Day Sixteen: Morning Routines

Merlin nearly jumped out of his skin when the alarm clock went off. He threw his arm out and flicked the switch. The shrill of the alarm stopped and all Merlin could hear was Arthur's deep breathing next to him. Merlin never understood how Arthur could sleep through that alarm.

He shook Arthur's shoulder, "Arthur, come on, time to get up." Arthur didn't even flinch, "Great lump," Merlin mumbled. He swung his feet off the bed, pulled on a pair of Arthur's sweat pants, and walked out to the kitchen.

He prepared coffee for Arthur and tea for himself. On rare occasions, Arthur would have smelled the coffee brewing and he would race out to the kitchen to get a hot, fresh cup. Other times, Merlin would be kind enough to bring him the coffee, because his reward was always very satisfying.

Neither one of those events would be happening today…Arthur was still snoring away and Merlin couldn't leave the apartment until Arthur woke up, or else he'd miss brunch with his father.

He strolled back into the bedroom and found Arthur sprawled out on the bed, taking up his and Merlin's side. His blonde hair was a shaggy mess and his mouth hung open slightly. Merlin admired the lovely view for a few minutes. Arthur was perfect, even when he slept.

Arthur issued a particularly loud snore and Merlin chuckled. Deciding Arthur had plenty of 'beauty' rest; Merlin walked up to the bed and grabbed two fistfuls of the sheet wrapped around Arthur. With a quick tug, he yanked the sheet off of Arthur, "Rise and shine sleeping beauty!"

Arthur groaned and curled in on himself, "No."

Merlin placed his hands on the bed and leaned in towards Arthur, "You have one hour to be up and out this door, or your father will disown you."

"Let'm."

Merlin sighed, "Arthur, get your lazy ass up!" Arthur didn't budge.

Every morning. Every. Single. Morning.

"Fine, if you want to do it this way…" Merlin wrapped his arms around Arthur's middle and pulled him to the edge of the bed.

"Merlin!" He tried grabbing onto the mattress to escape Merlin's grasp.

"How many times have I told you; if you don't get your lazy ass out of bed, then I will!" He gave one last tug and Arthur was finally out of bed, but at Merlin's expense. He had toppled over and him and Arthur lay in a heap on the floor. Merlin let out a bark of laughter.

"What's so funny, Merlin?" Arthur grabbed Merlin's ankle and pulled him closer. He dug his fingers into Merlin's sides and thighs until he was gasping for breath.

"Arthur! Please-stop-no!" He yelled through bouts of laughter.

"I'm sorry? I didn't hear you, Merlin, you'll have to speak more clearly," He pulled Merlin on his lap and continued to tickle every inch of Merlin he could reach. Merlin was in tears now, and couldn't even muster a breath let alone a single word.

Arthur decided Merlin had enough torture and he leaned in to kiss him. It was an open mouth, smiling kiss, one where Merlin was still laughing. His cheeks were wet with tears and they were a bright, rosy red.

When Merlin was sure Arthur wasn't going to continue his tickling, he relaxed in his Arthur's arms and took a deep breath, "You're going to be late for brunch, Arthur."

Arthur tapped Merlin's nose, "I know, but it's much more fun to see you squirm under my touch."

Merlin knew where this was going, and if he didn't move now, neither of them would make it out of the bedroom let alone the apartment. He pushed himself out of Arthur's arms and held his hand for Arthur to take.

"Once you've gone to brunch and had a wonderful day with your family, then you can watch me squirm all you want," he said to Arthur, who looked pleased with the deal.

The rest of their morning was routine. They drank their hot beverages, had their toast, fought over who got the sink, elbowed each other as they brushed their teeth, and whipped each other with towels until they were both dressed and ready to walk out the door.

Once outside, they turned to each other, "See you later," Arthur said, taking Merlin's hands.

"See you later," Merlin replied. He gave Arthur a sweet kiss and turned to walk one way, while Arthur turned the opposite direction.

"I love you!" He yelled over his shoulder.

"Love you too!" Merlin yelled back.

They both walked to their destinations, smiling and excited for what the evening would bring.

~o0o~

Cas blinked back the sleep as he squinted in the dimly lit room. He could make out the dark form of a sleeping Dean next to him.

Cas rolled onto his side and gathered the blankets around him. He watched Dean as he slept, his back rising and falling with every breath. Dean loved sleeping on his stomach, his arms wrapped around his pillow. His mouth was slightly open and a trickle of drool glistened on his lips.

Cas smiled and bit back his amusement. He didn't want to wake Dean up, not yet anyway. He liked watching Dean sleep, especially when he was dreaming. He always wondered what Dean dreamt about, but he was too nervous to ask. Was dreaming a personal thing? Was it something you kept to yourself?

Besides, Cas didn't want to know, he liked to use his imagination. Whenever Dean mumbled in his sleep, Cas imagined that Dean was dreaming about driving in his Impala back home, blasting his favorite classic rock cassette, and singing along.

Or if Dean's body twitched, like his fingers or legs, he imagined Dean was dreaming about playing backyard football with Sam.

When the corner of Dean's mouth twitched into a smile, he imagined Dean was dreaming about him, about Cas. The reason for his smile would be because Cas didn't understand a reference or because Cas had just kissed him.

Cas sighed, he doubted Dean dreamed of him. Why dream of someone you see every day? It took a moment for Cas to realize that Dean's eyes were opened and he was staring at Cas.

Dean smiled, "Do you always watch me sleep?"

Cas blushed, "Not all the time."

Dean rolled back and offered his arm out to Cas. Cas curled into Dean's chest and nudged his face into his shirt. Dean kissed the top of Cas' head and trailed his fingers up and down Cas' spine. He shivered at Dean's touch and scooted closer for warmth. Their legs intertwined with each other and they lay their quietly, enjoying the warmth and touch.

It wasn't abnormal that they cuddle before actually getting out of bed. It was something they did every morning, almost like their way of saying 'I love you' without words.

They got up before they both fell asleep again. Cas had to go to the restaurant where he worked and Dean didn't want to be late for his first day at a garage down the street. After they made Harley part of their little family, they both went and searched for jobs.

The first day on the hunt, Cas got a serving job at a restaurant. They must've been desperate, because Cas had no idea what he was doing, but he got the hang of it pretty quickly.

Dean made breakfast like always; today it was ham and cheese omelets. Cas poured them orange juice, almost spilling because Harley danced around their feet, crying for food.

Once everyone was fed, they got showers and brushed their teeth. Cas put on his jeans and black restaurant t-shirt, while Dean pulled on his tattered jeans and dark gray t-shirt.

Their destinations were the same way, so when they arrived at the garage first, Cas turned to Dean and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "Good luck on your first day."

Dean smiled and pulled Cas in for a proper, goodbye kiss. When he pulled away, Cas was blushing and looking flustered, "Thank you, don't spill any trays."

"Hey, that was only once, and it was my first day!" Cas gave Dean's shoulder a light slap and started walking backwards down the street, "See ya later…alligator," Cas chuckled. He had heard a little kid say it the other day and thought it was a weird way of saying goodbye. So now whenever he said goodbye to Dean, he said it. At first, Dean thought it was cheesy, but he learned to love it, because Cas loved it.

Dean smirked and blushed, "After a while, crocodile."