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Morning sun filtered through the window’s blinds, and by some awful coincidence, managed to shine directly on Okayu’s closed eyelids. She stirred from her sleep, reluctantly cracking an eye open to shoot a reproachful glare at the offending ray of light.
Okayu rolled over in bed and shut her eyes again, hoping to fall back asleep, but she felt an arm snake around her waist.
"Morning," a voice murmured near her ear.
Okayu hated mornings. If she had her way, she’d sleep until late afternoon– evening, if she could. The girl lying next to her in bed, though, never allowed it.
Korone nudged her nose into Okayu’s shoulder. "Morning," she said again.
Okayu heaved a sigh. She couldn’t see the clock, and wouldn’t bother sitting up to do so, but she could tell it was far too early for anyone in their right mind to be awake, much less her.
"Morning, Korone," she mumbled back, face half-buried in her pillow. She’d blocked out the sunlight, but she couldn’t block out Korone.
"You promised to bake breakfast with me this morning."
"Did I?"
"You did." Korone's arm tightened around her waist beneath their shared blanket, hand resting on Okayu's bare skin below her slightly lifted T-shirt.
"Mmm." Okayu screwed her eyes shut tighter, one furry ear twitching. "Too early."
Korone whined, sounding even more doglike than usual, and pressed closer to Okayu's back. "Okayuuu…"
Okayu buried her face deeper into her pillow with a groan. She hoped, futilely, that Korone would give up if she resisted long enough, and allow her a few more precious hours of sleep, but she knew Korone was never one to allow that, especially not when Okayu had promised to bake with her.
A ray of sun peeking through the blinds bathed her in warmth, and she rolled over to lay on her back and bask in it. Korone shifted back to allow her to move, but her arm didn't stray from its position, now laid over Okayu's stomach.
The sun had moved just barely enough to not shine into Okayu's eyes, and the warmth it gave her only made her more tired. "Warm," she muttered, already drifting back down into sleep.
Korone giggled, the sound bringing Okayu back to consciousness enough to smile. Of course, it was expected for Okayu to act just like a cat, but the extent of it never failed to make her laugh. Korone twisted towards her and hooked a leg around one of Okayu's, nestling closer and tucking her face into the crook between Okayu's shoulder and neck. Her body was warm and soothing, nesting perfectly against Okayu's.
"Okayu," Korone said, breath tickling the hair around the girl's neck. "Can I have a kiss?"
She startled, eyes snapping open. Korone always knew how to coax her awake. "Ah… Morning breath–" she started to protest, but Korone pulled her face back far enough to meet Okayu's eyes, and her arm shifted from Okayu's waist up to cup her face, palm warm against her cheek.
"I don't care," she said, lips forming a tiny pout, brown eyes wide and pleading.
Okayu sighed and brought her hand to Korone's face in turn, fingertips scratching at her soft ears. Korone leaned into the touch, nose wrinkling as she smiled, and Okayu heard the shifting of sheets as Korone's tag wagged underneath the blanket. The sunlight falling on them both illuminated Korone's hair in amber, bringing out all the subtle tones in her hair color and the orange in her eyes that wasn't usually visible.
"C'mon," Korone began to whine, impatient. Okayu's hand on her head brought her closer, and she pressed a brief kiss to Korone's lips.
Korone made a surprised squeak when she pulled back. "Okayu!"
"You asked," Okayu shot back, trying to brush aside her own embarrassment.
"More," Korone said, her nose brushing against Okayu's as she leaned back in for another, this one slower, longer. Korone's tag shifted the entire blanket that was on top of them with its furious wagging, and it made Okayu let out a giggle that was swallowed by Korone's mouth.
The kiss grew more heated, each of them trying to press even closer to the other, Okayu's fingers digging into Korone's scalp with a pleasant pressure and Korone's against the side of her neck.
Okayu broke it to catch her breath. "Korone," she said, face feeling warm enough that she knew she was blushing.
"Hm?" Korone's forehead touched hers, her brown hair tickling Okayu's face. "Are you still sleepy?"
Realizing she wasn't, Okayu groaned. "You were just trying to wake me up."
"Well," Korone giggled, "that wasn't just why. You look so cute in the mornings, all tired and relaxed–"
Her brown, puppy-like eyes full of sincerity were too much for Okayu to handle head-on, and she ducked to tuck her face against Korone's chest. When Korone laughed, it reverberated through her chest and the noise filled Okayu's head.
"Come on, get up." Korone tapped her fingers against Okayu's back, urging her up.
"What time is it?" Okayu asked, the question muffled by Korone's T-shirt.
"I don't know," Korone said, but her voice was just a touch too smooth, the ease in it just a little too forced, and Okayu knew that meant it was way too early. Early enough that Korone wouldn't tell her the time, knowing she'd adamantly refuse to leave the bed if she did.
Wrapped in Korone's arms, who smelled like sugar and chocolate and the laundry soap they shared, basking in the warmth of the sun that fell on them both, the last thing Okayu ever wanted to do was let the moment go, and she found her eyelids growing heavier by the second.
Just as they closed, Korone spoke again. "We can make onigiri, too."
Okayu relented. She knew when she'd been beaten. "Fine," she finally said, and slowly detached herself from Korone, who grinned with a triumphant look. "I won't wake up this early tomorrow," she warned, but Korone was already tossing the blanket off of them both and sitting up. Okayu followed, straightening up with a yawn and leisurely stretching her arms above her head– Korone could make her get up, sure, but she couldn't make her do it quickly.
She heard a jingle and looked down to see Korone grabbing her collar from the bedside table. She always took it off just before bed, otherwise it would irritate her neck as she slept, and Okayu always put it back on her in the mornings. It'd become a routine between them, one they hadn't broken for even a single day.
Okayu rubbed sleep from her eyes with the backs of her knuckles and took the red collar when Korone held it out to her, the leather a familiar weight in her hands.
Korone turned around to sit cross-legged in front of her and Okayu rose to her knees for a better angle, brushing Korone's messy braids over her shoulder to bare her neck. She undid the collar's clasp, but as she did she felt something hit her thigh, and she glanced down to find Korone's always-excited tail still wagging.
"Calm down," Okayu said, stroking a hand along its furry length. It stilled for the most part, but couldn't stop its wagging entirely when Okayu's fingertips touched her neck to smooth away any hair that remained.
Korone, at least, stayed still, holding a handful of her hair out of Okayu's way. The collar nestled perfectly around her neck, the paw-shaped metal tag resting in the dip between her collarbones. The feeling of the leather against her skin was as familiar and comforting as always, and Okayu's fingertips against her skin as she tightened it still made her stomach flip with butterflies, no matter how many times they'd done it.
Abruptly, Okayu leaned down and pressed a kiss to the nape of Korone's neck, something that definitely wasn't part of their well-trodden routine, but it drew a pleased giggle out of Korone, her tail making her contentment known again as it smacked into Okayu's legs with each wag. Okayu arranged her braids back into place; though they were messy from the night and would need redone, Korone could do her own hair better than she could.
Okayu tried to smooth down the hair she'd disrupted, but Korone's bedhead was always impossible to manage first thing in the morning, and strands stubbornly stuck out in every direction. The fur on her tail, too, was ruffled, and Okayu brushed her fingers through it to coax it back the right direction. One touch to her own head told her that her hair was the same, and she spent a moment raking her fingers through to straighten it out a little.
Korone leaned back into Okayu's chest, head tilted back to look up at her. "Can we go make breakfast now?"
Okayu smiled, her hand finding Korone's and intertwining their fingers. "You promise we'll make onigiri too?"
"Promise."
With the sun streaming full force through the window now, the light cast Korone's face in an almost angelic glow, and Okayu's chest ached at the sight– at how lucky she was to see it. For a brief moment, she considered waking up early more often, just to see how pretty Korone looked in the morning's light.