There was this feeling of emptiness that woke Ryou up from his sleep. The lights were out and the room was quiet, the bed was warm and yet empty.
Ryou reached across to the other pillow to find that Mariku wasn't there.

He sat up, yawning, rubbing his tired eyes. He crossed his arms over his chest to warm himself, although his pajama shirt was long sleeved. Kicking his feet into his slippers, Ryou arose from the bedside in search of his boyfriend.

When the door creaked as he opened it, he heard a groan from another room. It was good to know that Mariku hadn't wandered too far, then.

"Stud...?" Ryou's voice was croaky.

Mariku was sitting on a stool with one foot resting on the bar and the other touching the ground. He held his paintbrush guiltily, seeming to have just resurfaced from "the zone". "I didn't think I was loud."

"You weren't. I just woke up for a snuggle and you weren't there."

Ryou took a long look at the canvas Mariku had been painting on. The scene was of a forest with a dotted night sky. The colors blending naturally, the figures proportioned almost perfectly, and Mariku sitting in front of it, with guilt in his eyes.

"Mariku..." Ryou moved over to him and hugged him from behind, resting his head in the crook of his neck. "Come back to sleep."

"I'm almost finished, I promise."

He glanced over at the window. "It's still dark outside."

"I know."

He poked at Mariku's face. "You have bags under your eyes."

"The paint's still wet. I just need to make a few more trees."

"But why do you feel the need to paint so early in the morning?" Ryou kissed the side of his face. "Go back to sleep."

Mariku stuck out his lower lip. "Just a little longer?"

Ryou gave out a heavy sigh and left him all alone to his painting. Mariku held his head. He hadn't wanted to wake Ryou up, but inspiration hit him so suddenly and that happened to be while he slept.

What surprised him was that Ryou came back in, this time he held a cup of water and a blanket. He set the water at the table beside the easel where Mariku worked, and put the dirty brushes in. "You don't want your brushes to get guck in them." Then he pulled up a chair and sat beside him, wrapping himself in the blanket and laying on Mariku's shoulder. The position was comfortable enough, so he shut his eyes and said, "Good night."

"When I'm done, I'll take you back to bed. Okay?" He was grateful that Ryou had decided to stay by his side. Of course, when he turned to face him, Ryou had already passed out.

If you're a Hamilton fan I want you to comment the song that inspired me