However, as their delirium faded and Arc started to regain some sense of awareness, the memories of what happened the previous evening resurfaced to the forefront of their mind, jolting them awake and quickly drowning out whatever frustration they had. They flailed out of their sheets, accompanied by an ever-increasing sense of panic at the thought of everything leading up to this point--from their accepted feelings, your dinner date together, and the intense passion that came after--had all been just a dream.
But then, they felt something stir in the bed beside them, and they froze. Carefully reaching over, Arc pulled some of the sheets away, and the frantic, alarming unease they had felt instantly dissipated upon the sight of your peacefully sleeping, naked form underneath.
Arc placed a hand over their head, letting out a deep sigh of sheer relief. Thank goodness.
They eased back into bed, propping themselves with their pillow as they kept their body turned towards your direction. Waves of calm washed over their senses from simply watching you rest, as well as listening to the steady rhythm of your breathing. Absently, they reached over to cup your cheek, tracing their thumb along your soft skin; this only further proved to them that you were truly there.
You leaned into their hand, finding comfort in Arc's warmth as you mumbled something along the lines of "dealing with the guild matters later, Shiro." Arc chuckled silently as they leaned in to kiss your forehead, thankfully not enough to disturb you, only eliciting a soft hum from you as a response.
Seeing you here, blissfully dreaming beside them, was enough to put all their worries and fears to rest.
When they pulled away, they spent a little more time to just relish this moment with you, before moving to get up and stretch their limbs out. Searching through the clothes piled on the floor, they managed to procure their discarded undergarments and put them back on. Upon approaching the window, they took in the sight spread out before them: the cityscape of the walled Tokyo, its tall skyscrapers bathed in the pale blue and orange glow of the sunrise. It was something they had oft taken for granted, but today, Arc now felt a newfound sense of appreciation for it, and they were fully aware of exactly why.
Staring out into the morning sky, Arc couldn't help wondering what would happen now that you two were an item. Your lives were more intertwined than they had ever been, and the future only undulated in endless possibilities for the both of you. A sudden rush of hope and excitement welled up inside them at the thought of what lay ahead, of the memories you two would make together. You two would become scars left in each other's hearts, remaining even if one day, some forces unknown ever threatened to tear you apart... Though they hoped such a tragedy would never come to pass.
Silently, they offered a prayer: for themself, for their family, and for their relationship with you. They would fight for the things they cherished the most if time came, but part of them hoped that it wouldn't ever be necessary. They could only pray that these days they spent with their loved ones--with you--would never come to an end.
They were soon broken from their train of thought when a pair of hands slithered across their sides, wrapping around their waist and pulling them into a soft embrace. Peering over their shoulder, they saw you resting your head on their upper back, your eyes still closed and your hair in a mess of places, as you were yet to shake off your own remnants of sleep completely.
"Good morning, <Name>."
"Mmm... Arc..." You responded with a sleepy groan as you nuzzled your face into their hair, taking in their relaxing scent. "It's cold."
"Ah." They ended up waking you after all. "I'm sorry."
You let out a soft hum and tightened your hold onto them. All was forgiven, so long as they let you hold them like this for a little while. Arc was more than willing to reciprocate; they rested their hands above your own, locking their fingers in the spaces between yours while slightly leaning back into you.
"Arc..."
"Yes?"
You didn't say anything right away, wishing to just bask in the moment, in their warmth. Arc was thankfully patient, recognizing that this time of day was too early for words. They were more than content simply remaining this way for the time being, watching the sunrise as you held one another.
Thinking of it now, Arc found themself smiling. Even with the future uncertain, this would be the first of many sunrises in your happily ever after together... And this put Arc's worried heart once again at ease.
After a few more moments of comfortable silence, you spoke at last. "Won't you... Come back to bed with me?"
Arc chuckled again. Was that all? "Alright, <Name>." They couldn't blame you, though. You still had a few hours before their family returned home from their hot spring vacation, and it was best that you both made the most of it.
"And maybe you could also..." You leaned in closer to their neck, planting soft and sensual kisses on their skin, causing their breath to hitch in their throat. "Remind me of what happened between us last night."
"O... Oh?" Arc felt the familiar, breathtaking spike of pleasure sweep across their senses. Feeling the spark revitalize them, they decided that they'd be a little cheeky and play dumb. "Well... Quite a lot of things happened yesterday. Which in particular did you want to remember?"
"Hmm, well," You mused playfully, your lips curled to a devious, sultry smirk. Your arousal had certainly woken you now--you felt yourself ache from just remembering the gentle yet intense fervor of their movements the night before. "The part where you... Showed me how good you were with binding things."
Arc couldn't help snorting out a laugh, then reached over to pull the blinds down, effectively obscuring the view of any possible onlookers. "Well then." Turning to face you, Arc slowly led you back to their bed, and carefully laid you down onto the mattress. They straddled above you, interlocking their fingers with yours once more and keeping you firmly pinned down.
"I'd love to give you another first-hand demonstration," Arc whispered as they leaned into you, and you could see that familiar passionate flame coming to life once again in their crimson orbs. "But only... If you'll let me."
Smiling, you briefly closed the small space between yourselves with a soft kiss, reassuring them that whatever they wished to do, you would entrust yourself to them wholeheartedly.
"I'm all yours, Guild Master."
---
BRUH I SAID I'D STOP BUT I- 💀
This piece ended up getting done sooner than I expected... And even more surprising was the fact that it got done at all. I was not very confident about painting this from the get-go, so I'm really glad that I didn't lose heart in the middle of it, and even more glad that it turned out the way it has.
I wanted this piece to be the complete opposite of Kousoku, by putting more focus on warm tones (and to be honest, I should have actually waited for March before putting this out because it's a more spring-themed painting to me). I was speaking to someone recently about being less conservative when it comes to lighting, and this encouraged me to try painting the sunlight coming in through the window. This, combined with a little playing around with the ambient lighting, gave me the exact kind of atmosphere I wanted to see, so I'd like to thank him for that little push I needed to take that risk.
This piece also had me getting my feet wet with drawing folds. Folds rank pretty high on the things I struggle to deal with, but I felt a little confident about trying to create elements with more complicated folds after I worked on the sheets in my last painting.
Futsuka-Koi (二日恋) is a play on the words Futsuka-Yoi (二日酔い), which means hangover, and Koi (恋), which means love. I guess you could call this a love hangover or something. 😏
Man. People be settling for Housamo crumbs of their favorite characters on Pixiv and Twitter, while I'm over here making myself a goddamn bakery with these two. Good god. The power of fangirling right here, ladies and gentlemen. I'm gonna need another bonking. 😂
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