I was actually trying to come up with a new drabble when this idea popped into my head, and because it was far too long for a drabble I decided to turn it into a vignette instead. Might be just a one-off, but I will try and write more of these (unconnected) stories if there is enough demand!
Sunrise
Harry stood in front of the window, gazing out at the London skyline and watched the sun rise, slowly but surely. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and it looked like it would be a wonderful day. Being up at this hour wasn't unfamiliar to him, whereas seeing the sunrise was. He usually got up before 6 and would be on the Grid by 7, and he nearly always went home late at night, which meant he always missed both sunrise and sunset.
One would think that, now that he'd retired, he would seize the opportunity to sleep a proper amount of hours and wake up at a much more humanly time of the morning. But he couldn't, for several reasons. One was that he'd gotten so used to his early starts over the years, first at boarding school, then the army, and eventually MI5, and it was difficult to break a habit after such a long time. It was a part of what defined him; an early riser. Another reason was that he actually liked early starts, because it enabled him to get a lot of things done during the day. He supposed he inherited that trait from his mother, who was always up at the break of dawn, pottering around the house, doing a million tasks simultaneously.
But he knew none of this was the actual reason for his newfound insomnia. The real reason for it was bundled up in his arms, resting against his right shoulder. Harry looked down lovingly at his newborn daughter who yawned, and then nuzzled her little face even further into the crook of his neck. He turned slightly to shoot a quick look at the bed, and was glad to find Ruth still sound asleep.
He smiled, and turned back to face the window again. The past couple of weeks had been a bit of a rollercoaster ride, and both had survived on practically no sleep. But what they'd gotten in return was worth every sleepless minute of the day.
And the sunrises? They were just the icing on the cake.
Thanks for reading :) Please review and let me know if you want to read more. xx