The dream, something about rushing water and the horrible feeling of breathlessness, is already receding when Buck jerks awake. The loft is still dark around him so he rolls over, already reaching for the one person who can chase the bad dreams away. But instead of Taylor's warm, soft body that he can pull closer and cuddle into, he finds empty sheets, not yet cold, but cool enough to tell him she's been gone for some time. He groans into his pillow, fingers scrabbling against the sheets as if the action alone can make her materialise back beside him.

But she doesn't appear and he rolls, disappointed, onto his back so he can stare up at the dark ceiling. It's not like her to sneak out in the middle of the night anymore, in fact he's started to think lately that she enjoys waking up beside him, plucking his shirt off the bedroom floor, and slipping in on to walk downstairs. At any rate he knows that she knows that he enjoys the sight of her in his clothes, wonders if she does it just so he'll follow her and tug her close so he can feel every single inch of her pressed up against him. He'd say things have been borderline domestic between them lately so he has no idea where she might have gotten to.

He's lying there quietly enough now, one hand tucked beneath his head, that he finally hears it: a quiet tap, tap tapping coming from downstairs. He squints in confusion, turning his head towards the sound, and for the first time since waking up he notices the faintest blue glow coming from downstairs. Groaning a little, he pushes himself off the bed and to his feet, leaning over the railing so he can find the source

What he finds brings a tired but delighted smile to his face.

It seems Taylor hasn't waited for the morning to steal his shirt because she currently sits down at the table, the neckline of one of his LAFD shirts slipping off her shoulder to reveal the lace of her bra strap. Her bare legs are tucked up beneath her, one bent so she can rest her chin on her knee and she considers the open laptop in front of her. The long, red hair that he loves so much is bundled up in a pile on her head and the glasses that she only lets him see her wear are perched on the end of her nose. But his favourite, absolute favourite, part is the expression on her face, furrowed brow, nose delicately wrinkled, and perfect, pink lips quietly forming the words that her fingers type.

He loves her like this. He loves the way her beautiful blue eyes light up when she gets an idea. He loves the way they narrow and pierce him to the spot when she's onto something. He loves the way she gets something in the head and the way it refuses to leave until she sees it through. But most of all he loves the way she loves her job.

He wanders over to the staircase and meanders down them, coming up behind Taylor so he can wrap his arms around her and press a tender kiss to her neck. She makes a vague noise of surprise, as if she hadn't heard his approach.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you up? It used to drive my ex crazy."

"Nope, just woke up and you were gone. What are you doing?"

"Just some research into that GoGo Anywhere app."

"Find anything interesting?"

"Hmmm," she hums mysteriously, making him grin and kiss her again. "Tay," he ventures, and smiles when she doesn't protest the nickname, knowing he's the only person who could come close to getting away with it. "Come back to bed?"

She hums but her fingers twitch as though longing to keep writing. He kisses her one last time and leaves her to it, wandering back towards the staircase.

"You're going back to bed?" she asks curiously, watching him over her shoulder as he puts his foot on the bottom-most stair. "I won't keep you up?"

"Nah. Keep doing your thing, Taylor."

She blinks at him, her eyes wide behind her glasses and she slowly looks between her laptop and him again. Then she reaches out a hand and closes the lid, plunging them both into darkness. He hears more than sees her untangle herself from the chair, then the soft padding of her feet as she comes closer.

"Seriously, you can keep working, I don't mind."

"I know," she says simply, wrapping her arms around his waist and nestling her head against his chest. "But it will be there in the morning."

Buck can't help but smile as he wraps his arms around her in return and presses a kiss to her sweet-smelling hair. "Okay," he agrees quietly, and leads her upstairs. "Let's go to bed."

I actually finished this a while ago (and for me, a while is like a week since I tend to post as soon as I finish writing something) but life's been busy so I didn't have time to post it until now. I hope you enjoyed it anyway and make sure to leave me a comment with your thoughts :D