The reading on the digital clock ticked up from 6:57 to 6:58. If Mikhail did not rise from his bed within two minutes, he would be unavoidably late for work.

He shifted, settling deeper into the blankets instead of getting up like he really should have been doing. It wasn't like he would have been able to move from the bed anyway, not with both of Phoebe's arms wrapped tight across his chest and her body resting firmly against his back.

He could have easily freed himself from her hold. A mere nudge from his elbow would have woken her up, hell, even just saying 'Wake-up Phoebe' would have produced results. Instead he raised his hand and drew a horizontal line in the air. The curtains across from him moved with his finger, closing over the window and blocking any chance the sun might have had of brightening up the room.

He let himself drift back into that pleasantly drowsy half-awake, half-asleep state, not really wanting to slip back into slumber. Mornings like this were rare- as Psychonauts, their schedules often had them sleeping apart, and even when they did go to bed together Phoebe was always awake before him. The past few weeks had been particularly busy, and Mikhail figured that if Phoebe was still sleeping at this time, than it was because she needed the extra rest, and what kind of man would Mikhail be if he interrupted that? Not one his father would approve of, that was for sure.

A minute passed, and then two more, thus guaranteeing their tardiness. Mikhail didn't care. As far as he was concerned, the Psychonauts could do without the two of them for the morning. Behind him, Phoebe slept on, the side of her face pressed between his shoulder blades. There was a small spot of wetness on his shirt; was she drooling? Mikhail smiled, making a mental note to tease her about it later.

A small part of him wanted to turn around and face her, to pull her into an embrace and slide his hands along her curves, but he was enjoying the way her body fit perfectly into his far too much to spoil it by moving. She mimicked his position, on her side with one of her legs thrown across both of his. Through the fabric of his shirt he could feel the rise and fall of her chest with every slow, even breath that she took. He inched back a little closer, wanting to experience as much of that particular sensation as he could.

This went on for about twenty more minutes, this sweet, but likely short break from the rest of the world's demands, where the only noise invading the quiet was the muffled traffic from outside their window and the soft sighs of their breathing. Eventually, he felt her head move, heard her swallow, and then her arms untangled themselves from his body. "Misha," she said, her voice groggy, "You awake?"

He glanced back over his shoulder at her to indicate that yes, he was awake. She didn't seem to realize what time it was, probably because the room was still pretty dark. Mikhail turned towards her and sat up on his elbows, blocking the clock from her view. Her eyes were still heavy with sleep, the shadows under them more pronounced than they were during the day. He ran a hand through her curly, tousled hair, thinking the look suited her well. "Hey."

She repeated the greeting back to him, leaning into his touch. Her eyes closed, and they stayed shut for so long that Mikhail thought that she had fallen back into sleep. But then she opened then, her lids lifting in the same slow, heavy way that a cat's would. Her lips parted and began to form a question, that question likely being 'What time is it?' Mikhail cut it off by tilting her chin up and pressing his mouth against hers.

Phoebe pulled away when his tongue flicked across her lips. "Morning breath," she said, though he couldn't tell whether she meant her own or his. She ran her hand over his arm and squeezed his bicep affectionately.

"Hn. Don't care," he replied, mumbling the words over her mouth. He kissed her again and this time she let him in with no resistance, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. He led the kiss for awhile, slowly teasing her tongue with his before her impatience got the better of her. She broke the kiss and then rolled them over so that he was on his back and she was on top of him.

Phoebe bent forward for another kiss but paused just as her face hovered over his. Her eyes widened, all sleepiness fleeing from them in an instant. She turned toward the window and swiped her arm through the air. The curtains screeched across the rod they hung on, sunlight bursting in and illuminating the room. Mikhail squinted at the brightness.

Phoebe shot off of him and the bed with one fluid motion. "Oh God, we're late!" she said as she rushed to the bathroom adjacent to the bedroom, already lifting up the hem of her pajama top. "Why didn't you say anything?" she asked irritably before flinging the top onto the floor and disappearing into the bathroom.

Mikhail sat up but made no move to rise from the bed. He heard the shower run and within moments steam came billowing out of the open bathroom door. He yawned when the shower shut off and watched with amusement as the closet and the drawers containing her clothes opened themselves seemingly of their own accord. From the drawers she collected a bra and a pair of underwear, the closet a blue button-down blouse and grey slacks. Mikhail couldn't help but be impressed that Phoebe had pulled out an outfit that went so well together without even looking.

She emerged from the bathroom five minutes later, hair still wet and dripping. "Why are you still in bed?" she snapped, her hands on her hips. "C'mon, we have to go!"

She turned to head out the door as Mikhail got up. He crossed the room in three strides, grabbing her by the shoulders and turning her to face him. "Take the day off."

Phoebe blinked. "What? No!" She squirmed, trying to free herself, but Mikhail kept her close. "I have things to do, there's-"

"Things can be done tomorrow," Mikhail said lightly, a mischievous smile spreading onto his lips. "Already called HQ. Told them we weren't coming."

Phoebe's mouth dropped open, working uselessly for a few seconds. "You did what?" she yelled once the shock wore off. "But I still have to finish up that mission report-"

"Phoebe." He cupped her face with his hands. "Reports would be completed early even if finished three days from now." He brushed a wet curl off of her forehead. "We just got back from Bulgaria and have worked five days straight." Phoebe bit her lip, a sign that her resolve was beginning to waver. "We need rest day."

Phoebe looked away, gnawing on her bottom lip, torn between her duties at work and her desire to stay home and go back to bed. Finally, one won out over the other. "Working too long and too hard can cause burnout…and I do need to use up my personal days…" A moment more of thought, and then she sighed, sounding more relieved than resigned. "We may as well stay home, since you already called them and everything." She looked back up at him with a raised eyebrow. "You planned this, didn't you?"

He grinned at her and shrugged his shoulders in response, though he knew that none of this had been planned. Phoebe rolled her eyes but couldn't resist smiling back as she pushed past him to go back into the bathroom. She stopped and pointed at him before entering. "I'm still going to class tonight," she said, her tone leaving no room for argument. "So don't try to stop me!"

"Would not consider such a thing."

She gave him one last smile before going into the bathroom. "Go back to bed," she said as she began changing back into her pajamas.

Mikhail was all too happy to obey her order, but first he had a phone call to make.