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Morning hadn't quite committed to arriving yet.

It lingered at the edges of the apartment, pale and unhurried, the kind of half-light that made everything look like it was underwater. Gold pooled across the floorboards in slow, careless puddles, and somewhere beyond the glass the city was only just beginning to clear its throat --- a hum of distant traffic, a far-off door, nothing urgent. Nothing real yet.

Inside, time moved like syrup.

Jae had been awake for the better part of an hour, though awake felt like too strong a word for it. He drifted rather than walked, barefoot across cool wood, shirt slipping from one shoulder, hair doing whatever it pleased. Sleep had let go of him sometime before the sun bothered to show up, and he hadn't chased it back.

He didn't mind the quiet. There was a kind of mercy in mornings like this , before the world remembered it had a voice.

The chopping board waited beneath his hands like an altar.

Strawberries, halved into little red hearts. Kiwi, pale green and freckled. Mango, cut into curls that caught the light like something poured rather than sliced. Blueberries scattered loose, rolling whenever the board tilted. An apple, sliced thin enough to see through -- though one piece had already vanished before it ever reached the plate.

He arranged it all with a tenderness he'd have denied under oath.

"...Looks like one o' them bloody cafés," he muttered, tilting his head at his own handiwork. A crooked smile crept up one side of his mouth. "Christ." He picked up a strawberry, turned it slowly between two fingers like it owed him an explanation. "Bonnie's rubbin' off on me."

The laugh that followed was quiet, almost private, the kind meant only for the empty kitchen and the gold light and no one else at all.

He carried the plate through the apartment like it was something fragile. Maybe it was.

The bedroom door sighed open beneath his palm.

Hayato was already awake -- had been for a while, by the look of him. Tangled in the blankets like the night hadn't quite released him yet, hair every direction sleep could send it, eyes finding Jae the second he stepped through the door and staying there.

"There he is." The words slipped out before Jae could stop them, soft, unguarded.

"Mornin', bonnie."

He crossed the room without ceremony, sat on the edge of the mattress, let the bed dip beneath him like it was used to his weight by now. He held the plate up with the solemnity of a man presenting treasure.

"Brought breakfast."

A pause. A glance at the fruit, then at Hayato, then back again.

"Didnae burn the flat down either." Another pause, longer, more pleased with itself. "I'm improvin'."

He plucked a piece of mango from the plate and studied it the way some men study poetry , turning it slightly, weighing it, deciding something. Then his eyes lifted to Hayato's, steady and unbothered.

"Open."

It wasn't a question. It never really was, with Jae.

When Hayato's lips parted ( slow, a little wary, a little curious ) Jae nodded once, satisfied. "Good lad."

He didn't place the fruit in Hayato's hand. Didn't offer it mouth-first either. Instead he bit into one end himself, slow and deliberate, leaving only half the curl of mango between his own lips. His gaze never wavered.

A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth, lazy and full of trouble.

"C'mon." His voice dropped, low and warm, half a dare. "Don't make me do all the work."

The room held its breath. Sunlight didn't move. Even the city outside seemed to quiet itself, as if it understood it wasn't invited to whatever this was.

Hayato held his gaze a heartbeat longer than necessary --- and that's when Jae leaned in.

Slow.

Careful, like approaching something that might startle.

His lips brushed Hayato's for the length of a breath, giving the fruit, taking nothing more than that , and yet somehow taking everything.

Soft. Warm. Gone too fast to be real, and too real to forget.

Jae didn't move for a second. Just blinked, like he'd misplaced a thought.

"...Well." A laugh, low and a little stunned, escaped him before he could catch it. "That worked better than expected."

He looked, undeniably, like a man rather pleased with himself.

"Again."

He reached for a strawberry this time, bit it neatly in half, held what remained between his lips with a look that was somewhere between innocent and absolutely not.

"Doctor's orders." His eyes glittered. "One kiss every mornin'." A beat. "...Attached tae fruit." Another beat, slower this time, almost thoughtful. "Healthy lifestyle, an' all that."

By the third piece ( a blueberry, ridiculous and tiny and gone in an instant ) he'd stopped pretending it was about breakfast at all.

Kiwi.

Apple.

Each one an excuse. Each one a little softer than the last, the cockiness in his grin slowly dissolving into something quieter, something he didn't have a smart word for.

Eventually the plate sat forgotten on the nightstand, condensation gathering at its edge, fruit warming in the morning air.

Jae leaned back on one palm, looking at Hayato with the kind of satisfaction that had long since stopped being about food.

"Ya know," he said, tilting his head, "I've fed stray cats that put up more of a fight than you."

His eyes danced.

"Either yer goin' soft on me..." A pause, drawn out just to watch Hayato's face. "...or ya like bein' spoiled. Secretly."

Before an answer could form, Jae leaned in one last time, no fruit between them now, no excuse left to hide behind. Just the quick, gentle press of his mouth to the corner of Hayato's lips. Barely there. Gone before it could ask to be anything bigger.

"There."

He nudged the plate back toward him, voice dropping into something almost scolding, almost fond.

"Now eat the rest properly, before I start thinkin' ya survive on chlorine an' stubbornness alone."

He rose from the bed with a slow stretch, pausing only to ruffle Hayato's already wrecked hair, fingers lingering a beat longer than the gesture required.

"...Still reckon feedin' ya mouth tae mouth tastes better than forks." He glanced back over his shoulder, grin sharp with the promise of trouble he always seemed to be carrying. "Less washin' up, too."

And with that he wandered back toward the kitchen , trailing the scent of fresh fruit, the gold hush of early light, and the quiet, unmistakable warmth of kisses dressed up as breakfast.

He would up feeling groggy, like he couldn’t quite lift the veil of sleep off. A heaviness rested over his body, keeping his eyes near shut even when they opened. He only appeared more alert when Jae’s voice came from the doorway.

He peered at the other with a crooked expression, one that looked a bit grumpy from sleep and a bit embarrassed. How had the cold, cursing mechanic become his personal bubbly chef in the morning?

Hayato found himself bumping against Jae as he settled down close to him on the bed. Without speaking yet Hayato just observed, breakfast was simply fruit. He knew better than to complain when it seemed like Jae went through quite the effort on the display. He wanted to tease him for the frills he was set on adding but didn’t have the heart.

“I’m not sure how cutting fruit could cause a fire…” was the first thing he managed to get out. What a greeting. It didn’t take long for Jae to insist he start eating. It seemed he was overly keen on making sure he was fed. Worse than his own mother. But who was he to deny him? His jaw opened slacked as he waited for the fruit to be delivered and he was sure to sing his praises of all Jae’s efforts.

Yet it didn’t come.

Jae held it in his mouth. Beckoning him to come claim it. Staring at the yellow fruit dangling in his mouth, Hayato felt his heart leap into his throat. Was he still dreaming? Surely this wasn’t real. He hesitated before cautiously moving forward to play into the game.

It felt like time was suspended. The air between them thick and sweet. He waited to be claimed against Jae’s mouth but it never came. Simply a brush, gentle nudge and the fruit was claimed by him. Then promoted to continue once again. More fruit pushed into his mouth this way. Hayato accepted each one as he was lulled into the rhythm of the exchange. Soon it was less about what Jae was doing and more about his anticipation of what would come next.

For the first time Hayato felt himself urging forward to complete each exchange, each one growing longer as their lips caressed, almost an embrace rather than a simple nudge. Upon parting a boyish smile perched in the corners of his mouth as he really took in Jae’s appearance. Someone who made the effort to make him a beautiful plate, to make sure he ate, gifting him affection. The tips of his ears pinked, “I think it was obvious I like spoiling..” he mentioned, voice still rough from slumber.

“Thank you…” he called as Jae finished lecturing him about his lack of self care. Hayato fell back on the bed, head dizzy from holding his breath with the bowl of fruit still resting on his belly. What a way to be woken up. Would he get too spoiled to expect it?

@saintsinstatic ——💚💚💚

#Hayato #Jae #saintsinstatic #sorry it posted before I was done

I have this crazy, kind of weird idea, based on the theory that Jae could be a descendant of Aang, and given that the Avatar figure is now hated—just like Roku didn't respect Zuko, his own great-grandson—what if in this case Jae (if he is a descendant of Aang) rejects or detests Aang and harbors resentment for what happened to the original Air Nomads?

Oof that would be very painful if that was the case 😭 I could also see that since the Avatar is widely regarded to be an “evil” figure in Seven Havens, perhaps Jae would be ashamed to be descended from one (if he does turn to be Aang’s descendant).

#asks #jae #seven havens #sh #aang #atla #avatar the last airbender