“Hey, baby,” I whisper gently, running my fingers through his hair.
“Mmhmm,” he hums, his eyes stay closed.
“You gotta wake up and have some dinner,” I whisper, still running my fingers through his hair.
He makes a noise of protest, but does open his eyes for me after a few seconds.
“There he is,” I whisper.He slowly sits up, and we go to the counter. He sits, and I make us tacos, loading him up with all his favorite things. I can see how tired he is. But I can’t let him go to sleep just yet.
“Wait right here, I'll be right back,” I say, kissing his forehead. He nods slowly.
My heart aches at how exhausted he looks. I go up to our room, and I run a bath for him, putting in a little bit of bubbles and some lavender to help him fully relax. I grab him some fresh clothes and go back downstairs.
“Come on, baby,” I say, lacing my fingers with his and pulling him upstairs to our room.
I guide him to the bathroom, and he freezes.
“You didn’t have to do this,” he whispers, like he can’t believe that anyone would ever want to take care of him in the way that he absolutely deserves to be taken care of.
“I know,” I whisper, pulling him farther into the room and helping him out of his clothes.
“You shouldn’t have.”
“I wanted to. You deserve good things, too,” I say, kissing his chest and helping him into the tub. I light the candles on the windowsill and turn the light settings to low.
“Just relax, I’m going to make you some cocoa,” I say from my spot next to the tub.I get to the door when his voice stops me.
“Thank you.”
“You never have to thank me for the bare minimum,” I say, using his own words against him.
He doesn’t say anything else, and I leave him alone so that he can have a minute to take everything in, to just relax by himself.
I go back downstairs and throw a towel into the dryer, then go into the kitchen to clean up from dinner and make him some nighttime cocoa.
It tastes good, and it has natural melatonin in it, so I know that it’ll help him sleep. He deserves it. I look over at the clock and realize that it’s only 8:30 p.m., but that’s ok. I can lie up there with him even after he falls asleep. There is nowhere else I’d rather be, especially since I feel like it’s been forever since I got to be with him.
Once the kitchen is spotless, I grab the mug and the towel from the dryer and head back upstairs, Mocha right on my tail.
“Alright, here’s you a nice warm towel, and something warm to drink,” I say, placing the towel on the counter for when he’s ready to get out, and the drink on the wood table by the tub.
“Thanks,” he whispers again.
I sit down on the floor next to the tub, just needing to be close to him for a minute.
“I missed you,” I whisper.
“I missed you, too.”
I can’t help the smile that takes over my face. When I look up, he’s already looking at me.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispers, one of his hands cupping my cheek. I turn my face and kiss his palm.
I feel myself letting out a breath that I hadn’t even realized I was holding. I close my eyes and let my face rest in his palm.
After a few more minutes, I look up at him and can tell that he’s barely awake.
“Come on, let’s go to bed,” I say, standing up and grabbing the towel for him. He slowly stands up, and I hand him the towel.
