More Than You Ever Imagined

By Alasse Fefalas

A soft beeping slowly crept into Flynn's consciousness. He blinked his eyes open. The room was still dark, a dying moonlight from the crack in the curtains barely lighting up the room. His ears focused on the sound. The beeping was coming from the far corner of the room. What was that? An alarm? Why did it sound muffled? Oh, it was Eve's 6am alarm from her phone, he realised. She had probably accidentally left it in her pocket the previous night.

Flynn turned his head slightly. The phone's owner was still sleeping, unaware of the alarm that was ringing. Eve's breathing was even, not even stirring a little at his small movement. Flynn smiled when he noticed. It had taken her a while to get used to sleeping next to him, waking up at every motion he made. It felt like an accomplishment for him now to move and not wake her.

He contemplated stirring her - she'd probably have had wanted him to - but they had returned from a long, tiring mission the night before and he could tell she was exhausted when she fell asleep, so he decided against it. She needed the rest and her alarm had stopped ringing anyway.

He watched her sleep on her side, one arm around his waist and the other tucked between them. It was rare for him to see her like this in the mornings - she usually woke earlier than he did - but the very few times he did, it sent a warm feeling through his entire being.

Eve had quickly learnt that his preferred sleeping position was almost spread-eagle on the bed, so she had opted to use his arm as a pillow instead of an actual one. Flynn could feel her leg wrapped over one of his own under the blanket they were both sharing. He still remembered her chuckle when she jokingly told him she did it so that he couldn't run away again - not that he would, anyway. For the first time in a long time, the feelings of happiness and contentment had settled in his bones. And it was all because of her.

Flynn wasn't one to believe in fate, but their meeting in Berlin was definitely more than chance. Even if they were fated to meet, it was a choice that they made to be together. They could have walked away at any time, reject their attraction and love for each other - he could never forget the time that they almost did - but they chose to stay. He knew how hard it was for her. After all, it wasn't like she hadn't had her fair share of suitors, ranging from villainous fictionals to old flames, and yet, she chose him.

Him, who got excited over things that might possibly want to kill them; Him, who talked so much, sometimes without a filter, and can change from one topic to another in an instant; Him, who had ran away after she had explicitly told him to stay.

He was grateful she had chosen to stay even when he left. He had been so lost, he didn't realise she was the beacon of light that had come to guide him back. When he had finally found his way, she had taken him in with open arms.

Before, if anyone, including Judson and Charlene, had told him that he would still be able to find love while in this job, he would've laughed in their faces. He had learnt, by his third year of being a Librarian, that the demands of his job took away any possibility of sharing his life with someone. And there was also the problem of the Library being a secret. It was difficult sharing only one small part of his life with them - and he learnt that the hard way.

And then he met Eve.

Ray had sent her a white envelope and had invited her in to be his Guardian. At first, Flynn felt insulted. He had survived ten years of being a Librarian without a Guardian - he definitely didn't think he needed one then. When he recruited the other Librarians, the Library had sent her another white envelope, this time inviting her to be their Guardian. He didn't understand then that when she became their Guardian, it didn't mean she stopped being his. It took him a long time to comprehend it, but it became clearer when he learnt that Guardians not only saved their Librarian from physical harm, but they also saved their souls.

And Eve, with her constant patience, her kind and encouraging words, her warm blue eyes and her soft smile certainly did. She had saved Flynn from himself.

That realisation sent a rush of emotion through him. He couldn't resist the urge to smile. Bending his head down slightly, he brushed his lips against her forehead. The light touch stirred her. Eve slowly opened her eyes and tilted her head upwards.

"Hi," she greeted blearily.

Flynn tucked her hair behind her ear. "Hi," he said softly. "Your alarm rang. But it stopped."

Her eyebrows knotted slightly. "I didn't hear it."

"I think it's in your jeans pocket."

"Oh."

"I didn't want to wake you. I know you're tired." Flynn could see the exhaustion still evident on her face. "Go back to sleep, Eve," he said gently. "You deserve a sleep in."

"Mmm... just today..." Eve snuggled closer to him, her arm around his waist tightening.

Flynn wrapped his arm around her head and stroked her hair tenderly. He pressed a kiss on her temple. "I love you, Eve," he whispered.

"Love you... too..." she mumbled.

Flynn continued stroking her hair, listening to her breathing slowly evening out. With a smile playing on his lips, Flynn closed his eyes as well. It had been a while since he had given himself the luxury of a sleep in and there was no one else he would have loved to share it with than his Guardian.

Fin.


A/N: A little bit of Flynn introspection to accompany me on sleepless nights. It's slightly OOC and I'm sorry for that. I'm kinda lacking of sleep and I just had to write. Tell me what you think about this though! Thanks for reading!