Authors Note: I told myself I was going to post one of these one shots a week, but life got in the way and that didn't happen, so I decided to post two tonight. Here is the first one.
After switching off the small delicate lamp that calls my nightstand home I settle my head against the pillows, sighing as their supportive softness surrounds me, feeling like I have a pile of clouds cradling my head as I make myself comfortable. The covers are pulled up to my chin, protecting me from the chill in the air that's clinging to the last remnants of a winter that's on its way out, refusing to be blown away without a fight. As soon as I find myself laying comfortably on my side an arm slips around my waist, causing me to shift into alignment with the body pressed against the length of my spine. Warner's arm tightens around me, pulling us closer together until I can feel the steady rise and fall of his breathing against my back, his head falling against my shoulder. I twist round just enough to press a lazy kiss to his lips and mumble goodnight, then close my eyes and focus on the rhythmic lull of our breathing as it slowly syncs. After a few seconds I feel Warner's cheek twitch against my shoulder, I shift, turning my head to see what he's smiling about, which only makes him laugh silently, his mouth hovering over the strap of the thin tank top I'm wearing.
"What?" I whisper.
"It just feels strange that its barely passed eleven and I'm falling asleep." He explains quietly, there's an amused quality to his voice that makes it sound almost as if he's musing aloud to himself rather than talking to me. "I wouldn't have even considered it until at least gone two before."
"And do you feel better now that you're getting more sleep?" I ask him. In the month since we started the war I've been making sure that he's getting more sleep each night. Now that we both handle the work he has less reason to stay up until the early hours of the morning tackling it, and now that he has me to share his bed with and confess his feelings to, his thoughts shouldn't be keeping him up at night, and so far they haven't.
"Yes," He whispers after a long pause, taking a deep breath. "Well, it's more because of an accumulation of different things but that is definitely a contributing factor." He squeezes me tighter against him as his words stop and become replaced with a contented sigh. I relax even more, enjoying the warmth from his arm around my waist and the way his breath tickles my ear. Before I even realise that I'm smiling my cheeks are beginning to hurt and my chest felt like bright, delicate flowers were about to burst through my skin and bloom there, their growth fuelled by the gentle swelling of my heart. Hearing him happy makes me absolutely euphoric.
"Good. I'm happy for you," I say softly, wondering if he can tell that my words met the air through a beaming smile. Another sigh, almost quick enough to be a laugh falls against my skin.
"I know, I can feel it," He whispers with a quiet tenderness that mirrors my own. Suddenly, the thought of having my back to Warner becomes unbearable and I roll myself over, slowly taking in every feature of his face as our bodies press together chest to chest. Our legs tangle together and his arm closes around my back, drawing me towards him so our faces are only an inch apart. His smile is warm, wide, and causing a dimple to form on one cheek. His face is tilted forward slightly like he's trying so subtly to bright the gap between us even more, and I'm biting my lip to try and control the urge to brush it against his mouth, which I would have listened to if I wasn't so captivated by the look in his eyes. Even just a spark of happiness shining through his green irises is enough to grab my attention and hold it there, and now they don't spark, his eyes contain so much happiness its spilling from them, even in the dark. His gaze bores into mine, drinking in the details of my face like that first glass of cold water on a hot day, committing each part to memory. He doesn't move, doesn't blink, only looks at me with a soft adoration that never fails to strike my core and slowly melt it so I can't move as my insides turn to warm liquid, my breath slowly catching.
Warner's eyes flick down, lingering on my lips for the quickest second before he leans in closer and kisses me so gently. The anticipation that had built up explodes in my chest, causing me to cling to each second his lips are on mine and flood with ache once they're gone.
"Thank you," He whispers, tilting me forwards and kissing my forehead. "You've helped my mind rest."
"I told you things would get better," I murmur against his chest.
"And I believed you," He replies, shifting onto his back so I can rest my head on his chest. My arm falls across his stomach, tucking against his side as I make myself comfortable. A heavy exhale escapes his mouth, his chest sinking slowly under my head.
"It's only really just begun to sink in, that this is my life now," He begins, his voice hitting a rare tone of vulnerability, raw and tentative, that only comes out during intimate discussions of feeling. I close my eyes and listen, feeling his heart beat in his chest as he talks, ready to respond with support in the hope he'll grow more comfortable discussing his emotions. "Something that previously, even the concept seemed impossible for me. I know now that I am not dreaming, but it still feels incredibly surreal." His breath cuts short before he exhales quietly, relaxing muscles I didn't even notice were tensed.
"I know how you feel," I empathize, remembering the days when touching another human being seemed a distant fantasy and not being confined between four walls felt like a useless dream. "And none of this is going anywhere. Not me, not any of it. You're right, this is your life and you have people who care about you and you're taking better care of yourself and I think that's amazing. You deserve it and so much more." I'm now looking at him, watching the way his eyes soften at my words and stare up at me so wide, in almost disbelief, like his ears could be deceiving him. I touch his face to assure him that they aren't.
"I love you," I whisper.
"I will never tire of hearing that," he says, so softly. Warner brings his hand up from where it rested on my arm and begins gently stroking my hair, cradling my head in the crook of his arm. He kisses my forehead.
"I love you," he murmurs tenderly, more kisses meet my forehead, my temple. "With everything I have."
"I wouldn't have half of the things I do now if not for you," he begins, taking his voice down to such a level that I feel his words swirling through my chest, they flow through my blood and tear through my muscles, rip through my chest and into my heart. "You've been the only person there for me, and for that I'm incredibly grateful."
"And I will continue to be here whenever you need me, for as long as I can," I assure him, placing my hand firmly on his chest. If he pours his heart out to me I will listen, I will do whatever I can to make sure he is happy and I will always be there for him.
"I know," he says. "And I will do the same. I can only hope to bring you as much comfort and contentment as you have given me." Amidst the joy that bounces through my body like my heart has burst and infected the rest of my organs with its warmth, a pang of sadness reverberates through me. This is all so foreign, so surreal to him that he's doubting his own capabilities and compassion, he seems genuinely oblivious to the fact that everything he's stated that he wishes for himself, he has already achieved.
"Aaron, you do that already," I tell him, touching his cheek. He knows I'm telling the truth.
"I'm profoundly lucky to have you," He says, shifting as if he could possibly gather me in his arms any tighter. He kisses my forehead again, and then my temple, my cheek, my lips. "And I know things will keep getting better."
"I'm so happy you believe that," I sigh, elated. I don't think I can find the right words to tell him how proud of him I am. Instead I kiss his neck lightly, hoping that he can sense in me everything I cannot say. The wide smile on his face that I can see through the dark tells me all I needed to know.
"As do I, optimism isn't something I'm used to," He says, a much lighter tone to his voice, one I hope to hear more often. Warner rolls on his side so we're back facing each other, his smile is lazy, his cheeks dimpling. I flash him a wide grin before leaning closer, so my lips feel like ghosts on his skin.
"Well get used to it," I whisper, planting a firm kiss on his lips before rolling myself over so my back is once again pressed into his chest. "Goodnight Aaron." We fall back into place like puzzle pieces fitting together, perfectly aligned, perfectly content.
"Goodnight, love," He whispers. The last thing I feel is his lips fluttering against my shoulder before the world dissolves into peaceful sleep.