football imagines [requests open]

john stones.

dawn hours

07:10.

Noticing the time, she huffed to herself as she came to terms with the new day ahead. She sat up and let out a yawn and stretched her arms beyond her ears. They soon fell over her face as Y/N groaned into her hands before maintaining a calm composure, staring blankly at the wall on the far side of the bedroom. And she kept her gaze still for another while. She couldn't help but contemplate the decision to stray away from sleep when she always lost out on it.

There were times when she questioned the want to wake up at such dawn hours. She wasn't a early bird or an owl night. There was no need for her body to be awake nor did it need to work night shifts. Unfortunately, she felt as if both night and day weren't in a favour of her inner peace. Troubles to wake up and fall into a slumber circled her mind on a daily basis. Late nights, early mornings. Insomonia, if you want to put a label on it. Y/N wouldn't call it such, but that's how it presented itself.

Slow did Y/N sit up in her bed, leaving sleep for the next night cycle. It was almost a sacrifice with the way she debated going back to sleep though she stood with her daily routine. She lifted the sheets off her body to be welcomed by the early winter air, taking in a slow inhale. Rather than losing the warmth or searching for layers of it in the bedroom, she took a hold of the blanket and wrapped in around her figure before trailing away from the bed.

Quick and small steps led her to the bay window. She sat to her preference of comfort and opened a window to embrace the winter air some more. She leaned her head back against the wall, tilting it towards the window where she glanced up at the early skies. The sun had yet to appear from behind the distant houses and trees. After dusk was twilight, the blue hues scattered in the diffused sky. Murky and unbalanced with the clouds mirroring the colour of the sky.

In times when she either could sleep no more or couldn't sleep, everything above the surface brought her a sense of reparations when she lost rest. Contemplating her decision of waking up early was something constantly on her mind though it always remained a short-term thought, never an afterthought. She complained about the before but remained satisfied with the now. Waking up at dawn hours turned out to be a bore and disruption to sleep—yes, you couldn't deny such a statement—but to witness what dawn hours appeared to be up in the skies? Y/N never would pass up the opportunity. Not anymore, at least.

"Up for the sunrise?" Y/N rotated her head to glance towards the neighbouring house. Her own and the neighbouring house's window faced one another with a wide distance between the two. Nonetheless, discussions could be made and heard. By the neighbouring window was a young man. Skin tone porcelain, hair swept above his eyes. There wasn't much to make out of him. Not only because of the distance between them; the hood of his hoodie left only his face to observe.

Y/N nodded slowly as she brought the blanket closer to her body. "Yeah. . . I do every day. It just starts my day off. Sets the tone and mood for everything else that follows. John, right?" There wasn't much for her to recall about John. The simple hellos and how are yous were present in her mind, but that didn't give her an idea as to what John was like. In simple, the pair have never shared a conversation past occasional greetings.

"That's right," John smiled. The gesture was not much, but it already hinted to a potentially friendly persona. "Y/N?" Vaguely, he remembered his neighbour from past discussions.

"You're not wrong," Y/N said with a small voice. She wasn't trying to hear further noise complaints from her other neighbours. "What's your excuse to be up so early? I'm always up solo and today is the first time I'm seeing you."

"A friend of mine suggested this to me," John explained. He propped his chin on his fist, continuing further. "Said it will help me stay at bay throughout the day. Whatever that means." He scoffed out a laugh, which she joined along in. John had a timid—occasionally dry—sense of humour that he carried with his personality, nonetheless, it was humour and it had Y/N in a better mood than the one she woke up with.

John and Y/N drifted into a conversation for the next nine minutes. It gave them the opportunity to know each other a bit better than before. Sharing likes and dislikes, understanding one another's interests outside of their jobs, asking further questions to simply pass time. Nine minutes—perceived by many—were slim to no time to get to know someone. But the two didn't mind. They used those nine minutes as they were to talk, laugh and discuss. Not to mention they were one open window away from one another. It wouldn't be the end of the world if they couldn't fit everything they wanted to talk about into the nine minutes.

"How about—" She gasped when she noticed a golden streak cross through John's eye to hit off the glass. His face scrunched up at the sudden pause in discussion. He went to speak but when Y/N turned her focus towards the sky once again, he tilted his head to the side in awe.

After the darkness of the night, the sun appeared from behind the house and trees, spreading her heat and light in every angle she could. She had a golden appearance with a rosy outline. Everything about her was natural, the need of an invitation from the season or time unnecessary. The official day started and ended with the sun. Control was upheld by high forces, and that's what she did when she ascended in the sky.

The winter season only did justice to the sky and its appearance. Beauty is subjective, of course. Though summer couldn't overcome its negative feedback. Twilight hours passed over as the day was introduced to dawn once again. Low humidity and clear air permitted the sight of vibrant colours. Once just a space of azure was now space of sapphire, red, pink and so much more with every colour fading into the following one. Like a water painting in the sky.

Waking up was the before and witnessing the sunrise was the now.

John looked away from the sky. "That's really pretty," he said as he glanced her way.

Y/N shied further into the warmth of her blanket. With his gaze focused on her as he spoke, she couldn't tell if his words were speaking on the sky or her. Maybe her ego needed to be humbled. "Yeah, it is." She turned back to John with a soft grin. "You wanna do this again?"

One experience wanted to be followed by another. To wake up to the sunrise and Y/N during dawn hours didn't seem bad to John. "See you at seven-ten."

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For greeenglosss