As You Sleep
Francis didn't snore. The living room was quiet, classical music playing faintly. The only distracting sounds were those of Paris at night, outside the apartment. Arthur stood in the hallway entrance, looking into the living room, at Francis who was curled like a child on the couch.
He smiled fondly and sighed, abandoning his quest for something sweet to snack on before bed to go over to the Frenchman. He sat on the back of the couch, watching the bare chest rise and fall, watching gold waves fall over pale shoulders and a handsome face. The blanket was sliding off him, gathering on the ground near the foot of the couch.
He picked up the blanket, spreading it over the prone body, brushing the golden hair from his face, fingers lightly stroking his cheek. He sat on the floor, leaning on the couch. Hot breath fanned over his face as he came closer. When Francis slept, he looked younger. His laugh lines and the small creases at the corner of his eyes were smoothed out, leaving no traces of them.
Arthur watched Francis, the way he shifted subtly while he slept. He ventured closer, nearly nose to nose, breathing fast, cheeks flushed. Francis was so beautiful. It just took quiet moments like these for Arthur to remember it. Francis was always beautiful, always shining and smiling and perfect till it hurt. Here, asleep, he was just Francis. Not God's gift to all mankind, not an icon of sex. Just Francis, asleep and angelic.
He leaned forward, pressing his lips against the soft slack ones before him. Francis stirred slightly, mumbled something against his mouth before settling back up for sleep, curling under the blanket. Arthur snorted in amusement. "You're so cute." One last time, he brushed away the gold hair, before heaving himself up.
He turned off the stereo, cutting off the sound of violins, turned off the hallway light, and stood in the dark, pausing at the entrance and watching the outline on the couch in the dim lights of Paris beyond the large windows. "Goodnight." He whispered, and went back to his room, leaving Francis, asleep and unaware.
Owari