When Ludwig woke up, the only sound he could hear were the birds outside the cracked window of his bedroom. The sun hung low, rising in the early morning hour, slowly bathing the room in its light.

He sat up carefully so as to not rouse his guest, reaching for the book on his nightstand. Flipping it open, he glanced to the side at the feeling of something pressing against his leg.

Eduard’s face was turned toward him, the tip of his nose pressing against his thigh.

His fingers grazed the pages of the book, yet his eyes didn’t leave his lover.

He was stunning, the warm light of the sun making his brown skin take on a golden hue, his hair almost seeming to glow red beneath the rays filtering in through the window.

Ludwig’s eyes traced Eduard’s features, from the angle of his jaw to the softness of his cheeks, to the way his eyebrows rested as he slept, face relaxed. His hair was tousled, a barely visible indent on his cheek from when he must have been sleeping on his other side earlier, using his arm as a pillow.

It made a small smile make its way onto Ludwig’s face.

As he watched, he could see the minute shift in Eduard’s expression. The other didn’t move, didn’t say anything, but there was something that told him he was no longer sleeping.

For a while, Ludwig continued to watch him, book simply resting on his lap.

He caught the tiniest twitch at the corner of Eduard’s mouth.

“I know that you’re awake, Eduard, you do not need to pretend.”

A grin split Eduard’s face, and he cracked open an eye to look up at him. “I like the look on your face when you don’t know I’m awake yet though. It’s very sweet.”

"How can you tell when your eyes are closed?" Ludwig asked, his only response a wink as Eduard turned his face slightly.

He raised his hand from the pages of his book, his fingertips brushing the swell of Eduard's cheek, moving along the side of his face. Eduard leaned into the touch, covering Ludwig's hand in his. "You're beautiful," he said, making the look in Eduard's eyes soften, his playful smirk growing gentle. He moved to lift himself up on his elbows.

"Kiss me?" he asked.

A smile played on Ludwig's face, and he leaned down, pressing his lips to Eduard's. The chaste kiss left Eduard pouting at the briefness of it, only for the sparkle in his eye to grow mischievous as he lifted himself up so he too was sitting, leaning into Ludwig's space to kiss him again.

Eduard's lips were soft against his, and he marvelled in the feeling of them as Eduard's hand came to rest at the nape of Ludwig's neck, deepening it.

They kissed again and again, Eduard leaning into him more and more with each one until Ludwig found himself tipping to the side, landing more on his arm than on his back. Twisting his body so his back was almost properly against the mattress, he pulled Eduard down with him despite the awkward angle of his back. Not needing further prompting, Eduard's lips found his again.

They stayed like that until Ludwig felt his back complaining too much for comfort, his hand on Eduard's chest making him pause. Ludwig could feel his lips tingle from how long they had been kissing.

Outside they could now hear the sounds of Ludwig's younger siblings playing, and Ludwig glanced at the clock on the wall. They were well overdue to head down for breakfast.

Ludwig stood up, a slight smirk on his face as Eduard asked if they couldn't stay in bed for just a while longer. He leaned down to press another kiss to Eduard's lips, a happy noise escaping his lover. Eduard stood up on top of the bed, making Ludwig click his tongue in disapproval, but he was quickly disarmed by Eduard's lips on his again, the other cradling his cheeks in his hands to turn his face upwards.

As soon as it ended Eduard had his feet on the floor, wrapping his arms around his waist, spinning him around in a circle as he pressed even more kisses all over Ludwig's face.

The ridiculousness of it all made Ludwig smile.

"Wanna go horse-riding after breakfast?" Eduard asked. "We weren't seeing Camus til the afternoon, right?"

"I suppose we could do that," Ludwig agreed, running his fingers through Eduard's hair to tame it enough to resemble someone who hadn't just rolled out of bed. "We really should get dressed now, however."

"Yeah." Eduard didn't let go of him though, still holding him in his arms for another few precious moments before finally disentangling himself from Ludwig.

They got dressed next to each other, Ludwig listening to Eduard as he talked about a trip he had gone on with Erika not too long ago. Soon enough they were dressed and heading for the door.

Just before Ludwig was about to turn the key in the lock, Eduard called out. "Hey, Lui?"

Turning his head toward him, he felt Eduard's hands on his cheeks, and a pair of lips pressed against his. The kiss was deep, Eduard's head angled to the side, his eyes closed. When he pulled back he took Ludwig's breath with him.

"Last one for now," he whispered, the tip of his nose brushing against Ludwig's.

"For now," Ludwig agreed, the corner of his mouth turned up.

He unlocked the door. For now, they would have to act as nothing but friends. But when they were back behind closed doors there was nothing stopping them from coming together again.

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