It didn't take long for Hatori to notice it. The soft grunts stirred him from his (relatively) peaceful slumber. The dragon peeked out, but only briefly, before shutting his eyes tightly to hide from the offensive sunlight pouring into the room through the blinds. The quiet shuffling of the sheets, quickened, shallow breaths, the moans... The other side of the bed shifted around, and Hatori immediately knew exactly what it was his partner was up to this morning.

Hatori sighed, his eyebrows furrowing together as he listened to Shigure pleasuring himself next to him, and as he laid there half-asleep, he was trying to figure if it was worth losing fifteen minutes of sleep to help the mutt out, or if this was a task the dog could handle on his own. Hatori did have trouble with insomnia, every moment of sleep was rather precious...

But, he was a doctor. It wasn't in his nature to leave those in need behind.

Rolling over, Hatori turned to face Shigure's back, before scooting closer to his partner. Wrapping his arm around his waist, he pressed his bare chest up against Shigure's back, silently slipping his hand under the covers and searching around blindly for the novelist's pumping hand.

To his surprise, Shigure's hands were nowhere near his crotch, nowhere to be found. In fact, the mutt was completely flaccid. Hatori sat up a bit curiously, not understanding why Shigure had been keening so quietly. Peering over the broad shoulder, Hatori's darkened, grey gaze watched as Shigure's fingers curled into his pillow and the sheets. Dark hair was fanned out messily across the pillow, and his eyes were screwed shut tightly. His lips were contorted into a scowl, every once in awhile parting to let a soft groan escape.

Shigure was having a nightmare.

This wasn't a rare occurrence. It seemed at least once a month, Shigure would suffer from a night filled with nightmares, up until the sun rose. Luckily, by now, Hatori knew how to comfort the dog. Without a word, he lowered himself back down and began peppering Shigure's shoulder with soft, gentle kisses- moving slowly and languidly so as to not disturb the novelist, merely just try and give him comfort. While doing so, his hand snaked up and began carding through the dark, unruly locks Shigure possessed, stopping at the sweet spot just behind his ear. That spot Hatori knew well. Scratching it just as one would a beloved family dog, Hatori continued his ministrations until the distressed, flustered sounds were dying down, and then finally- Shigure was completely silent, besides his soft breathing and his chest rising and falling steadily. Hatori gave a soft sigh of relief, giving his shoulder one last affectionate nudge with his nose, before rolling over back to his side of the bed.

Now that Shigure was pacified, Hatori was very much looking forward to getting a bit more sleep before starting his day. His eyes fluttered shut, and just as he began dancing on the precipice of sleep, he felt a familiar, warm body press up to his back now, exactly as he had done to Shigure just minutes ago.

Too tired to respond, Hatori remained still, not entirely disliking the new warmth against his backside. Shigure curled around him, his strong arms wrapping around Hatori and pulling him closer, seemingly trying to shove their bodies as close together as he could. The dog's chin was resting on Hatori's shoulder for a moment, before a sly, sleepy smile made its way up to his lips. Leaning up, with precise, expert finesse, the dog took the upper cartilage of Hatori's ear in-between his teeth, and began nipping at it with the tenderness of a young pup. He gnawed lovingly at his lover's ear, giving affection and unspoken thanks in his own special way.

Hatori gave a soft gasp, before a moan was elicited out of him, much to his chagrin. The nibbling was pleasurable, hardly painful. For a moment, he thought about complaining and trying to nudge the dog off him- but that was fleeting. Sighing happily, he relaxed back into Shigure's arms and soon, the dragon was lulled off to sleep with only the sensations of Shigure's playful bites causing his body to tingle delightfully.

He couldn't be certain, but just as he plunged into the darkness and sleep took him, Hatori thought he might've heard the soft words whispered into his ear:

"I love you."