Mine was adjusting himself to the new routines. After all, it hadn’t been long since the new guests moved in.

It wasn't bad. In fact, it was like a side life he never thought he'd live. His small house was comfortable, but now it was as lively as ever due to the new guests.

Well, his bigger guest had strange nightmares every once in a while – waking up panicked or aggressive towards the shadows – but he wasn’t a nuisance. Addai insisted on making breakfast daily and cleaning the house when Mine wanted to be lazy on the couch.

The other guest, Umbra, was as adorable as ever despite her spicy times. On their first night sleeping at Mine’s, the cat found herself a pillow from Mine’s couch and decided it was now hers. When her poor owner tried to tell her that he bought a new one, she attempted murder against him. If it wasn’t for Mine’s courageous impulse to go between the attacking cat and the startled owner, the cat would scratch Addai all over.

The days were painted with new colors, sounds, and temperatures. Mine particularly found it quite pleasant.

Still, his house was small compared to Addai’s big-assed mansion. To make things worse, there was no guest room. So, where was the second guest sleeping?

Yes, in the living room.

Mine insisted on letting Addai sleep in his bedroom with a mattress on the floor. However, Addai insisted that he didn’t want to disturb him further and sank his stubborn feet into the living room. In the end, Mine accepted and sighed.

However, there were days that he mysteriously woke up with Addai curled beside him on the bed, or on the other way: he was lying on the tight space on the couch in the living room with Addai. Every time it happened, both pretended nothing happened and apologized for such behavior.

But today it was different.

Addai had woken up at dawn after a frightening nightmare, and Mine brought him close until he fell asleep in his arms. Mine wasn’t embarrassed (not yet) and when he woke up, his eyes laid on the man sleeping close to him.

What were you dreaming about tonight? Mine thought, looking at Addai with lazy and sleepy eyes.

He traced Addai’s cheeks until reaching his ears. He pinched the earlobe and kept feeling his skin until reaching for Addai’s fluffy hair. Curiously, Addai hadn’t cut his hair since the Masquerade Ball and let it grow.

Secretly, Mine liked it a lot.

The once-shaved sides were fuzzy and soft. His bangs, once sharp and even unevenly cut, were now giving him a lost charm that Mine didn’t think it was possible to see in that frowning face of his.

Mine leaned in and sniffed Addai’s hair, feeling the faint scent of Ylang Ylang of his perfume. He smiled and nuzzled against his friend’s hair, not noticing the Chronos cloak covering his shoulders and his hair turning light pink that easily.

Since the damn Masquerade Ball his body had been acting weird, but he didn’t want to give it much attention. Also, his uncle wasn’t giving any alarms and was kind of acting off - but nothing too out of his character.

Well, there was nothing to worry about. It had turned back to normal, after all.

Addai moved a little and groaned, as if waking up. Mine patted his cheeks until he opened his heterochromatic eyes.

“Morning, sleeping beauty,” Mine teased, with a sleepy voice.

Addai wrinkled his nose and buried his face in the pillow. “…Morning…”

“Wake up, we need to go to work, remember?” Mine yawned, covering his mouth.

Addai let out a long sigh and grumbled. “I don’t want to.”

Mine poked Addai’s ribs, making his friend turn into a caterpillar, moving away from the tickles. “We need to, where will we get money?”

“I’m rich,” Addai grumbled.

“If you were rich, you didn’t need to work at all. But here you are! You’re a teacher!” Mine pinched Addai’s ear, scolding him as he did so. "C'mon, get up!" he argued.

Addai glanced at him, pupils thin and sharp—but he just huffed and buried his face in the pillow again. He was determined to avoid work with all his might and soul.

Mine, however, was determined to drag his friend the hell out of his bedroom and wash his face. Without hesitation, he yanked Addai’s hair while arguing. Addai whined and tackled. He grabbed Mine by the torso and rolled across the bed with him.

Mine argued, dizzy and confused, but all Addai did was laugh and keep rolling on the bed.

Somewhere in the background, both of their phones buzzed softly. A new notification lit up the screen followed by many others: 

[ᴀʟᴀʀᴍ: 5ʜ40 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ ɪꜱ ᴏᴠᴇʀ - ᴛɪᴍᴇ ɢᴏ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ (╥_╥)

[ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ'ꜱ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛꜱ - ᴀɢᴇɴᴅᴀ] ᴍᴇᴇᴛɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ꜱᴏʟᴇɪʟ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴀʟᴋ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴍʀ. ꜱʜɪʀᴇ'ꜱ ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ.

[ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ'ꜱ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛꜱ - ɢʀᴏᴄᴇʀʏ ʟɪꜱᴛ] ᴍɪʟᴋ; ʀɪᴄᴇ; ᴍᴇᴀᴛ; ᴠᴇɢᴇᴛᴀʙʟᴇꜱ; ᴍɪɴᴇ'ꜱ ꜱᴏʏ ᴍɪʟᴋ; ᴜᴍʙʀᴀ'ꜱ ꜰᴏᴏᴅ.

[ᴀᴅᴅᴀɪ'ꜱ ᴘʜᴏɴᴇ - ʀᴇᴍɪɴᴅᴇʀ] ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ꜰᴏʀɢᴇᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ꜱᴏᴍᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʟᴏᴛʜᴇꜱ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴍʏ ʜᴏᴜꜱᴇ.

𓆰𓆪 𓂃𓈒𓏸