How Long is Forever [COMPLETED]

Brief Respite

When you wake up to the chirping of birds outside, it almost feels like the last weeks have been nothing but a bad dream. The bed sheets are warm and soft, and you just enjoy it with closed eyes for some time longer. You don't want to open your eyes and face the reality of the Borderlands again so soon. With a smile on your face, you recall the happenings of last night. Spaghettis with tomato sauce have never tasted as good as yesterday, and when it got late, you snuggled up next to Chishiya, sleeping like a baby.

Outside of the caravan, the wind is blowing with more strength than the day before, and it seems that there might be a storm nearing. But when you eventually open your eyes and lift the blinds, the sun is still shining brightly through a couple of harmless clouds.

You must have slept quite long, and it doesn't surprise you that Chishiya is not next to you. Carefully opening the slide door, you can see him sitting at the table, a steaming cup in one hand and a book in the other. It's one of the books he has found the other night, while you both had been searching through all the closets to see what useful tools were still hidden inside the caravan.

The remains from your dinner still pile up in the sink, and you sigh internally because you doubt that Chishiya will bother to clean them.

"You made coffee?" you ask in between a yawn as you stretch yourself, and Chishiya looks up from his book.

"Tea."

A small pot is placed on the stove, and you open the lid to see if there is still water in it.

"Couldn't you have made enough for both of us?"

Chishiya huffs, returning his attention to the book in front of him. "I assumed you'd want coffee."

Chuntering slightly, you search the cupboards over your head for instant coffee. "Sure, but you could have left me some water."

"It would have been cold by now." He doesn't even look up again, and you mumble some more complaints, knowing just well that you won't be able to win this argument. Maybe you should just go back to bed and wait until Chishiya is nice and sweet to you again. But something tells you that you'd wait forever then.

The pot is quickly refilled with water and you struggle with the gas stove, but you refuse to ask Chishiya for help. It takes you a minute or two, but you manage to get it on eventually. Knowing that the water will take time to boil, you use the moment to refresh yourself in the bathroom. It's nice to have a toilet and a washing basin right here with no need to disappear behind a car or stroll to the river, and it could as well just be a normal camping vacation.

As soon as you're done with your morning routine, you grab everything you need for breakfast. It's not much since you don't have any fresh food, but the cereals you found don't taste too bad even without milk. A couple of minutes later, you sit down next to Chishiya with black coffee and a bowl of dry cereals.

You rest your head on his shoulder, watching him as he too examines you from the corner of his eyes. "I brushed my teeth. Can I have a morning kiss?"

The way his eyebrow raises makes you grin, and when he doesn't say or do anything, you just take that as a yes. Placing your hand on the soft cheek of his, you turn his head so he has to face you and plant a quick kiss onto his lips.

He turns back to his book with another huff, but you can see how his lips are curled up just so slightly while you savor the butterflies inside your stomach. A single strand of hair has fallen into his face, and as you tuck it behind Chishiya's ear, you notice that his hair is still slightly damp – and it smells just like the strawberry shampoo you brought.

Chishiya doesn't seem to notice the huge grin on your face as you cuddle against his side, finally focusing on your coffee and cereals while he turns over a page in his book once in a while. It's the Metamorphosis from Kafka, and you don't quite understand why Chishiya chose this one especially out of the handful of books inside the caravan.