The morning light was soft, pale gold spilling across the sheets and the slow rise of the curtains. The sea breeze drifted through the cracked balcony door, carrying salt and a faint coolness that only existed before the day fully woke.
Elias surfaced from sleep gradually, the way one rises from warm water.
Victor was wrapped around him.
One arm curled beneath Elias' neck, the other draped around his waist, as if his body wanted to keep Elias close even while he slept. Their legs were tangled beneath the sheets, the covers kicked low from the heat they'd made in the night.
Elias didn't move at first; he just breathed and admired the view from their bed.
Victor's scent was everywhere: smoke, clean skin, and the faint sweetness of Elias's own lingering underneath. The room still felt full of them, in a way that it felt more like home than the suite of a hotel.
Victor stirred before waking; Elias could feel the shift of his chest behind him, the slow inhale at his hairline.
