at you once more. “I get to come home to you. That’s my favourite part of this.”
Tears, stupid and sudden, prick at the corners of your eyes. Tanaka wasn’t someone who was open about his affections, even if the two of you had once been dating, and not too long ago, engaged. And yet here he was, spilling such sweet authentic words from his lips. Words that expressed his love for you. What he felt towards you . Without much thought, you duck your head onto Tanaka, letting your forehead rest against his shoulder. His skin was warm, and smelled faintly of his soap. “You’re such a sap in the morning.” You mumble into his skin, sniffling softly soon after.
The rumble of his light laughter could be felt against his skin. “Only for you, sweetheart. And before coffee.” Tanaka muses, as he leans his head down to press a tender kiss on the top of your head. With his free arm, he wraps his arm around your form, pulling you more firmly against his side. “We don’t have to move, y’know. Don’t gotta check-out ‘til noon.” He remarks.
His suggestion was a luxury. A lazy, stolen morning with no alarms, or any calls from the Company sounded like a dream come true. A moment of peace in a world full of chaos. Just the two of you in a pool of sunlight, with the distant sound of waves from the beach a block away, and the heavy, comforting weight of his arm around was a heavenly idea. A pleasant image in your mind.
“What about breakfast?” You ask him, even as you settle more comfortably against him, your leg hooking over his.
“I’m sure we’ll be fine.” he murmurs, his voice already drifting back toward sleep. A soft yawn leaves his lips as he lightly squeezes your body. “Cake’s still in the fridge. Might be a little smashed, though.”
A mock deadpan expression crosses your face as you lightly nudge Tanaka. “Leftovers for breakfast.” You respond in a murmur. “Very classy.”
“I call it newlywed privileges.” He snickers, and gently maneuvers youe form so you’re half-draped across his chest. One of his arms stays looped around your waist, while the other reaches blindly for the sunglasses on the nightstand. For a moment, he fumbles as he pats the wooden furniture. Soon enough, though, Tanaka is able to find them, and slips them on with practiced ease. Instantly, the world sharpens for him again, but he doesn’t look away from you.
Playfully , he looks you up and down. “Besides, I like seeing you in my shirt.”
For a brief moment, you glance down at the wrinkled button-up you’d stolen from his suitcase last night. Heat rises to your face once more. “It’s… comfortable.”
“Looks better on you.” He hums as hand finds yours again, his thumb brushing over your wedding ring. “Everything does.”
Rather than have a proper answer for him, you lean in towards his lips and pull him into a kiss.
Tanaka meets you halfway, a hand cupping the back of your neck. It’s a tender kiss, one that replaces words that neither of you are able to say aloud, or don’t know how to convey. Where words fail, love speaks. And you and Tanaka have so much love to give one another.
When you finally pull apart, his sunglasses are slightly askew. Along his cheeks, there’s a faint flush that has nothing to do with the morning light.
Clearing his throat, both Tanaka’s arms wrap around your body, creating a newfound warmth between the two of you. You can see a content smile on his face; one that clearly showed that he had no intent on getting up anytime soon. “You’re my only case today, sweetheart. It’s very demanding. Very urgent.”
Curling further into him, you try and fail to suppress a smile. “Oh? And what does the protocol entail, Agent Tanaka?” You play along, watching as your lover tries (and fails) to keep a straight face at his own attempt of humour.
“Extensive cuddling. And the occasional complaint about headaches.” Tanak states, his voice dropping into a tone that was almost utterly grave. With a faint nod, his head jerks up to the ceiling above the two of you. “And maybe investigating ceiling cracks. Like that. Probably not impurity-related.”
Shaking with silent laughter, you bury your face into his neck, a small grin on his face. Sure, Tanaka was odd and strange, but it had grown to endear you to him. Hell, you marrlied him out of anyone else. And you doubted that your love for him was going to wash away anytime soon.
“I think I can handle that.” You hum in agreement, entwining your legs with his under the sheets. The wedding ring on your finger feels less foreign, and more like a part of you.
The two of you fall into comfortable, content silence easily. Tanaka’s fingers idly trace patterns on your shoulder, and every so often, he presses his lips to the top of your head like he can’t quite help himself. It’s domestic in a way that still surprises you. It was shocking how easily he folded into this quiet. How naturally he chose you over every shadow that follows him.
As the world moves on, you feel that this is more than enough for now.