It's the early hours of the morning, when the peaking sun rays filtered through the slit between the curtains, casting light along both of you under the covers. You're roused awake, slowly, by the warmth pouring in. Your sleepy limbs stir as you stretch in place and flex your fingers and toes beneath the blankets.
One eye blears open, blinking a few times to clear your foggy vision. With the rising of the sun, you knew you'd need to get out of bed soon. But for now...The ceiling of your bedroom greets you, but with a shift and turn, you're given the lovelier sight of your sleeping lover beside you.
His forehead which is usually marked with a deep frown is for once relaxed. In his sleep, there were no worries to give him such an extreme expression. He's peaceful. Soft. The teeth protruding from his mouth seemed less threatening somehow, while he breathed even breaths.
It wasn't often that you got to see his face on full display. Even after having been together for such a long time, it still caused him some distress to be seen without the scarf that hid his distinguishing features. But you don't squander this precious opportunity to gaze upon his handsome visage in full.
He was lovely. Really, he was. Something deep in your heart tore at itself at the thought that he might not believe you, if you said as much. This man, while at first cold and distant and larger than life...was just a man. He was just a man, who wanted and needed the affection and appreciation he'd gone for so long without.
Perhaps, somewhere in his subconscious, he could sense the rolling thoughts in your head. With a tiny scrunch of his brow, you watched in fascination as he opened his own eyes, awakening from his sleep to peer at you laying beside him. And it only took half a second before his lips twitched upwards in a tiny smile. Oh...
It was something in his eyes. How had you never seen it before? That look of content, and unwavering devotion. Of being thankful that each new day came, because it meant you'd be there beside him. It ran deep, to his muscle and bones. Maybe you had noticed, but never taken a moment to really appreciate what it meant.
The strings already tugging at your heart finally yanked hard enough to let the well of emotion begin to spill over. Your vision blurred as tears bubbled and finally spilled past your lids.
You loved him. You loved him.
Katakuri noticed immediately, and his expression--while still marked with fatigue as he hadn't yet fully awoken from sleep--turned to one of concern. "Y/N...what's wrong?"
You shake your head, smiling despite your tears of overwhelming love stream down your cheeks, and reach for his face. He couldn't understand why you were crying, though, and you unfortunately couldn't bring yourself to speak just yet, and so all you could do was rest your forehead against his in a tender gesture of affection.
"What's upset you?" His large hand held your shoulder, gently and yet with a firmness that told you he was here, whatever the problem may be. "Whatever it is, I want to help..."
A wet laugh spilled past your smiling lips, and you finally managed to put your thoughts together in some semblance of order enough to say something.
"Nothing's wrong, I just..." Your head shakes again, eyes roving along the comforting sight of his face, his eyes, everything about him right in front of you, holding you close. "You're so important to me. And it just hit me all of a sudden, how much I love you, how much I wish you could see yourself through my own eyes."
Katakuri blinks away the shock as best he can, but you still see it. He's caught off guard by your vulnerable admission, but right behind it is that hope, that appreciation soaring up to meet it. "I-"
"Can I kiss you?" You ask, feeling a little ridiculous by it. You'd kissed a hundred times before, but something in the moment made you feel like permission was necessary.
His eyes flick down to your lips, and he nods eagerly, his hand trailing up from your shoulder to the back of your head, guiding you closer until your lips touched.
You kiss him, unbothered by the hard press of his long teeth against the sides of your mouth. He kisses you, like you're part of whatever dream he'd waken up from and you could slip away at any moment.
You both decide to stay in bed a little longer.
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