Its less than fluff, but I'm still sharing.

Annie and Auggie had a morning routine that worked well. Annie knew something was off when she got out of the shower and not only was there no coffee brewing, Auggie was still laying on top of the bed. He may have gotten up, but he hadn't gone far.

"Are you okay?" Annie asked while she looked through her closet.

"Yeah. Fine." Auggie answered without moving.

"I'm not buying it." Annie responded.

"Okay." Auggie responded as he pulled his hand away from his head and stood up. His tone told her that he didn't care if she believed him.

Annie watched him walk into the bathroom without saying anything else. She heard the shower running and went to the kitchen to start some coffee.

Auggie was in the shower far longer than normal, and Annie was even more certain something was wrong. When he finally emerged he looked fine, but she was still concerned.

"Are you sure you want to go in today?"

Auggie looked confused. "I'm in the middle of deciphering the information from the Brindisi files, and have to get things ready for your trip to Poland. I don't really have a choice about going in."

"You know you can take a sick day, if you need to."

Auggie sighed and reached for a long sleeved tee shirt and blue jeans. "I'm fine. Really. Just woke up with a headache and needed some time for the meds to kick in."

Annie looked at him closely, trying to determine if he was telling her everything. "Are you feeling better now?" She asked with concern.

"Yep." Auggie said, shortly.

"Good. I made coffee."

"Thanks," He replied. He gave her a kiss on the forehead before walking to the kitchen.

Annie kept an eye on Auggie for the rest of the day. He was busy, and looked stressed. But nothing made her think that he was any less than truthful about that morning. When things finally died down at the office, she drove him to Allen's.

"This is what I needed." Auggie said after a large swallow of beer.

"I assume your head is still feeling okay?"

Auggie smiled. "Yeah. Sorry about that."

"It's fine. I was just concerned."

"No need to be." He replied. "Some mornings are just harder than others."

"I've been sleeping at your place for almost the entire past month and haven't seen you like that in the morning. This was something more."

Auggie grinned. "What can I say? Mornings are easier with you around."

Annie looked at him a moment. "Are you sure?"

Auggie pinched his eyebrows in confusion.

"You aren't just trying to hide it?"

Auggie looked toward her. "No." He replied. "It is genuinely better when I wake up in the morning with you laying next to me."

Annie bit her lip and considered her next question. Auggie reached for her.

"Was that too much?" Auggie asked, worried that his statement had caused Annie to be silent out of discomfort.

"Not at all." Annie replied, snapping out of her thoughts. "I was just wondering... I don't want to push, but how often did you have mornings like that when you weren't waking up next to me?"

Auggie shrugged. "Once a week or so. I don't exactly keep track."

Annie took a moment to stare at her boyfriend, a privilege she appreciated and frequently abused. Auggie knew she was doing it.

"Don't let it go to your head." He said with a grin. "It's mostly related to my sleep cycles, so anytime I'm sharing a bed with somebody who's brain distinguishes night from day, I'm more likely to wake up refreshed."

"Oh, well, that explains a lot." Annie said with a teasing note.

"Don't know what I'll do while you are in Poland."

"Suffer."Annie responded quickly. "You either suffer from the solitude while I'm gone, or suffer me hurting you when I get back. And I promise I would find a way to make your life more unpleasant than a few hard mornings."

Auggie squeezed her hand. "I wouldn't dream of sharing my nights with anybody else." His tone was sincere. He was almost shy as he added "You know that right?"

Annie leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Totally," She replied. "Though perhaps we should work on getting to sleep a little earlier tonight?"

Auggie smiled. "I'm all for going to bed early. We don't necessarily have to go to sleep..."