A/N: All I'm capable of writing is Thomas and Juliet cuddling apparently. Oops. At least they are already together in this story. Just a little treat to remind everyone of the SEASON 3 premiere tomorrow night! Enjoy the tooth rotting fluff!
Thomas kicked off his shoes and put his sunglasses and wallet down on the counter as he walked into the guesthouse. He had just had one of the best days that he could remember with Rick and TC. They had spent most of the day on Waikiki Beach surfing, followed up by a relaxing night at La Mariana filled with reminiscing about some of their best memories from the military over beers and snacks.
He looked at the clock and saw that it was a quarter after nine. While the day had been quite fun and enjoyable, Thomas would be lying if he said he wasn't tired. He had told Higgins a couple of days before that he was going to be spending Saturday surfing and hanging out with the boys, and she had been all too happy for an excuse to do some shopping and have a girl's day with Kumu, Tani, Quinn, and Noelani.
Their caseload had been heavy lately, but not with dangerous cases like they had solved in the past. Mostly boring ones like doing background checks on people and even a case that involved finding a lost iguana. Their professional life was going along quite smoothly.
Personally, things had been a bit different lately. They had finally discussed their feelings and decided to give dating a try about a month ago, and so far things were going really well. They still had the same banter and back-and-forth dialogue that they had always had; but now there was kissing, romantic dates, and an openness with each other that hadn't existed before. Thomas also loved how their relationship had brought out a new side of Juliet that he hadn't seen before: she was happier, more bubbly, and had a bit more pep in her step everyday.
They still gave each other their space, but she had started to seek him out more often to spend time with him lately. That was a very nice change because before they had started dating, Thomas felt as though he was the one who was always trying to find and spend time with her.
He headed over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water to sip on before heading upstairs to shower and change into some comfy clothes.
Just as he was about to settle into bed and call Juliet to say goodnight, he heard a knock at the front door.
He went downstairs with a smile blooming across his face. There would only be one person that would be knocking on his door at ten o'clock.
When he opened the door, his prediction was confirmed. There was Juliet, in a soft long sleeve shirt and some yoga pants, smiling happily at him.
"Hi," he said playfully.
Juliet's smile grew even brighter, "Good evening, Thomas."
They stood just looking at each other for a few seconds before Juliet teased him, "May I come in? Or are you not in the mood for company tonight?"
Thomas wasted no more time before pulling her across the threshold and into his arms. He hugged her tightly against him, "I'm always in the mood to see my favorite girl," he smiled.
They broke their embrace but Magnum still held Juliet's hand as they walked upstairs to his room.
"I was just about to go to bed, but if you don't want to sleep we could watch a movie or something," Thomas suggested.
Juliet yawned and stretched her arms above her head, "No, no, bed is fine. I am rather tired myself."
"Are you going to sleepover?" Thomas asked hopefully.
"I will if you'd like me to, Thomas. I don't want to impose if you were wanting a night alone."
Thomas pulled her in close again and chuckled, "I love it when you spend the night here. It's when I get my best sleep actually."
Juliet smiled her appreciation into his shoulder before pulling back to look at him and resting her forehead against his.
"I had a wonderful time with the girls today, but I would be lying if I said I didn't miss you," she whispered softly.
Thomas nuzzled her nose with his own, "I missed you too today. But I did finally surf a few waves without touching the board with my hands at all! I'm gonna be a professional soon!"
Juliet laughed as she began pulling back the covers and sheets, "Well if that's the case then I guess Rick's surfing lessons have been paying off!"
"That's part of it, but I'm also just a natural," he boasted as he got into bed, "Just think how lucky you are Higgy; you are dating a man who's extremely handsome, amazing at his job, has amazing driving skills, and is now becoming a pro surfer!"
"Careful, Magnum. I haven't even gotten into bed yet and you're pushing your luck with all of the machismo," she added, rolling her eyes.
"Oh come on, Higgy! I'm just having a little fun! Besides, snuggling is probably my best skill set by far; or it's at least a close second to something else," he teased suggestively.
Higgins put her hands on her hips and looked at him firmly, "I came here to sleep, Thomas. If you have other ideas for tonight I will gladly head back to the main house and sleep there."
Thomas wrinkled his brow and sat up to take her hand, "I'm done kidding around, Juliet. I would like nothing more than to spend the night holding you in my arms. Please, come lay with me. I really did miss you today."
Juliet sighed and slid into bed next to him, allowing Thomas to pull her to him so that her head was resting on his chest and her arm was across his torso. He pulled her even closer to him using the arm that was wrapped around her shoulders, and threaded the fingers of his other hand through her fingers that had been drawing patterns on his stomach.
"This is my happy place," he whispered, "There's absolutely nowhere I'd rather be right now, and no one I'd rather be with."
Juliet burrowed her head into his chest some more, "Yes, this is rather cozy. I am pleased that I look forward to cuddling now."
Thomas used the hand that had been resting on her shoulder to toy with her curls, "I still can't believe that before we started dating you didn't like being cuddled."
Juliet sort of shrugged in his arms, "I used to believe that I didn't need it, that it would make me appear weak if the man I was with thought that I wanted to be held too often."
"What changed your mind since you've been with me?" He inquired curiously, "Personally, I had never heard of anyone not enjoying cuddling before you told me that you hadn't enjoyed it in the past."
"I'm not quite sure what changed my mind, Thomas," she replied quietly, "Maybe the fact that you were so open about how much you love it? But I also enjoy how safe and appreciated I feel when I cuddle with you. Those feelings were never 100% there in any of my other relationships, at least not to the point of wanting to spend the night in their arms."
Thomas placed a kiss in her hair and then one on her forehead, "You will always feel safe and loved with me, Higgy. That's a promise that I take very seriously. You are the most important person to me, period. I never want you to be worried or afraid about what I will think about something that you want or need. I want to explore our growing love at a pace that you set. Your comfort is my number one priority."
Juliet dropped a few kisses of affirmation on one of his pecs before shifting her position so that her back was facing him. Thomas quickly got the message and turned on his side as well so that he could spoon her, "Are you getting sleepy, Higgy?"
She let out another big yawn, "Yes. I was sleepy when I came over but I'm even more so now that we've been lying down."
Thomas laughed a little, "I knew it! You always like to lie this way right before you fall asleep."
Juliet smiled, "This is my favorite way to fall asleep. I think it's the feeling of your chest pressed up against my back and your arm holding me to you. It's just, well, the best."
Thomas buried his nose into her neck and deposited a kiss there before using his arm to pull her even more flush against him, "Trust me; I love it too. Where did you and the girls eat lunch today?"
"A fun little taco place downtown; the name is escaping me now. It was very tasty though. I will bring you there sometime. They have those steak tacos that you love."
"Sounds yummy," Thomas sighed, yawning himself, "I know what I will dream of tonight: my gorgeous girlfriend and delicious tacos."
"That sounds like a pleasant dream to me," Juliet murmured sleepily, "I'm having trouble keeping my eyes open, Thomas. Sweet dreams."
"When my good dreams involve you, they really are the sweetest," Thomas replied, "Goodnight, Juliet. Thank you so much for coming over. What a perfect end to an awesome day."
He saw that her breathing had slowed and her eyes were completely closed. There was truly no sight more beautiful to him than Juliet Higgins asleep and at peace in his arms. Taking in that calming image, he closed his own eyes and let her intoxicating scent and rhythmic breathing lull him into a deep sleep.
I know I said I was taking a break from multichapter fics for a while, but I kind of have another AU in the works. I'm going to try to make it less fluffy... for the beginning of it anyway. Stay tuned.