You stir awake to the sounds of celebration, distant booms of fireworks going off across the sleepless city.
You rise and fall with the deep breaths beneath you. Your face is buried in a soft cardigan, and you breathe in the comforting scent of fresh laundry. It’s sweetened by the familiarity of your own detergent, and how it smells just a bit different on him. It feels like home.
Rubbing at your eyes, you push yourself up onto your elbows, eliciting a quiet grunt from the warm chest you were snuggled on top of.
The living room is dark, save for the warm, twinkling lights on the tree in the corner, and the occasional waves of color that bloom across the night sky. Lilac purple, gold, royal blue and magenta light up your world, painting your apartment in its revelry.
You reach for your phone on the coffee table, squinting against the bright light of the screen.
12:11.
With a laugh under your breath, you wiggle in the arms holding you.
His long lashes flutter in his dreaming, blissfully unaware of the rest of the world rejoicing outside those windows. Warm and secure whenever you're in his arms, even asleep. Especially asleep.
“Xavier,” you murmur, and he whines.
He holds you tighter when you squirm again, squeezing like you were one of the many favorite plushies that decorates your home. You smack his shoulder.
“Wha?” your boyfriend mumbles, slowly blinking his eyes open. The blue is dark, infinite in this lighting, glazing over at you as he struggles to wake up. “What is it?”
You smile fondly at him, stroking his warm cheek. He leans into it by instinct, burrowing his face into your palm, his lips grazing your wrist before languidly kissing it. Hardly awake and already affectionate, and you melt.
Overwhelmed by how soft he is, how cute he looks this sleepy, you take his chin and squish his cheeks between your fingers.
Xavier pouts at your antics, gaze half-lidded, and you giggle.
“We slept through the countdown.”
He just blinks again. Like a lazy, content cat basking in its favorite sunspot underneath your loving gaze.
Not taking in a single word you’re saying.
You just sigh, utterly in love with this sweet, sleepy man. Two years by his side now, and you wanted all the rest.
“Happy New Year, baby,” you elaborate, nuzzling your nose against his before giving a kiss to the tip of it.
“Oh.” The sound is soft in realization. Still layered with sleep, but his eyes gain more clarity. “Happy New Year.”
He goes for a kiss but misses, hitting the corner of your mouth, before lazily working his lips over to meet yours. It’s innocent in its purpose; seeking contact, a greeting and apology steeped in love.
But it's slow when he captures your bottom lip in his, lingers, and leaves you tingling.
“‘M sorry, didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
“It’s okay. I did too.” You pepper kisses across his cheek, smiling against the happy flush on his skin from your blatant affection. “We always have next year.”
“Mm,” Xavier hums, his hand spanning up your back, pressing your weight into his.
He sighs, cozy and content with his personal weighted blanket. Safe in your embrace, as you are in his.