24 and 46!!!!
24. Deep kisses where they have their hands tangled in each other’s hair to pull them closer.
In the time it took Kai to get up, catch some morning waves, and return home and shower, Parker hadn’t left their bed. The bedroom window was cracked open, inviting in a sea breeze that tickled Parker’s bare skin. The white sheets tangled in his legs, bunched at the foot of the bed, covering no higher than his mid-thigh. He lay on his stomach, in the center of the bed, one knee bent, Kai’s pillow scrunched up beneath his cheek. Eyes closed, he hummed along with the bird that whistled outside, listening as Kai moved around in the bathroom. The door to the bathroom, attached to the bedroom, was open. He could hear the gentle whirring of the fan, feel the humid heat that escaped the open door, smell the coconut scent of Kai’s shampoo.
Kai padded into the room, flicking out the bathroom light but leaving the fan on to defog the bathroom mirror.
“Ho’, howzit? You plan on gettin’ up today?” Kai asked, sounding amused, as he reached out to lightly slap Parker’s bare ass.
“Haven’t decided yet,” Parker said. Parker was fairly certain it wasn’t even ten o’clock yet. The sun itself was still rising, not yet at its peak for the day. It wasn’t late enough in the day to be teasing him for staying in bed all day.
Parker opened his eyes and tilted his head just enough to look at Kai. The sun that poured through the open blinds haloed Kai. Kai wore two towels, one a white bathroom towel wrapped around his head, soaking up the wetness of his hair. The other was a purple beach towel covered in pink hibiscus flowers. A regular bathroom towel wouldn’t fit around Kai. The beach towel was tied low on his hips, looking like it was barely staying on. Parker reached out and gave the beach towel a light tug, and it fell to the floor in a puddle of fabric at Kai’s feet. Parker glanced up at Kai’s face with a smile.
“Hey!” Kai said and laughed. He leaned down and grabbed the towel off the floor, then tossed it onto Parker’s desk chair, which also stored this week’s laundry. Kai bent forward, tipping the towel off his head, giving it a thorough shake through his hair before tossing it onto the chair as well.
“Move ova’,” Kai said. He flicked his hair out of his face with one hand as he nudged Parker’s thigh with the back of his other hand. “Yah taken up da whole bed.”
“If you get back in bed with me, there’s no incentive for me to get up,” Parker said, rolling over onto his back, tangling the sheets even more. He pulled one knee up, freeing his ankle from the sheets. As Kai crawled into bed, Parker straightened his leg again.
Kai laughed and settled onto his stomach, one leg draped over Parker. He rested his head on the edge of the same pillow that Parker used and rested his arm on Parker’s chest. He reached his fingers up to caress Parker’s cheek, his thumb and knuckles gently brushing soft skin. Eyes half-closed, Kai leaned in to kiss Parker, and Parker turned his head slightly to meet the kiss.
The shower hadn’t washed away all evidence of the beach. Kai tasted and smelled like the ocean, like salt water and summer. Parker breathed in deeply, inhaling Kai’s coconut shampoo and the lingering ocean. As Kai shifted, moving so he was half on top of him, one leg between Parker’s, their chests pressed together, Parker wrapped his arms around Kai and pushed his fingers into Kai’s wet hair. For the past four months, Kai had mentioned numerous times a week that he should get a haircut. His hair was shoulder length now, and shaggy, often falling in his face. He’d started stealing Parker’s hair ties, which Parker never seemed to have enough of for himself, let alone for both of them. But Parker, always fond of long hair on men, did nothing to encourage Kai to go to the barber. He liked how fluffy Kai’s hair would be in the mornings after Kai fell asleep with wet hair. He liked the tiny ponytail Kai would pull his hair into, the loose strands that framed his face. And he liked how silly Kai looked when he kept his hair out of his face with the only headband in the house, a turquoise blue cloth headband with white unidentifiable flowers and mysterious origins.
Aside from appreciating the look of long hair, he enjoyed the handhold long hair provided, gripping it in his fingers as they made-out in bed, or as Kai went down on him, or raked his teeth against Parker’s neck, or...Parker moaned as Kai tugged at his lower lip with his teeth. Parker took full advantaged of the thick hair now, tangling his fingers through Kai’s locks.
Kai reached for Parker’s braid, which was pinned to the bed by Parker’s shoulder. A few years ago, Parker had taken to braiding his hair before he went to bed. As he let his hair get longer and longer, nearly reaching his waist at this point, Parker found himself spending more time brushing it in the morning. As someone who wanted to stay in bed until the last possible second, he did not appreciate the extra time needed for brushing. Braiding his hair before bed at least kept it from getting more tangled throughout the night, and he could quickly and easily rebraid it in the morning.
Parker rolled shoulder forward just enough that Kai could pull at the hair tie keeping the braid from unraveling. Neither kept track of where the hair tie went; another one lost to the void. Kai ran deft fingers through the braid, managing to undo it with one hand. His other arm was supporting his weight, keeping him propped up so he could run his tongue across Parker’s lips.
Not breaking the kiss, Kai fluffed Parker’s hair with his free hand, fanning it out over the pillow. His fingers pulled gently through the tangles. He pulled away for a moment with a soft, loving smile. The smile Parker gave him was equally as loving, and Kai brushed fly-away strands of hair away from Parker’s face. Parker moved one hand to cup Kai’s cheek and Kai’s hair fell forward, hanging beside his face, dripping water onto the pillow and Parker’s shoulder. Parker pushed Kai’s hair back again, tangling his fingers at the back of Kai’s head. Clenching his fist, Parker pulled Kai to him, tilting his head to meet Kai’s lips.
Kai responded by pushing his fingers into Parker’s loose curls, his fingers massaging gently at Parker’s scalp. Parker moaned softly into Kai’s mouth. There were a few ways directly to Parker’s heart. One of them was playing with his hair. He felt Kai smile slightly against his lips and felt Kai’s fingers move through his hair, before again massaging his scalp.
“Yah hai’ is so soft,” Kai said, pulling back again to drag his fingers through Parker’s hair, tugging at any tangles.
“I’m not done kissing you,” Parker said. Fist still clenched in Kai’s hair, he pulled Kai close again. Kai tried not to laugh as their lips met again.
His own body ever warring against him, Parker’s stomach growled loudly, and this time Kai did laugh.
“I think yah hafta be done kissin’ me,” he said, resisting Parker’s grip that held the two of them together. “Fuh now.”
“I’ve survived longer than this without food,” Parker said, loosening his grip and resting his hand on the back of Kai’s neck. Since Kai wouldn’t bend down to kiss him again, Parker pushed himself up on one elbow and kissed Kai’s shoulder and neck.
“Nah, le’s eat now. Don’ want yah gettin’ cranky,” Kai said, rolling away from Parker and out of bed.
“I do not get cranky,” Parker said, pouting.
“Yah seem kinda cranky righ’ now,” Kai said.
“Only because I’m being deprived of affection,” Parker whined.
Kai grabbed Parker’s ankles and pulled him to the edge of the bed. Parker sat up, one leg on either side of Kai. With both hands, Kai pushed Parker’s hair out of his face. One hand then circled down to cup Parker’s cheek; the other bunched Parker’s hair, and gently tugged, making Parker tilt his head back.
“Food fu’st, then affection,” Kai said. He planted one more kiss on Parker’s lips before letting go of Parker’s hair and turning to find a pair of shorts to wear.
“Your priorities are completely out of order,” Parker said with a sigh. He stood up and pulled his hair into a ponytail with the hair tie on his wrist, then retrieved a pair of boxers from the dresser and followed Kai to the kitchen.
