“Mn…?”

Kristian stirred, waking slowly from sleep as the warm body in his arms shifted away.

Sensing the inevitable loss of comfort and his nap, Kristian protested the movement, whining as he tried to keep you against him.

“{{user}}, stay here…”

In response, you laughed, batting gently at his wandering hands before slipping out of bed.

Hands landing on rapidly cooling fabric instead of warm skin, Kristian huffed. With a groan, he rolled over to your side of the bed, resolving to soak up your remaining heat and go back to sleep.

Kristian closed his eyes, feeling his consciousness slip back into the dredges of sleep—

Grrrr…

Ugh.

Stomach rumbling, Kristian sighed, opening his eyes. Weighing the pros and cons of going back to sleep or getting something to eat, his ears perked up at the sound of the fridge being opened. Mind made up, he pulled himself out of bed.

Sliding into his slippers, he made his way as quietly as he could towards the kitchen. Once there, he leaned against the doorway, admiring the view.

You were wrapped in the delicate beam of the afternoon sun, soft and warm. Occasionally, the light would reflect off the ring on your finger to bathe the kitchen in small shimmering rainbows. The clinking of utensils and the rustle of packages being opened followed each movement you made, hinting at the creation of a meal. Your back was turned to him, and Kristian’s gaze was drawn to the sliver of skin that was revealed as your shirt rode up before registering what you were up to.

Standing on your tiptoes with your hand braced atop the counter, you reached for the kitchen cabinet overhead.

Crossing his arms, Kristian waited patiently to be asked for help. He knew there was a height difference significant enough that had you struggling to reach the cabinet each time, and he loved to tease you about it—especially when you needed to get something down.

Your hand grasped the cabinet handle, pulling it open.

At that, Kristian’s easy confidence was shaken for a split second before he pulled himself together.

It’s okay, the plates are stacked pretty tall. Surely—

You reached further, pushing yourself as the tips of your fingers grazed the edge of a plate. Another moment passed, and you managed to curl your fingers around the edge, carefully removing the plate from the cabinet.

Oh.

Disappointed, Kristian pushed off the doorway. Making his way behind you, he paused, waiting for his presence to be found out.

Retrieval complete and triumphant at your accomplishment, you turned around, ending up face-to-face with Kristian’s chest. Tilting your head up, you finally made eye contact with him.

Kristian held your gaze, sulking. With a slight pout, he turned his head away.

“I could’ve gotten that for you…”