Happy Taurian, you ask? Hmmm I suppose I could possibly allow that to exist (I've needed an excuse to write these two all cute and lovey-dovey recently anyways)
Morning's Touch
pure Taurtis x Grian fluff for our friendly neighborhood deity
It’s morning, but it certainly doesn’t feel like it. Sunlight is yet to breach the clouds and chase away the darkness and the clock on my phone reads 4:08. But I’ve just returned from a trip last night, and my brain is still functioning in a completely different time zone. I’m wide awake, have been for the last three hours since I slipped out of bed and came downstairs. I went for a walk, hoping that would quell my restlessness, then when that didn’t work went back upstairs to play Minecraft until I was distracted by a distinct ache of hunger. Which is why I’m downstairs at the kind of hour I should never be awake, trying to make myself breakfast as silently as possible. I could’ve just grabbed a snack, I know that, but I’ve been craving waffles for the last week. And not just any, the kind I make. There’s something special about it, okay? No judging, I’m a suffering, starving man. And my husband hasn’t been awake yet, since I got home at eleven last night and as much as I’ve missed him, he looked too content sleeping to wake up. Suffering, I say, suffering. I had to steal his favorite jumper when I woke up to cope.
I’m listening to music, just whatever plays on the playlist I made the mistake of allowing the Evo-Empires gang to add to, and I’ve never heard such a mood shift as when it changes from songs added by Pearl – calm, sweet, cute, a great vibe for breakfast at four am – to songs added by Joel – did it have to be heavy metal? – and everything in between. It is fun to guess who added them, I suppose I can give the idiots that point. But still, we could’ve had a little collaboration going on. Oh, who am I kidding, I know I love it.
And speaking of loving things- one of those things is absolutely the waffles I’ve just flipped onto my plate and piled with an unhealthy but very whimsical amount of whipped cream, syrup, and fudge. The first bite burns my mouth, as impatient as I am, and I wince, getting to my feet and hurrying to fill a cup with water. I’ll have to deal with the heat of them in favor of the absolutely divine taste.
I’m halfway through filling the glass when suddenly arms wrap around me from behind. I stifle a yelp, managing not to drop my cup or spill water over my hands but just barely. I hear the soft, sleepy laughter from behind me and a smile crosses my face before I can stop it. I melt back into Taurtis’s touch, leaning my head against his chest and letting him rest his chin on my shoulder. He pulls me closer, hands closing on my sweater as if I could ever want to end one of these embraces so swiftly, and his breath ghosts over my skin.
“Good morning, birdie.” He hums, “I’m guessing that’s a no to sleeping well?”
I laugh, gentle and warm and fond, “It was easier with you than it was first few days of my trip, is that the answer you’re looking for?”
He pauses as if to think, though I know this early that’s a foreign concept to my husband, “Hmm, it’s not, not what I’m looking for.”
I turn partially towards him, placing my water on the counter so I can reach up and tangle my fingers in his hair, “What about this, then?” And I pull him in for a kiss.
His lips are as soft as always, warm and flavored with his vanilla chapstick, and I feel the small nick in the bottom one from the old scar, the one he got while skateboarding. He said that the pole got in his way, but Pearl keeps reminding him he was too busy staring at me to notice it. He still blushes when I tease him about it, adorable as always.
My free hand finds its way to his face, dancing over the soft scruff that he often forgets to shave if I don’t remind him. It mirrors my own, though I at least have the excuse of forgetting my razor at home. My fingers slip upwards, cupping his cheeks so my thumb can reach to gently brush his eyebrow piercing, one he often forgets is even there, and the tips of my index and middle fingers graze the three piercings in his ear. He reaches up to capture my hand in his, twining our fingers together as he turns me further into the kiss, our matching wedding rings clinking gently together. When we pull apart his breathing is slightly shallow, and I grin, pressing another soft kiss to the line of his jaw. He lets out a quiet giggle.
“Miss me, Gri?” Taurtis whispers, cupping my chin and kissing my forehead.
“Who wouldn’t?” I breathe back, my kisses continuing down his jaw to his throat, dancing down it until I reach his collarbone and trail my fingers over his arm, leading my lips to the back of his hand. When I pull back his smile is wide, infectious, and obviously impossible to get rid of. I return the smile with a proud gleam to my eyes and he rolls his own eyes, kissing me full on the mouth again.
“I can think of several people who wouldn’t actually.”
“Yes, well, unfortunately they’re very wrong about just about everything, so perhaps let’s only care what each other think for today, hm?” I tease, flicking him in the chest as I finally extract myself from his hold. He pouts and reaches out to try to pull me back, summoning an eye-roll from me. “My love, I have got to eat breakfast.”
Taking my hands, he steps back towards the table, sitting down in my vacated seat and giving me those childish puppy-dog eyes he knows never fail to send a rush of affection through my heart, “Could sit in my lap, that might work.”
I pull my hands away, raising an eyebrow, “Are you twenty-four or fourteen, sweet?”
“Mature twenty-four-year-old, I’ll have you know, mister.” He scoffs, “It’s a genuine suggestion!”
“You and I know both know neither of those are true. Up, up, give me my seat back.” I’m still smiling, despite the disapproving shake I give my head.
Taurtis frowns, thinking for a second, then gets to his feet, “Just take it upstairs, we can cuddle while you eat.”
“That’s a recipe for disaster, baby.” But I’m already gathering my plate and my water and giving him a look, “Any of this gets on the sheets and you’re washing them, deal?”
“Of course, darling.” With one more kiss, he sweeps out of the room before me, “C’mon, hurry up.”
I roll my eyes as I follow, “Very mature, hm?”
“Very!” He calls softly, careful to keep his voice low enough not to wake my sister as we pass her room. He holds the door to our room open like I’m royalty and with a laugh I do the best curtsy I can with my hands full, dramatically thanking him with nonsense flowery language. I set down the food on the nightstand, pulling off his jumper to lessen the chances of it being ruined, and as soon as my wings have spread behind me he takes my hand and pulls me very unceremoniously onto the mattress. I let out a giggly yelp that’s quickly silences by his lips, though he’s also smiling into the kiss.
I pull back after a moment, still laughing. Our hair spreads messily out on the white pillows and his arms have slipped back around my waist. I’m slightly above him on the bed, his face about level with my neck, and his hands are splayed on my back, fingers close enough to my wings he can scratch gently at them. He’s doing just that, and curse this beautiful idiot because it has the exact desired effect of getting me to relax into his touch, my eyes fluttering closed. It’s peaceful, quiet, the air just the right temperature, and he’s managed over the last few years to find all the spots that he knows could get me to fall asleep in moments.
In fact, I have to forcibly push away the dredges of shadows that start gathering comfortingly in my brain in favor of shoving him lightly. Taurtis grins, all mischief and false innocence, and I roll my eyes. Sticking my tongue out at him, I sit up. He stays where he lies, cuddling up against me as I pick my plate back up and grab my phone from beside it. My husband wraps his arms around me like I’m a giant pillow or stuffed animal, and who am I to deny him when an adorable peacefulness descends over his expression?
He falls asleep within minutes, but he doesn’t pull away. By the time I finish eating, I don’t have to think before lying back down, hiding my face in his shirt front. Even in his sleep, he doesn’t hesitate to pull me close, and not long after I am once again being lured into a world that this time I don’t think to resist.
