Work Text:
It was late in the night when Kunsel finally drifted to bed, content with the editing that he and Nichole had done. Their first novel was almost complete already. The brunette slid silently into the bed and settled in beside his lover. In response, the sleeping man rolled over and enveloped him in his arms with a sleepy murmur, “Kunsel?”
“Who else?” Kunsel said, smiling fondly into the dark. He snuggled back into Zack’s chest and the other man pressed a soft kiss to his neck. He could feel Zack’s smile against his skin.
“Coulda been Nichole,” Zack said, pulling Kunsel tight against him as he pressed a few more kisses to his boyfriend’s neck. “Remember the time she wandered in and just crawled into bed thinking it was her room?”
Kunsel snorted. Oh, he remembered that. It was just lucky for her that Kunsel had woken up first for once and noticed her there before Zack got handsy. He kept the door locked from that moment on.
“I’d like to think you’d recognize me from her even half-asleep and in the dark,” Kunsel retorted. There were plenty of obvious differences that didn’t require sight. Zack laughed and the arm over the brunette’s waist wandered.
“Well, I guess, it’s pretty obvious,” he said teasingly, brushing his fingers over Kunsel’s chest teasingly until the paler man shuddered. “No boobs here, which is a relief.” His fingers trailed lower down, over Kunsel’s abs, swirling around his navel, and then down to cup his soft cock. The brunette shivered, but the touch was gentle and not meant to arouse. “Nope, definitely Kunsel.”
Laughing, he nudged Zack with his elbow. “I hope you don’t have to do a check like that every time someone crawls into bed with you. I like you with all your limbs attached,” he joked, imagining what the girls would do if Zack had to do a Kunsel check to anyone who crawled in with him. Zack’s answering laughter rumbled against his back. Their amusement died down and the room fell silent.
Behind him, Zack shifted and then curled more around him. The mood of the moment shifted almost imperceptibly. He felt Zack’s breath shudder against his hair.
“I can’t believe I’m here,” he murmured, so soft that if Kunsel didn’t have enhanced hearing, he might have missed it. It could mean so many things, but the brunette knew exactly what the other man meant. He felt the same way, especially in little moments like this. He removed Zack’s hand and turned in his lover’s arms until they were face to face.
“I know. I…” Kunsel trailed off, thinking about all of the lost opportunities. What if he’d done what he’d wanted all those years ago? What if they’d had that brief moment before everything fell apart? Would he have fought harder to find Zack and ultimately doomed them both? He leaned forward until their lips just barely brushed, sharing breaths. Zack was here, alive and in his arms. He had to remind himself of that fact sometimes.
They curled up together like that, not quite kissing though their lips brushed together soft and barely there as they drifted off. Each breath was a lullaby of life, lulling them into sleep, secure in the knowledge that the other was close and alive.