Devil's Fate

Triptych

Mike shut off the alarm on his phone at the second chime, his hand shooting out from under the blanket quickly to silence it before it woke Chester up. He hated waking up first. Most mornings Chester was up first, quietly making coffee and letting Cheese out while Mike slowly came awake. But this morning, Mike had to get up first, and he glared at his phone before he realized he had a waiting text.

His mood shifted abruptly from annoyed to excited when he saw that the class he was waking up for was cancelled. Fuck yes. I'm going back to sleep. Mike was ready to sleep another couple of hours, happy to forego library time in favor of more sleep. His body just hadn't caught up from the stress of the past few days. He double checked to make sure he'd turned off the alarm instead of snoozing it, and left his phone next to his pillow before he turned over.

Chester was still asleep, his back to Mike and the blanket covering everything but a tiny strip of skin on the top of his shoulder and his neck. Mike scooted over, sliding his arm over his boyfriend's waist and snuggling close. His eyes closed and he nuzzled his face into the back of Chester's hair, giving him a soft kiss. This day was already starting better than the day before. Chester was nice and warm, Cheese wasn't whining, and he didn't have anywhere he had to be except with his family.

The alarm was loud enough to pull Chester from the deep sleep he was in, and now that it was quiet in the bedroom, he comprehended that Mike wasn't getting up. He will. In a minute.. Until then, Chester wiggled his ass backwards, nestling them together a little tighter as the seconds ticked away. The bed was warm, and Mike's body pressed to his in their normal sleeping position was comforting.

Five minutes went by before Chester opened his eyes and squinted at the alarm clock. The red numbers were easier to see with his glasses, but he was pretty sure Mike was going to be late if he didn't at least start moving. His boyfriend was usually slow to get going in the mornings. "Mike," Chester whispered, turning his head on the pillow. "The alarm went off. You have class."

Mike pressed closer to Chester's body. "Nooo," he whispered back, half asleep. "It's cancelled." He cracked one eye to look at what he could see of the side of Chester's head. "I can stay here with you. You're comfy." He opened and closed his fingers against Chester's stomach. "Not moving."

Chester snorted lightly. "Is it actually cancelled or are you just wishful thinking?"

"Seriously," Mike said, lifting his head to give Chester a matching serious stare. "I wouldn't skip class. If I skipped every time you were comfy I'd never graduate." He slid his hand over the soft skin on Chester's belly. "Don't you want to cuddle with me?" he whispered, giving Chester his best puppy dog eyes.

"How could I not want to cuddle with you?" Chester asked as he rolled over a little so they could see each other better. He lifted his hand to touch Mike's beard. "I'm glad your class is cancelled. We can stay together a little longer."

Mike's head dropped back to his pillow with a triumphant smile. "I wish it could be all day. I know we can't, but it would be so great. Close the curtains and lay in bed together and sleep and talk and sleep some more... and drink coffee. I should go make us coffee." He turned his head to kiss Chester's wrist. "We can have coffee in bed. Think I can sneak in there and make some without waking up Cheese?"

Chester cocked his eyebrow. "Maybe," he whispered, playfully poking Mike on his bare chest. "You have to be quiet though or she'll hear you. She's smart." He closed his eyes before he pulled Mike down to be closer. He nuzzled his nose and lips into his boyfriend's warm neck. "This morning feels a lot better than last night."

"Mmmm," Mike hummed. "It does." He kissed the top of Chester's head. "I love you. Yesterday was yuck." Even though he'd mentioned coffee, a different part of him wanted to stay right where he was, lazily enjoying the simple act of being close. He could feel the light, soft kisses on his neck and returned the affection with his hands caressing over Chester's side and a little bit of his back. The bed was comfortable and there was nothing between them. No space, no bad thoughts. It was just the two of them, and the barely audible snores of their dog sleeping next to the bed.