Sterling blinked his eyes open, slowly waking to the soft glow of morning light filtering through the cabin's curtains. He reached out, instinctively searching for the warm presence of his partner, but found only cool sheets beside him. With a slight frown, he sat up, his keen senses already picking up the subtle sounds of movement in the kitchen.
He slipped out of bed, running a hand through his tousled silver hair, and made his way toward the source of the noise. As he approached, he found Greyson already up, standing by the counter with a furrowed brow and a slight scowl on his face. The Grim Reaper’s usual calm demeanor was replaced by a grumpiness that was rare but not entirely unfamiliar.
Sterling leaned against the doorframe, a small smile playing on his lips as he took in the sight of Greyson, who was intently staring down at a jar of sugar. "Good morning," Sterling greeted, his voice still husky from sleep. "Do I have a boyfriend or a girlfriend today?"
Greyson glanced up, his dark eyes narrowing slightly as he met Sterling’s gaze. "An enemy, actually," he replied, his voice clipped and laced with irritation. He held up the nearly empty sugar jar as evidence. "Because someone used the last of my sugar in those damned biscuits."
Sterling's smile widened as he stifled a laugh. "Biscuits? You mean the cookies I made yesterday?"
"Call them whatever you want," Greyson grumbled, setting the jar down with a bit more force than necessary. "But they used up all my sugar."
Sterling pushed off the doorframe and approached Greyson, wrapping his arms around the taller man’s waist from behind. He rested his chin on Greyson’s shoulder, looking at the empty jar with exaggerated remorse. "I didn’t realize it was the last of it. You know I can just run to the store and get some more."
Greyson huffed but leaned into the embrace, his grumpiness starting to dissipate, though his tone remained stubborn. "That’s not the point. The point is I didn’t get to have my morning tea with sugar because of your sweet tooth."
Sterling chuckled, pressing a kiss to the side of Greyson’s neck. "I’ll make it up to you. How about I make us some tea and then we can go out and get more sugar together?"
Greyson sighed, his posture relaxing as he melted into Sterling’s embrace. "Fine. But you’re still on thin ice," he muttered, though the edge in his voice was gone.
Sterling turned Greyson around to face him, placing a gentle kiss on his lips. "Noted. I’ll be extra careful with your sugar supply from now on."
Greyson couldn’t help but smile at that, his grumpiness fully replaced with affection as he returned the kiss. "You’d better be," he said softly, the earlier irritation now just a memory as he allowed himself to enjoy the moment with Sterling.
