Title: "A Night of Quiet Joy"

The bedroom was bathed in the soft glow of a bedside lamp, its golden light pooling over crisp white sheets. Mark Levengood lay on his side, propped up by one elbow, his kind eyes studying the face of his partner.

Jonas Gardell chuckled softly, his voice sleepy but playful. "What are you staring at, Mark? Haven't you memorized me by now?"

Mark smiled, his fingers brushing against Jonas's cheek. "I’ve memorized you a thousand times, but somehow, there’s always something new to notice. Like the way your eyelashes catch the light or how your smile lingers even when you think you're hiding it."

Jonas raised an eyebrow, his lips twitching into a smirk. "Careful, or you'll make me blush."

Mark leaned in, the warmth of his breath brushing Jonas's forehead as he pressed a tender kiss there. "Let me. You’re even more beautiful when you blush."

Jonas reached up, his fingers tangling in Mark’s as their hands rested between them. "You always know the right thing to say. How do you do that?"

Mark shrugged, a gentle laugh escaping his lips. "Maybe it’s because I mean it. Every word."

For a moment, they lay in comfortable silence, the rhythm of their breathing syncing like a quiet symphony. Outside, the faint hum of the city filtered through the open window, but in their little cocoon, the world felt distant, almost irrelevant.

Mark shifted closer, wrapping an arm around Jonas, pulling him into the curve of his body. "Do you ever think about how lucky we are? To have this—to have each other?"

Jonas nestled against him, his voice soft and full of affection. "Every day, Mark. And every night."

Mark pressed another kiss to Jonas’s temple, his voice a whisper in the quiet room. "Then let’s keep being lucky, for as long as we can."

Jonas sighed contentedly, their hands still entwined, as they drifted into the peaceful stillness of the night, their love a steady flame that warmed the darkest corners of the world.