Waking up at sunrise was not how I saw myself waking up. Viktor was passed out beside me and I watched him. The sun lit up the room ever so slightly, his handsome features visible. I inched closer and lifted the blankets as I moved against him. Climbing on top of him, I set my hands on his chest, his t-shirt ridden up and his skin looked smooth, littered with a light trail of hair. I leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips, feeling the electricity between us. His arms wrapped around me and he pulled me closer, deepening the kiss. I pulled away and smiled stupidly. 

“Morning Kita.” He hummed, his voice deep and full of sleep. “What do I owe the pleasure of this close visit?” 

“Shush.” I muttered and moved one of my hands up the bare skin that was exposed. He grabbed my wrist and pulled my hand out of his shirt, and I hated that. I wanted to touch him, in the worst way. 

“Nikita, it’s like six in the morning. What the hell are you up to?” 

I let out a groan and pushed against him. “Why are you doing this? Why aren’t you letting me touch you?”

“Nikita, relax. It’s really early in the morning. You should go back to sleep.”

“I refuse. Touch me, damn you. You touched me before, and now that we are married, you won’t!” I yelled, my frustrations finally reaching a peak.

 Viktor slapped his hand over my mouth and whispered. “Unless you want to wake up your brother and his husband, lower your voice.” I glared at him, my heart pounding. He let go of my mouth and looked into my eyes, his expression serious. Finally, he sighed and pulled me closer to him. “I want to touch you, and I want what you’re trying to give me, but not at the cost of ruining a chance to build something better with you, Nikita.”

“Don’t be stupid. How would having sex ruin anything? We’ve had sex before.”

Viktor let out a sigh, and I could tell he had enough of this. Viktor let me go when I pushed away from him. 

“Nikita, this isn’t something to get—--”

“Enough Viktor, I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Go back to sleep.” I was annoyed with this behaviour from him, but I didn’t want to force him or push him to have sex with me. That wasn’t at all what I wanted from him. Part of me was pleased he was taking this marriage seriously and the other part of me was again annoyed with him. 

 I wanted him to understand my feelings and listen to me, but he didn’t. I sighed and got up to leave, feeling frustrated and disappointed in myself. I needed to put some space between us. Leaving the bedroom, I was grateful to see Lev was already up, and sitting at the table drinking a cup of coffee. 

“Coffee is in the pot. Alessio is still sleeping, so please keep it down.” Lev said and sipped his coffee. 

I nodded, and went to grab a cup off the shelf, filling it with hot steaming coffee. Getting cream out of the fridge, I poured the perfect amount in my cup, and dropped two sugar cubes in too, before stirring it. Sitting back down at the table, I brought it up to my lips and took a gentle sip of the still far too hot liquid, burning my tongue. 

“How did you sleep?” 

“I slept alright. I could have gone for more sleep.”

“You didn’t have to get up. You were more than welcome to stay in bed longer.” Lev said, and looked at the spare room door, before smiling. “Unless there’s a reason you’re not in there now.”

Exhaling, I set my cup down and pulled my hand through my messy hair. “There is a reason, but it’s not really one I want to get into with you. Just know I’m frustrated, and I hate this.”

“This is about Viktor or?”

“Yes. It’s about Viktor. I want something, and he won’t let me have it, and I can’t force him to. That would be so fucking wrong, and illegal. I would rather off myself before I would ever force him into that. I just want him to touch me, like he did before.” I huffed and realised that I said a little more than I felt like I should have. 

Lev nodded his head. “Welp, I’m not sure how much help I can be, Nikita. You two clearly have a past that I know nothing about, but there has to be a good reason he doesn’t want to be intimate with you just yet.”

“He said he wanted a chance to build something before he ruined it by us having sex early, but I don’t understand. We had sex before, hell he couldn’t keep his fucking hands off me, and now, I touch his fucking exposed skin and he turns me down. I fucking try to make a move on him this morning, and he shut me down.”

Lev shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you. I don’t know your history, and I don’t feel comfortable suggesting anything to you. He is your husband, and you have to figure this out. The two of you. Without interference from anyone else.”

 He stood up and started to leave. He paused in the doorway and looked back. “But I know you deserve to be respected and to feel loved, and if you don’t feel you’re getting that, maybe it’s time to talk to him and be serious about what you need from him, Nikita.”

I figured he was going to check on Alessio or wake him up. Regardless, I finished my coffee, put the cup into the sink, and went back to the bedroom. Viktor was asleep when I crawled into the bed and hoped that I could sleep again as good as I had been before. Laying my head on the pillow and getting comfortable, I felt Viktor move, and he pulled me back against him, wrapping his arm around my waist.

I remained still, pretending to have gone back to sleep. This way, he would keep me this close to him, and I could enjoy the feeling of his touch. His fingers dipped under my shirt and rested on my hip. He drew circles on my skin, and finally, I passed back out. 

Waking up again, Viktor was pressed against my back, and his breath was fanning across the back of my neck. His arm was still wrapped around me, and he seemed to be sleeping again, too. I was happy that he could sleep without me, waking him up with my nightmares and terrors. I wanted to roll over and look at him, but I would wake him up and I knew it. I felt him wake up a few minutes later and remained still to see what he would do. He slowly pulled away and kissed me on the forehead before rising to his feet. He left the room without saying a word, and I was left alone with my thoughts. 

I waited a few minutes before heading out to the kitchen again. Viktor was sitting at the table with Alessio while Lev was cooking. I sat down on the couch. The smell of food soon after waking up again was revolting. Laying back on the couch, I curled into the back, using a pillow to block most of the smell. 

“Nikita, you don’t want breakfast?” I heard Viktor ask, and Lev chuckled. 

“Nikita will only eat toast and fruits if he’s going to eat after just waking up.” 

“He ate a whole breakfast with me a few times.” Viktor said, and Lev was quick with his comeback. “That’s because you probably didn’t ask him what he wanted, and you had a plate served to him. He won’t turn down food when it’s made for him, even if he doesn’t want it. Nikita won’t waste food.”

“I’ll remember that.” Viktor said, and our eyes met when I looked up, feeling his eyes on me. Getting off the couch, I stretched and went to the kitchen. Sitting down in a chair beside Alessio, across from Viktor. 

“Good morning. You seem to have slept pretty well.” Alessio said.

“You too. I heard he even let you sleep in. You have him wrapped right around your finger.” I said, teasing. 

“It would have been nicer had he stayed in bed beside me.” Alessio sighed loudly in Lev’s direction. 

“Enough. I’ll make it up to you,” Lev muttered, before setting a plate of food down in front of Alessio and then one in front of Viktor. 

“Do you want toast and fruit?” Lev asked me. 

“Sure, I can make my own—-”

“Sit, I have it.” Lev said, walking over to the counter and brought back a plate with toast and fruit. I looked at him and he set it down and handed me a fork. 

“It’s almost like you planned to wake me up for breakfast.” 

“I was going too. But then you got up on your own, so I didn’t have to make your husband fetch you.” Lev said as he went to get his plate. Sitting down, he started to eat and everyone seemed to follow suit. Chewing on my piece of watermelon, I watched Viktor eat, and moved my leg under the table, and set my foot on the chair between his legs. He looked up at me and cleared his throat softly. Moving my foot forward, I pressed my toes into his cock, and he slowly chewed his breakfast. 

“Nikita,” he hissed, and Alessio looked at me and smiled, stuffing another piece of fruit into my mouth. I pressed my foot against his cock a touch harder and moved my foot against him. Viktor nearly choked on his coffee when he took a sip, and Lev narrowed his eyes at me. Looking back at Viktor, he was hard underneath my foot, and I love it. There was nothing he could do right now other than expose me, and I doubted he would want to do that. 

Chewing down my toast, Viktor slipped his hand under the table and grabbed my foot, and glared at me. Testing my luck further, I tried to roll my foot against his cock, and he held me still. I smiled to myself, satisfied that I had the upper hand. I drifted my foot away, knowing I had won. Viktor tried to act nonchalant, but I knew he was screwed if he stood up. He would be exposed. 

Finishing my breakfast, I stood up and offered to help with dishes. Alessio took me up on the offer and called me out for my cruel behavior at the table when Lev took Viktor to get a set of clothing for the day.