#sccawy

He leaned forward, gently pulling some of the hair out of her mouth. How she managed to sleep with it down all the time, Laurance would never know. That thing was a hazard— a foe far more dangerous than he had ever fought. More than once he had awoken to the black strands wrapped around his neck, choking him in his sleep.

Aphmau groaned, eyes opening into slits. "G'mrn," She scanned his face, brows furrowed. "Why r'you leavin?"

"Good morning, love," He leaned over to press a kiss against her forehead. She wriggled closer to him, grumbling as he began to pull away again. "I have to take care of the dogs. I'll let you go back to sleep—"

"Noooooooooo," She whined, fingers locking around his wrist. "Come back to bed Laur. 'S cold without you,"

The corners of his mouth twitched. It was almost daily routine at this point. He'd try to sneak out early, and every time without fail Aph would catch him and drag him back to bed. These early morning moments were some of his most treasured. To live a life where he could indulge in something as simple as sleeping in was still a novelty to him.

"I don't know Aph…"

"Lauranceeee,"

He sighed, crawling back under the covers. "Well, if my Lady insists…"

She giggled, quickly rearranging herself to be snuggled into his arms. Her eyes creased as she smiled at him, revealing faint crows feet in the corners. "She most certainly does insist."

Aphmau reached up, carding her fingers through his hair. She stopped suddenly, leaning forward to examine something.

"Oh! Oh!" She exclaimed, pushing the hair at his temples back. "Laur you have a gray hair!"

"Yes? I got those during the Nether, they aren't—"

"No, not those. I know about those." She cut him off, eyes alight with excitement. "At your temples! Awww, you're going gray!"

"So are you!"

"Yeah but its cuter on you,"

"Hmmm," He pretended to examine her face carefully, sending her into another fit of giggles. "No, I have to disagree with that."

"You would disagree with your Lady?" She gasped, feigning insult. "Laurance Zvahl, I never thought I would see the day!"

He snorted. "Wouldn't be the first time,"

He went quiet, lost in thought. How often had he know for a certainty that his death would draw near? Yet it never came. For so long, he knew he'd be dead young, knew he would be the first of their friends to be put in a casket, if there was even a body left to bury. Having gray hairs… "I never thought I'd get old. Its… odd."

"Bad odd?"

"No, never bad odd. Not when I'm with you. Growing old by your side… Its the one blessing my life has given me."

She hummed, pressing her face into the crook of his neck. He could feel the heat of her cheeks pressed against his skin. "Lauranceee its too early for sappiness. But… Me too. I'm glad its you by my side. I'm glad its you who I get to come home to and wake up beside everyday." She let out a small laugh. "If you had told me all those years ago when we met in Meteli, that this is where we'd be…"

"Oh, you would laugh." He fiddled with the ends of her hair, marveling at the smoothness. Somehow she never had any split ends, despite how little care she put into her hair. It made Laurance far more jealous than he would care to admit. "And laugh. And call whoever told you that a fool. I'm pretty sure you hated me at the time. Or perhaps strong dislike?"

"What? No! I liked you, you were just… More straightforward than anyone I had ever met before."

"Straightforward? It's okay Aph, you can say pushy."

"Pushy? No, not pushy. The most lovesick man I had ever seen, perhaps—"

He put his hand over her mouth, cutting her off. "Okay, okay, that's enough out of you"

She snorted, pushing his hand off. "Ohhh I see. Lover boy's embarrassed—"

"I am not!"

"Mmm, sureeee. Well then, I'll have to save him the embarrassment."

He snorted, pulling her further into his arms and tucking her head under his chin. "So kind of you."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, savoring the quiet of the early morning. "Hey Aph?" He said. "You know I love you, right?"