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It’s here, under the warm, morning sun peeking through the curtains that Naim finds the strength to keep going.
“The Lazy Days,” Ryan called it one morning, his face muffled in Naim’s shoulder, his body a puddle where it melted against the warm skin on his boyfriend. Naim had just laughed—no day was lazy for either of them. It was instead a life on the run, from one hotel room to another, nothing but a very thin wad of cash keeping them upfloat the stream everyone called life.
Even now, these “Lazy Days,” came with a price: a night of no sleep, nightmares infesting both their minds enough that they risk staying an extra hour or two in bed when the sun comes up.
But in the current moment, with Ryan asleep against his chest, his small puffs of air tickling his skin every few moments, how could Naim ever care? They’ve been running for a month now, far from home, and honestly, they needed this break, if only for just a few minutes longer.
Naim hugs Ryan just a tad bit tighter, the sleeping boy groaning softly as he cuddles in more.
Somedays it’s Ryan who wakes up first; his early rise suddenly a gift as he watches over the other boy. On those days, Naim sleeps on top of him, gets to sleep peacefully with the strong, familiar biceps and veiny arms he secretly loves wrapped around him, and gets woken up with the gentlest kiss ever on the forehead.
Now, Naim does the exact same move, leaning down to kiss the bridge of the boy's nose to wake him up.
The huff he gets in response is immediate. “Five more minutes,” Ryan mumbles, his voice muffled where it's pressed into Naim.
“We should’ve been up an hour ago.”
The sound of suitcases rolling against carpet and voices passing by echoes in the silence between them. Ryan doesn’t move or speak, simply praying his body falls back asleep.
“Ryan, c’mon,” Naim tries, lighting shoving him. “Check out is soon, we have to go.” A part of him feels bad. One side of him wants to snuggle into the warmth and sleep another twenty years if his mind will let him. But the other half knows they need to catch the next bus before they miss it.
Ryan grumbles, shuffling so the blanket wraps over him more.”Leave me alone.” And Naim would be hurt if he knew he didn’t act the exact same way when woken up after a night of barely any sleep. The amount of times he’s said that exact phrase to Ryan must've been more than either of them could count on their hands. So he just softly rolls his eyes instead, deciding to get out of bed himself in an attempt to lure Ryan awake.
The result is immediate, Ryan opening his eyes and lifting his head confused. “Where are you going?” He calls and Naim laughs at the sadness etched in his voice.
“One of us has to be productive today, dick.”
“Asshole.”Nonetheless, Ryan relents, removing the covers and finally getting out of their warm bed. “It’s crazy how that bed was uncomfortable all night until now when I have to get up.”
Naim shrugs. “Life has a way of fucking us over.”
“Ain’t that the truth.”
It’s another ten minutes before either of them actually get ready, the two rather simply standing across the room from each other, rubbing at sleepy eyes and questioning the choices that have brought them to this moment.
“Do you think we have time to grab breakfast before we leave?” Ryan moans, his stomach rumbling. He’s dressed in the usual white tank top—more gray with the poor working washing machines they've had to use—and black basketball shorts.
Naim feels his face flush just looking at him. “What?” He asks after a minute, blinking up in confusion.
“I said, love, do you think we have time to grab breakfast before we leave?”
“I dunno.”
Ryan rolls his eyes fondly, slowly walking over to grab Naim’s waist ever so softly. “I’m taking that as a yes.”
“Well I am starving too, so…”
“It’s a date, then.”
And oh, Naim never wants to look in the mirror again because how could he ever physically handle how red his face must be right now? God, he wants to punch Ryan sometimes. “Whatever, dickhead.”
The smug smile Ryan gives him in response is annoying, Naim thinks and only fuels his point further. Still, he leans into his touch happily, and continues to look into the sparkling blue eyes in front of him.
And it’s here with the amazing boy in front of him, that Naim finds the strength to keep going.