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The room is still dark when Mare opens her eyes, but a glance at her phone lets her know her alarm is going to go off in less than five minutes.
“Fuck,” She groans, dropping the phone and burying her face in the pillow, trying to gain every bit of sleep she can before they have to get up.
Although it’s true that the constant juggling of all the responsibilities in her life has eased considerably since Colin has been around to help her out, the last few weeks have taken a toll on them. Between Drew catching the flu (and then spreading it to them: they had collectively gotten through at least six boxes of tissues in the span of a week), and their latest case, the amount of sleep they’ve been getting has decreased sharply, leaving her even grumpier than usual and with a back pain that refuses to fade.
Much to her chagrin, the sound of both her alarm and Colin’s startle her just as she was starting to doze off again. She pats the duvet without opening her eyes, finding her phone and turning the alarm off.
“Colin,” She yawns, setting her phone down. “Colin, your alarm. Turn it off.”
Mare huffs, getting no response as the noise continues. “ Zabel . Alarm. Don’t make me kick you.”
She rolls over, opening her eyes again and sitting up quick enough to make herself dizzy when she realizes Colin is not lying beside her on the bed. His phone is in the nightstand, buzzing insistently, and a quick scan of the room lets Mare see that all his things are still where they should be: his sneakers next to the door, his bag next to hers, and his hoodie on the floor.
But he’s not there.
Mare shifts on the bed, turning off his alarm before standing up. “Colin?” She calls, making her way to the bathroom. “Hey, you in there?”
She opens the door, turning off the light and catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her hair is all messy, and she looks exhausted. What Colin sees in her is still a mystery, but as long as his eyes keep lighting up when she walks into a room, she hasn’t got much to complain about.
“Colin, where the fuck are you? I do not have the energy for hide and seek,” Mare keeps complaining as she tugs his hoodie over her pajamas, opening the door to their bedroom.
The kitchen lights are on, and the smell of coffee drives her forward. She stops by the doorway, pleasantly surprised by what she finds.
Colin is standing in front of the stove, humming softly as he flips pancakes. He’s still in his sleepwear, but an apron is sloppily tied over his clothes, and there are two cups of coffee on the table, along with a bottle of maple syrup.
“Is there any particular reason you’re awake and functioning before 6 am?” Mare asks, her smirk widening as he jumps at the sound of her voice.
“Mare!” He turns around quickly, his cheeks flushing. “Fuck, you’re awake.”
She rolls her eyes fondly, walking up to him. “Jeez, good morning to you too.”
“No, no, I didn’t mean it like that, it’s just that…and I was…you were…,” Colin stumbles through his words, turning even redder. His shoulders sink a bit as he lets out a long sigh. “I thought it was earlier and I wanted to finish making your favorite breakfast before you got up.”
Mare tries not to let him see how charmed she is, but clearly fails as she sees his sheepish smile turn a bit more confident. “Let me see if I get it. You willingly woke up before your alarm went off to surprise me with breakfast?”
He nods, reaching down to turn off the stove before taking a step towards her, placing his hands on her hips. “Uh, yeah, that’s pretty much it.”
“Why?” There’s a part of her that still can’t quite believe she’s lucky enough to be with him, a part of her that’s only now understanding that the way their lives became intertwined has got to be one of the best things to come out of the 20 years she’s worked at EPD.
“ Why ?” Colin sounds incredulous. “Do I need a reason to surprise my girl?” He smirks, leaning in to press soft kisses to her jawline.
Mare chuckles a bit, placing a hand on his chest to stop him. “Easy there, Zabel. Answer the question.”
“Well…you’ve been working a lot lately. Like, even more than usual. And I know you’ve had a few rough weeks,” He shrugs. “So I just wanted to do something nice for you. To remind you that you’re not alone in this. I’m here for you and I love you, Mare.”
She feels very tempted to reply with her usual sarcasm, but then his expression shifts the tiniest bit, probably unnoticeable to anyone that hasn’t spent the better part of the past year with him, and there is a hopeful glint in his eyes that compels her to be truthful.
“This is…” She gestures slightly at the table. “...so great, babe. Thank you so much.”
Mare reaches up, cupping his face with both hands. She caresses his cheeks with her thumbs, and, right then and there, the scar on his cheek barely visible anymore, she mentally begs to anyone that’ll listen that they have a lot of mornings like this one in their future.
“I’m glad you like it, darling,” Colin shifts to press a kiss to her palm before pulling back from her hold. “Come on, sit down. The coffee is gonna get cold.”
She smirks, reaching for one of the mugs before sitting down. “Now, let’s be clear about something. I love you, but I’m not sure even that would be enough to make me wake up earlier.”
Colin chuckles, turning the stove back on. “ Nothing is enough to get you to wake up earlier, Sheehan.”
Mare scoffs a bit. “Sleep is great, and heaven knows I need more of it.”
“I think everyone knows you need more sleep, grump,” He points out, bringing over two plates with pancakes and setting one down in front of her before taking his place at the table.
“Okay, all the sass is ruining your big romantic gesture,” She rolls her eyes playfully, crumpling up a napkin and tossing it at him.
Colin huffs, sticking his tongue out at her before starting to eat. “Very mature, Mare.”
“Oh, fuck off,” It’s been a while since she’s laughed this much. “Damn it, I’m having such a nice morning.”
“And that’s bad because?”
“It’s not bad,” Mare drinks more of her coffee. It’s astounding how quickly she can get through a cup. “But it makes me not want to go to work at all today.”
He hums a bit. “We could always-”
“We can’t skip work,” She interrupts, leaning back a bit on her chair. “You know that.”
“I do,” Colin agrees, his smirk wide once again as he finishes his pancake.
Mare raises her eyebrow at him. “You’re up to something.”
“I am. How much time do you need to get ready?”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Just answer, Mare,” He grins.
“Uh,” Mare shrugs. “Like 45 minutes. Why?”
He glances at the clock that hangs in the wall above the fridge. “Perfect.”
She watches him curiously as he stands up, leaving his dishes in the sink. “You mind explaining yourself?”
Colin leans down until his face is inches apart from hers. “Well, if we can’t skip work…” He presses his lips to hers, kissing her slowly and deeply.
Mare returns the kiss, cheeks burning as he bites her lower lip gently before pulling back.
“...might as well enjoy the rest of the morning, don’t you think?” Colin finishes his sentence, clearly amused at her flustered expression.
“You are such a fucking tease,” She whines, no real complaint in her voice.
She always wants him, and he fucking knows it, because he always wants her, too.
Colin kisses her cheek. “Finish your breakfast, babe. I’ll get the shower ready for us,” He says, winking at her before leaving the kitchen.
Mare watches him go, her eyes a bit wide and her heart racing in her chest.
“Fuck it,” She whispers to herself, leaving her breakfast at the table and following him down the hallway.
Mare is never going to complain about his fucking alarm waking her up ever again.