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The bedroom was warm and quiet, the chilly winds of winter barely audible as the morning sun refused to make its appearance from behind the heavy clouds. Joel could tell it was early — he always had a way of knowing, no matter what —, and refused to move just yet, eyes still closed and breathing even.
He felt… relaxed, somehow.
Distantly, Joel wondered if he’d get the chance to grow used to the feeling.
Then he felt her shifting against him, sighing quietly as she pressed her face to his chest and neck, still very much asleep. He didn’t have to open his eyes to be able to tell that, neither — knowing things was just… his thing —, but he did anyways, to peer down at the mop of hair just below his chin; her back moving up and down in tandem with the soft puffs of hair on his chest. Joel smiled softly, just a small quirk of his lips, because he couldn’t really help it. His hand moved slowly, caressing her back in an affectionate way; but careful enough not to wake her.
It wasn’t rare for him to wake up first — and he appreciated it, the quiet moments of intimacy and softness, almost like he could forget about everything else and focus on how warm she was there, next to him; so much smaller. Joel would never admit it, but there was a hint of satisfaction and pride at the way he was bigger and stronger than her, the way he could hold her hand in his without much of an effort or how she’d barely reach his shoulders when they walked together.
She was tiny compared to him, yes, and he was aware of the fact; which didn’t mean she couldn’t handle herself, Joel had seen the things that woman was capable of with a rifle, but for now… he liked— wanted to feel like he was able to protect her.
He closed his eyes slowly, sighing softly as his hand slipped to the back of her head, fingers lightly scratching there; and she let out a quiet appreciative hum, nuzzling into him as her arm wrapped loosely over his torso. Even then, Joel thought to himself as he pressed his lips to the top of her head and inhaled deeply — because she always smelled so good , something that he had never been able to pinpoint, except [Name] —, and he couldn’t help but feel slightly guilty for enjoying himself so much at the way she responded to him while asleep.
A blue jay sang by the window, the sound of it somewhat muffled, but still enjoyable. He shifted closer to her, now lightly caressing the high of her cheek with the pad of his thumb. She didn’t budge, but her eyelids fluttered a little against the skin of his neck, even though her breathing didn’t change. Joel breathed slowly, too afraid of making noise in the quiet sobriety of early morning as his fingers brushed the messy hair out of her forehead and eyes; prompting the sleeping woman to let out a small complaint.
He smiled then, slightly humored.
His thumb ran over the line of her eyebrow, easing the line there as she turned her head a bit in order to soak under the source of his affection. Joel cracked his eyes open, the cool grayish sunlight filtering through the curtains not enough to blind him. Her fingers curled at the back of his sleeping shirt, bunching up the fabric, and he sighed in response, caressing down to her lips. She smiled lightly at it, half-awake by now, tightening her embrace on him.
Joel hums, moving to press a kiss at her forehead, as lovingly as he could manage to be, staying still for maybe a second or two as he took advantage of the closeness. They didn’t have to speak right now, he thought idly, his bigger hand caressing the back of her neck gently. He could read her like that.
His lips fluttered against her eyelids then, kissing there softly as she shifted under him, an appreciative hum from the back of her throat as her palm pressed to his cheek. Joel smiled lightly, bumping his nose at hers as he moved to kiss her cheek now; and she giggled, sleepily, at his antics.
“Good mornin’, honey,” Joel whispered, pecking her lips now. He carefully tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, watching as her face shifted, waiting patiently for her eyes to open. “One more day.”
“One more day,” she muttered back, smiling a little, “wish I could be mad at you for wakin’ me up.”
“Wish I could let you sleep,” he confided, gently running his fingers over her shoulder.
“Wish you’d sleep for longer,” she teased a little, nuzzling her face into his chest again and sighing. “It’s too cold.”
“And too early,” Joel agreed, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
They stayed like this for a few moments, basking in each other’s embrace as early morning threatened to turn into afternoon, the sunlight slowly changing from blue-ish white to pale golden. Joel massaged the spot between her shoulder blades, smirking as he peppered a couple kisses on her forehead.
“I’ll make breakfast,” he announced, gathering enough courage to leave the bed, “call you when it’s ready, yeah?”
“Yeah,” she whispered back, half-asleep again. “Love you, Joel.”
He smiled, sighing in satisfaction. “Yeah,” he breathed in a quiet voice, briefly closing his eyes again, because no matter how many times he heard the words, they still made his heart flutter pleasantly, “love you too, honey.”