#*hmc

Sophie’s heart gave a little stutter, for which she promptly chastised herself with some exasperation.

“I swear, Howl, I must inhale half a head of your hair every night. You could cut me open and find yourself a wig.” Her brows drew low, but the smile playing at her lips belied her irritation.

Howl took this as an opportunity to sweeten Sophie up; her mood would inevitably worsen as the day cleared from pinky yellows to blue. He ran a hand through his unruly, though marvelously colored, tresses, then paused, hoping to strike a brilliant pose against the backlight of the window. The corners of Sophie’s mouth turned down frightfully, and Howl quickly tipped his head down, burying a grin along the edges of her collarbone.

“C’mon, Sophie,” his voice came muffled from Sophie’s chest, arms reaching up, octopus-like, to cradle her head. “You know I can’t tie my hair up when I sleep. It’ll dent.” He punctuated his point by placing several light kisses up the ridges of Sophie’s neck, finishing with a grand peck against her pursed lips. Sophie melted against him, giving a sigh that usually foreshadowed hastily locked doors and mushy declarations of devotion.

“I suppose I could always lop it off, then,” she said, shifting to make room for Howl as he settled his weight on top of her. He made a face that contorted his features into something not so carefully handsome, licking a stripe up her nose. To Sophie’s horror, she scrunched her eyes shut and giggled, Howl’s answering chuckles vibrating against her sternum. Oh, bother. She was truly in for him, wasn’t she?

“But don’t you think I’m pretty?” Howl added piteously, putting on a pout that rivaled Martha’s during the worst of her elementary-age tantrums. Howl was terribly dramatic and thrived off attention, so Sophie really shouldn’t indulge him the way she does. But still, the pastel hues of dawn had softened everything in their room, including Sophie, and she tilted up her head to catch him in another kiss. “The prettiest I’ve ever seen,” she said softly, and Howl's face broke open into a disbelieving beam. He let out a whoop, and Sophie's ribs gave a faint creak of protest as he swept her into a bone-crushing squeeze. Sophie personally thought that Howl had no business looking quite so elated.