{Whispers of Peace Part III}
It rained that morning.
The soft kind the kind that kissed the windows and made everything feel slower, safer. Kai woke to the sound of it, cocooned in warmth and smelling something... divine.
He blinked sleepily, the bed empty beside him but still warm. He sat up, Adrian's oversized shirt sliding down his shoulder, bare legs peeking from underneath. His hair was a mess. He didn't care.
Padding into the kitchen barefoot, he stopped in the doorway.
Adrian was shirtless.
Rain light poured in through the window, dancing along the line of his spine, the muscle of his back moving with each flick of the spatula. He was humming. Hair tousled. Pajama pants slung low on his hips like he belonged on the cover of some Sinfully Domestic Vampire Daddy calendar.
Kai leaned against the frame and bit his lip. "You always cook shirtless, or is this just a me thing?"
Adrian turned, flashed a smirk. "You complaining, sweetheart?"
Kai sauntered over, slid his arms around Adrian's waist from behind and rested his cheek between his shoulder blades. "Not even a little."
They stood there, swaying in the kitchen to the sound of the rain and eggs sizzling. Adrian covered Kai's hands with his, kissed his knuckles.
"Dreamt about you again," Adrian said softly.
"Good dream or bad?" Kai asked.
"Good," Adrian said, turning to face him. "You were old. Grey. Laughing at something I said. And you looked at me like I was still the best thing that ever happened to you."
Kai's breath caught. "That wasn't a dream, Adrian."
"No?" Adrian whispered.
Kai shook his head. "That's the future."
God, the way Adrian kissed him then... it wasn't frantic or rough or dirty not yet. It was home. His lips said I'm yours over and over again without a single word.
They had breakfast in bed. They fed each other. They got syrup on the sheets and didn't care.
Later, when the storm deepened, Kai read on the couch while Adrian dozed off with his head in Kai's lap, arms around his waist like he'd never let go again. And maybe he wouldn't. Not now. Not ever.
There was peace in the quiet. In the little things. In the way Adrian's hand gripped Kai's thigh in his sleep. In the way Kai ran his fingers through Adrian's hair like it was the only thing anchoring him to the earth.
For the first time in forever, nothing hurt.