Chapter Text
Aman wakes up with a start, even before the alarm had started to ring. Looking out of the small window, he could see dawn was breaking. He thinks of switching the alarm off before it can ring but finds his left arm trapped under the weight of a warm body. Aman tries to blink away the cobwebs of sleep from his eyes as he squints at the love of his life, still sleeping blissfully. Kartik had insisted that Aman be the big spoon and cuddle him to sleep. That is how they had gone to sleep, Kartik with his back to Aman, Aman’s arm around his torso, their heads on the same pillow. But as is typical of Kartik, who twists and turns multiple times throughout the night (one time even knocking Aman off their bed), he now faces Aman as he sleeps, his face partially smushed on their shared pillow. Aman can’t look away from the sight in front of him. This is whom he wakes up to every morning. When Kartik is awake and aware of Aman gazing at him for too long, he would usually smirk, waggle his eyebrows, and tease Aman, leaving him a blushing mess. But now, since Kartik is fully unaware of the man who is mesmerized by his sleeping face, Aman can gaze at his face as long as he wants to. He traces the lines of his face with his eyes, the light of dawn making Kartik’s features soft and ephemeral. He takes in the arch of his bushy but shapely eyebrow, the cupid bow of his upper lip, the light sprinkle of stubble on his cheek, his nose ring, glinting in the semi-dark room.
In fact, he stares at him so long that he completely forgets to switch off the alarm, and it goes off, it’s incessant beeping sound breaking the silence of the room. Aman sighs, realizing that Kartik would now wake up, bringing an end to his shameless gazing indulgence.
Strangely, Kartik doesn’t even stir. He usually wakes at the slightest noise, but now, Aman watches him continue to sleep. Suspicion grows in his mind, and he lightly places his free hand on Kartik’s stubbly jaw, making circular motions with his thumb. No reaction. Maybe he really was still asleep.
He then decides to change tactics and takes his hand to Kartik’s ear, traces his earlobe, making stroking motions with his fingers. Early in their relationship, Aman had discovered that stroking Kartik’s earlobes made him go boneless and excited at the same time (“It’s my erogenous zone, yaar! I can’t help how I react.”).
It takes about ten seconds for Kartik Singh to react.
Eyes still closed, a shy smile breaks out on his face. Suddenly Aman finds himself unable to breathe.
This utter perfection, the light of his life, his amazing, kind human being has chosen to spend his life with him. Aman has days when he cannot believe that this is real.
Kartik snuggles closer to Aman, actually managing to burrow his face into the crook of Aman’s neck, and sighs. Aman chuckles lightly as he feels ticklish, and outright laughs when Kartik nuzzles his nose against his collarbone. His laughter is cut short as Kartik shuffles down to plant a kiss over his undershirt, right where his heart is. Frozen, Aman watches his beloved lay his head down on his chest, ready to doze off again. Aman knows what Kartik is doing. He is listening to his heartbeat. (“It’s the best lullaby!”,Kartik had once declared). Even when half-awake, Kartik Singh was all for showering affection on his love.
Once Aman regains his train of thought, rationality and all other banal things required for the normal functioning of a human being, he decides to shower some affection on his lovely, thoughtful partner as well. He lifts his partially free left hand to stroke Kartik’s hair. Kartik loves it when he does that.
They stay like that for a long time, until the room brightens. The sun shines on Kartik’s face through a gap in the window curtains. It is enough to make him open his eyes. He lifts his head to look at Aman, to wish him a good morning and finds him gazing at him with so much naked affection, so much love, that all coherent thoughts take leave from Kartik’s brain. For some reason that he cannot fathom, he feels like crying, seeing the naked affection in those dark brown eyes.
Aman gives a tiny smile and averts his gaze. He knows he was back at his staring game, and he could almost feel Kartik about to tease him for it. But this man, always so full of surprises, defies his expectations. No, he doesn’t tease. He doesn’t waggle his eyebrows. Kartik simply drags himself up and stops centimeters away from Aman’s face. He’s so close that Aman almost goes cross-eyed, but he cannot look away, not from him, never from him. He waits for Kartik to...do what, exactly, he doesn’t know. He’s looking at Aman, almost as if he’s discovered something new. Aman voices that last part aloud. Kartik just smiles easily, and says very matter-of-factly,
“Every new day with you is something new, indeed.” Aman gets maybe two seconds to parse the meaning of that before Kartik moves even closer, and bumps their noses together. Aman, absolutely not expecting that, huffs out laughter. Kartik finds it funny too and keeps rubbing his nose against Aman’s. In sync, their hands reach out to touch each other’s faces, breaths ghosting on each other’s lips. Aman is very surprised Kartik hasn’t kissed him yet. Maybe he is reading his intent wrong? Maybe he wants to-
Kartik shifts just an inch and touches his lips to Aman’s upper lip, a gentle flutter of a kiss. Then he lightly kisses his bottom lip too, morning stubble be damned. Aman cannot physically keep his eyes open anymore. There’s so much tenderness in Kartik’s soft, soft kisses, Aman feels that his brain has turned into mush by this point. Kartik smiles against his lips for a brief second before moving away, resting his forehead against his.
“You deserve all the softness, my love,” he says.
Now, Aman has never been very good with his words. Completely left speechless by this barrage of tender love, he responds the only way he knows. He tilts his head, kisses Kartik with all the love, passion and devotion he feels for this wonderful beautiful man, and hopes he knows all that he cannot convey with words. The way Kartik looks back at him after they break apart, gasping for air, he thinks he got the message. Loud and clear.
“Good Morning, Guddu”, he whispers, with a twinkle in his eye, and Aman decides, as he pulls Kartik back in for another kiss, it indeed is.