Horatio's eyes snapped open and he silently groaned as he stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom. He knew the ceiling was textured but he couldn't make out the myriad of patterns in the darkness.

He turned his head to regard the clock on his nightstand not surprised to see that the red numbers read 5:30 in the morning. He wanted to curse his mind's need to be awake when his body demanded more rest.

His team had finished a very trying case the night before and he had given everyone a day off to recuperate, but his mind's endless chattering wouldn't allow him to sleep in like he and his lover had planned.

The redhead rolled out of his lover's loose embrace and padded into the bathroom. He winced when he turned on the light to study his haggard features in the mirror.

Bloodshot eyes stared back.

He shook his head and splashed water on his face. He pulled on the clothes he had worn the day before not bothering to tuck the dress shirt into his pants.

Horatio returned to the bedroom and noticed that his lover had rolled over onto his back pretending to be asleep.

The redhead sat on the edge of the bed and ran a finger along the sole of the other man's foot causing him to groan and jerk the foot back under the covers. "I hate you," the younger man griped.

"You hate mornings, Speed," Horatio murmured as he leaned forward to place a chaste kiss on the brunette's forehead.

"True," Speed agreed. He shifted to get a closer look at the redhead as the room had started to brighten with the coming of dawn. "We're off, so why are you up?"

"Old habits die hard."

Speed had been thinking of sharing a shower with the older man as he had listened to Horatio putter around in the bathroom, and this fantasy had caused his early morning arousal to become painfully hard. "Speaking of hard," he purred.

"A cold shower should solve that problem," Horatio countered. He stood up and left the room before Speed could retaliate.

"I really hate you," the brunette growled and threw a pillow at Horatio's retreating back.

Horatio made it halfway down the hallway before he gave into the urge to chuckle. He secretly loved to frustrate Speed because it made the younger man more creative in his revenge.

He went into the kitchen and fixed himself a cup of coffee. He took it with him as he strolled down to the beach to watch the sunrise.

He stood at the water's edge allowing the waves to caress his bare feet while he sipped at his coffee.

He looked up and watched the fingers of sunlight spread across the sky as the sun slipped above the horizon.

It was the birth of another day.

The redhead felt a pair of arms encircle his waist and pull him back against a warm body. He caught the scent of Speed's favorite shampoo as drops of water hit his shoulder and soaked into his shirt as the brunette nuzzled the crook of his neck.

Horatio sighed and tilted his head to give Speed better access to his neck. He felt shivers of desire race down his spine to his groin while Speed nipped, sucked and licked his way up Horatio's neck to the stubbled jaw and then to Horatio's mouth.

"Do you still hate me?" he softly inquired after breaking the kiss. He didn't bother to fight his body's reaction to his lover's ministrations as he turned in Speed's embrace.

"No," Speed whispered. He nipped at Horatio's bottom lip and relished the groan that he pulled from the older man. "But, right now I have other things to worry about."

"Yes, you do," Horatio agreed. He pulled Speed closer letting his coffee cup fall to the sand in the process. He leaned in and devoured the younger man's mouth.

The End