Work Text:
“But that was last night. This morning
the sun is coming alive in the kitchen.You’ve gone to get us gas station coffee
and there is so much life all over the place.”― Ada Limón, In the Country of Resurrection
Tyler wakes up ten minutes before his alarm, opening his eyes to a bedroom bathed in the deepest shade of blue he’s ever seen. The sun is set to rise in a few minutes but the sound of early morning traffic can already be heard from outside the window as if the world itself couldn’t wait for sunrise to start the day.
He makes to get up as well but a hand on his arm stills him to place. “Stay.” Ashlyn murmurs in her sleep, moving closer to rest her head comfortably by his side. There’s a small frown marring her lips and Tyler suppresses a snort from the childish request. He indulges her anyway, placing a chaste kiss at the crown of her head before laying back down to enjoy the view.
In the space between a second and eternity, he has counted each freckle dusting Ashlyn’s cheek, memorizing the way each little dot is scattered across the curves of her face like daisies growing by the track field. He watches now, transfixed, as sunlight begins to streak across the floor, making its way through the blinds until he could trace the golden ray across Ashlyn’s skin. He reaches for her, then. Calloused fingertips mapping the softness of her face, reveling in the warmth of the sunlight on her skin.
He’s never seen anything more beautiful.
The golden light of the early morning sun made everything in their room brighter now, dreamlike in a way no other time of the day could. Gone were the dark blues of dusk moments ago as the early morning sun began its ascend into the sky.
Next to him, with sunlight seeping through their skin, Ashlyn was practically glowing.
Tyler felt something thrumming under his chest, a quiet sort of excitement that only he gets to see her like this every morning. Funny how much he’s used to her presence by now when he used to scoff at the very idea of romance, let alone waking up next to someone every day, just a few years ago. But over the years he’s learned to make room for more than family in his life, and Ashlyn’s presence on his bed is a testament to that.
And with her inclusion in his life, Tyler can’t seem to help but hope for better days. Ashlyn’s company and presence has a way of easing his mind, a salve to the thoughts that cloud over him during moments where fear and doubt lay claim. She would stay by his side, never pushing, always ready to stay and fight whatever monster was lurking inside the shadows of his mind.
She has always been brave, braver than him. It was the first thing he noticed about her all those years ago when she took it upon herself to lead their whole group to safety each night without complaint.
It’s why she stuck around even after all his attempts to push her away, why she doesn’t take any of his cynicism and insult to heart, why she doesn’t listen when he tells her to leave, why she doesn’t leave when she should, why she would always keep coming back even after every fight and argument.
He’s never made it easy for her, and yet Ashlyn seems to be under the impression that he’s worth enough trouble to stay.
It was an intoxicating sort of comfort, the kind that makes it impossible to push her away completely even when he knows she’ll be so much better off without him. He’s always been undeserving of her affection. Someone too callous, too angry at the world couldn’t possibly make her happy.
He’s always known that Ashlyn deserves more than a broken, haunted boy.
But try as he might to keep Ashlyn at arm’s length to put a wedge between his own growing feelings for her, a louder, selfish part of him wanted her close even more.
He craved for her sincerity and trust, clinging to her camaraderie and grounding presence like a lifeboat. He wanted her close at all times, yearning to bask in her full attention. It was a sickening sort of realization, to want someone this much, to be affected by another person in ways he never thought possible.
He had no intention of letting his feelings known, had planned to take his love for her to the grave ever since he realized he liked her more than just a friend, and yet he had fucked that up too.
Somehow, somewhere along the way, Ashlyn in all her stubbornness had seen through his walls and managed to corner him for the truth, and try as he might, he could never deny her of anything.
She had asked for the truth and he had looked at her with an open honesty that can only be achieved after baring one’s innermost thoughts and feelings to another, he doesn’t even remember all that he’s said, but the memory of Ashlyn’s lips on his own and the small relieved smile on her lips after his poor attempt at a confession was seared into his memory forever.
He had honestly thought he would never get to have something like this.
It was a miracle she hasn’t left him at all even after all these years.
The weight of Ashlyn’s head on his shoulder shakes him from his stupor, and his attention is drawn back to her immediately, taking note of watching the steady rise and fall of her chest as she laid next to him.
“You awake yet, Carrots?” He tries asking.
The resounding silence and the warmth of her breath against his skin is answer enough.
He doesn’t try waking her up again.
Slowly, as gently as he could muster, Tyler manages to pry Ashlyn’s arm from his person without rousing her from slumber.
Quietly, he starts to get dressed, careful not to make any sudden noise lest he wakes her up. By the time he’s pocketed his keys and wallet, Ashlyn remains peacefully asleep on his bed.
If he hurried he’ll still have time to grab her a cup of coffee, Ashlyn had been adamant to spend as much of their day off staying at home and that included breakfast to which he was more than happy to oblige, only problem was he’d forgotten to stock up on coffee having finished his last bag of roasted beans last week from all the all-nighters he had to endure in order to finish all his paperwork.
If he makes a quick stop at the gas station, he’ll be able to grab them a fresh cup and a handful of her favorite snacks, two birds one stone.
Tyler leaves her a short note by the nightstand, kissing her cheek goodbye just because he can.
Just as he’s about to leave, Tyler pauses by the door when he catches sight of her, his breath catching when he sees the light framing her face. The sun makes her hair golden and Tyler wonders, not for the first time, if he will ever get used to the sudden surge of affection or the rhythmic thumping of his heart that only ever beats to the sound of her name.
He loves her in his own, selfish way.
Tyler hopes it will be enough.
Dating one Tyler Hernández brought a great deal of changes into her life, most of them for the better.
But the one thing Ashlyn can't seem to get used to is the idea of her boyfriend waking up before the sun rises.
When she finally stirs from slumber to open her eyes, she is once again greeted by an empty bed, her boyfriend nowhere in sight. It wasn’t an unusual sight after all these years, at some point she’d stopped asking herself why Tyler keeps waking up every single day before dawn without change, chalking up his behavior as a response to strict early morning baseball practice throughout the years.
She spots the small post it note stuck to the lamp and reads the message in his familiar handwriting.
‘Ran out of coffee, grabbing some now. Be back in 20.’
She snorts at the overly dry note, reading the message in Tyler’s typical drawl. It was just like him to go out of his way to grab her a cup of coffee just because he knows how much she likes them.
A smile slips through her lips, warmth spreading through her chest the more she reads the note. She really lucked out on her partner it seems.
Noting the time, Ashlyn figures he’ll be back in a couple of minutes and starts getting ready to meet him in the kitchen. Since he already took care of their coffee, she might as well surprise him with breakfast.
Tyler makes it back just as she was about to flip the first batch of French toast from the pan. She hears the quiet clink of his keys first, followed by the soft pads of his footsteps, alerting her of his arrival.
“Oh, you already made breakfast.” He says as a way of greeting.
“Seemed fair,” She shrugs, stacking the first batch of toast on the ceramic plate Tyler wordlessly hands her from the cupboard. “You braved the register line and got me my coffee.”
As if on cue, the aromatic scent of freshly brewed coffee wafts around the kitchen and Tyler grins, presenting his spoils for her the same way he would present all his trophies to her after every baseball game. “‘Course I did, Carrot-top.”
He even got her an entire bag full of snacks, how thoughtful.
“Need help with anything?” Tyler asked while placing the bags of snacks on the counter, his eyes already lingering on the spatula in her hand.
“No need, I’ll get this done soon.” She answers, pointing to the rest of the batter. “Just get the table ready for me and we’re good.”
Surprisingly, he relents and lets her have her way with his kitchen. Not one to look a gifted horse in the mouth, Ashlyn makes quick work with the remaining bread slices and batter until the rest of the entire kitchen smells of cinnamon and butter.
“Let’s eat.” She announces with a heaping pile of toast.
Tyler takes the plate from her hands and leads her to the small table by the kitchen window, pushing the chair back for her first before sitting himself on the other side.
He offers her a steaming cup of coffee and she eagerly takes a sip, ignoring his warning about how hot the beverage still is. The first sip of coffee in the morning is always the best, with her caffeine intake finally taken care of, she places her focus back on the stack of toast on their plates.
“Now, before you take a bite let me preface this by saying my cooking is by no means half as decent as yours.” She starts, pointing a fork at him in warning. “If you start complaining about the taste I’m taking your share back.”
Tyler rolls his eyes at her, but the playful smile on his lips betrays any of his ire. “Are you threatening to starve me in my own flat, Carrots?”
“I just might.” She starts slowly, daring him to try. “So don’t test me, Hernández.”
“Hey, I’m no picky eater.” He quips, raising both hands in mock surrender. “Dunno where this accusation is coming from.”
She scoffs, hands moving to grab a hold of the maple syrup, except Tyler beats her to it and the challenging grin on his face makes her want to kick him on the shin.
“You kept complaining about how awful the pizza was yesterday.” She points out before grabbing the maple syrup from him and pouring a heaping amount on her own stack. “You even complained about how dry the fried chicken was from that one restaurant down the street last week.”
“If they were going to charge us that much for a meal, then it's not my fault for expecting the food to actually taste good.” He answers with dramatic scoff, crossing his arm the same way he always does when he’s trying to make a point.
“You’re impossible.” She groans, taking the first bite of her toast. “Look, just keep all negative comments about my cooking to yourself, alright?”
“No promises, Carrot-top.” Tyler teases, but he makes quick work of her food and makes no remarks on the taste other than his thanks for her efforts. He even goes as far as to scrape his plate clean.
Silence begins to surround them, comfortable, familiar, full with a particular kind of warmth between two people who do not need to fill every space with words.
Ashlyn feels her lips splitting into a smile that mirrored Tyler’s own.
“This was nice.” Tyler says, breaking the silence.
She blinks. “What?”
“Breakfast together, I mean.” Tyler explained, his voice is impossibly tender and hopeful. He lifts his gaze back up to meet hers and Ashlyn wants to so badly kiss him then.
In a move of surprising boldness, Ashlyn reaches for his hand and begins to thread her fingers through his. There’s a resurgence of warmth filling her chest at the simple gesture of intimacy, her heartbeat racing when Tyler lifts his gaze from their intertwined hands back to her.
“Then let me stay another night.” She offers jokingly. “I don’t mind cooking again.”
Tyler startles at her suggestion, giving her a questioning look when she glances up at him.
He doesn’t say anything.
“It was just a joke, Tyler.” She starts, hoping she hadn't somehow ruined the lighthearted atmosphere from earlier with a poorly timed joke. After all, he always took what she said seriously.
“You could.” He says slowly, squeezing her hand the way he always does whenever he wants to reassure her of something.
“I like having you here.” He admits after a beat, like it's an after thought, like he didn't just cause a sudden rush of butterflies in her stomach.
The morning sun is coming alive in the kitchen, bathing the room in a soft golden glow. The sunlight touches Tyler’s hair turning it into a fiery red, and when the light catches the color of his eyes, Ashlyn swears she’s never seen a more beautiful shade of ember.
The scent of gas station coffee has all but vanished at this point, but the soft, boyish smile on Tyler’s face will be engraved to her memory forever.
Ashlyn’s lips tug into a smile of her own.
The world outside Tyler’s apartment is already buzzing with life, vendors opening shop in a hurry and car horns blaring against morning traffic. But inside his kitchen, everything was more subdued, peaceful.
She could live in this comfortable silence, could picture a life where she gets to wake up to early morning sunlight seeping through the kitchen window and the feeling of Tyler’s hands against her skin.
“Then let me stay.” She says, this time meaning every word.