#boys!!

Dolen is not sure why he still wakes up with the sun. The habit should’ve faded long ago; it’s been years since he was on Maelstrom. He no longer has a reason to be up and moving as fast as his body will take him.

Perhaps, though, it is a blessing. It grants him the ability to feel Rhett’s head shifting on his chest, his ginger hair splayed out and sticking up in every which direction. Secretly, it’s Dolen’s favorite hairstyle on him. He’s very fond of how the sunset-orange strands curl around his fingertips like silken ribbons as he runs his fingers through it, gently scratching the nape of his husband’s neck. His precariously sprawled man shifts, slipping an arm around his waist, and that is when the noble knows he isn’t the only one awake.

“Good morning,” Dolen sighs fondly. “I know you’re up. You’re never that gentle when you’re asleep.”

With a soft groan, Rhett tilts his head up, eyes still half shut in sleep. It’s adorable, and it has its intended effect of earning him a smattering of forehead kisses from Dolen. The ginger knows just how to tug his heartstrings, and he takes full advantage of it in order to be absolutely lathered in affection.

Still, his ruse is up, so Rhett raises his hand to trace a calloused finger over the broken ridge of his lover’s nose. “Good morning,” he sighs in return. Once again, the freckled skin of his face is painted over in kisses that pull a soft giggle out of him. The baker rolls himself up to hover over Dolen, lowering himself to earn his first proper kiss of the day- morning breath forgiven, of course- and a good look at the man who’s been stuck to his side every night for the past three years.

Dolen, having long mastered the art of looking pretty every second of every day, simply allows Rhett to stare for a couple seconds before pulling him down for yet another kiss. “As much as I adore laying with you on top of me,” he teases, “we do have to get up. Alzir and Arcane are visiting today, remember?”

Rhett, too busy being lost in the same green eyes he’s mapped a hundred times, only replies when Dolen digs his fingertips into his gut. “Ow! Okay, yes, getting up!” True to his word, he promptly rolls off the bed, sending all 6 feet and 3 inches of him to the floor.

Dolen (kindly) laughs at him as he pulls himself out of the sheets, testing the weight on his right leg as he stretches and feels multiple things pop. Such is the price of sharing a bed with someone like Rhett, who forces you to stay in one position all night so he can starfish around you as he pleases. The starfish in question, realizing the absolute love of his life is standing on his own two feet- that’s not allowed!- promptly pushes himself to stand, scooping him up and nestling him right into his arms. “Where my darling belongs!” He declares, waiting until his lover is laughing once more to start gently spinning around.

It ends up just being a very goofy, very Rhett way to get Dolen to his crutch, which he’d foolishly left on the other side of the room the night before. The nobles scoops it up, using it to balance as he’s carefully placed back on his feet. Even with the rambunctiousness of a large man without nearly enough spatial awareness, he’s always been excruciatingly gentle with the noble’s two altered limbs. Many times has he kissed over the small, jagged round scars on his knee and bicep, treating them as a reminder of a hurt he couldn’t ease.

He makes up for it now, in these playful acts of care, but they both know he’ll never forgive himself for the choices Dolen was forced to make in his place.

Dolen, however, is unbothered now by the impairment. He moves around the room fluidly, his strides well-practiced, and dresses himself with ease. In fact, he’s done so quickly, that Rhett is forced into a game of trying to dress himself while his husband stalks around behind him and tries to tickle him when he’s most distracted.

By the time Rhett has finally managed to pull his vest on- despite his best efforts, Dolen could never get him out of those v cut shirts and vests- his loving husband is distracting himself with the rings twinkling in the early glow. One is silver and studded with amethyst, the other gold and cradling a piece of lapis lazuli.

Rhett watches as Dolen picks up the golden band and slides it on his finger, the piece being the last thing he puts on everyday and the last thing he takes off. He’d sleep in it if the sensation didn’t bother him so much. The noble carries his husband’s ring over to him, expectantly reaching for his hand so he can put it on for him. Again. Because doing it every morning before this one just wasn’t enough for him.

“Are you reliving something?” Rhett teases, glancing down at him. When Dolen whacks his hand in return, he knows he’s hit the truth. His husband just likes basking in the memory of their small little ceremony every chance he gets. The ginger feels bad for that too, secretly. He would’ve liked to show off the noble to all the fancy high society people he’d grown up around.

lost meme: [6/9] relationships - james ‘sawyer’ ford & jin-soo kwon