Ranger's Apprentice: The Tantalizing Tales

Good morning

In which Will and Alyss wake up together - together - for the first time. And in which they exchange morning kisses before either person opens their eyes, kissing blindly until their lips meet in a blissful encounter. Requested by @Maeve_Lynn .

DISCLAIMER: Teen rated, but mainly because of that one super short and implicit reference to the night before. 

~~~

He couldn't have been asleep for more than a few hours. The sun had already risen by the time Will had finally closed his eyes and had allowed the sleep to come over him. He didn't need to open his eyes to check the position of the sun in the sky. Instead, the magical singing of birds outside of the cabin tells him that it is not yet noon. Similarly, the deep, slow, and peaceful breathing of Alyss next to him tells Will that his wife - wife - is still soundly asleep.

In conclusion, it's the best way Will has woken up in his life. There's the softness, the quiet, the sense of rest. There's nothing - absolutely nothing - other than themselves. Other than him and his wife.

His mind goes back to the day before, the wedding... and what happened after. Will grins when he realises that his right hand is still holding Alyss's left hand. He raises the hands to his lips, and presses a kiss onto them. That seems to elicit a response from the woman next to him. It wakes her.

Alyss sighs deeply. Contentedly.

"Good morning."

Her voice drowns out the music of the birds outside. Even after years of hearing it, it continues to remind Will of water softly flowing down a calm stream. He still doesn't open his eyes. As long as he keeps them closed, he can be sure that the moment continues.

"Good morning."

His morning voice is raw, and a little hoarse. In response to it, he can hear - and feel - Alyss turning onto her side towards him. He mirrors the movement. As far as he can tell, they are now facing each other. As far as you can talk of 'facing', when both of them have their eyes closed, that is.

Fingers still intertwined with hers, Will decides to lean and kiss her. But he misses her mouth by a few centimetres, instead kissing her cheekbone. Alyss laughs. Will lets the sound guide him and tries again. This time, he comes closer, kissing the corner of her mouth. Alyss laughs harder. It's a loving, happy laughter. Will doesn't give up. Third time's the charm. He silences Alyss's laughing effectively by pressing his mouth against hers.

In that kiss is the sweetness of passion, a million loving thoughts condensed in a single act, a single moment. They are their pure and vulnerable selves. They are home.

Alyss is the one to break the kiss. Will has to open his eyes now. His wife rolls on her stomach and pulls herself up. Leaning on her shoulders, she is looking down at him, as she almost always does. It's the first time this morning that they lock eyes.

"Good morning," she says again.

Her hair falls over her shoulders, long and messy, and allows Will to play with one of the strands. He wraps it around one of his fingers and lets it go, curling her otherwise very straight hair.

"Good morning," he grins.

She smiles back at him. This isn't the first time they've woken up together, of course. As kids they had frequent sleepovers in the ward. Later, they had occasionally stayed over at one of their places if that was the more convenient option. They had travelled together, gone on missions together, and camped out together. But they had never woken up together.

"We're married," she whispers. The fingers on her right hand softly caress his face, tracing every feature, every line. They end under his chin and stay there as Alyss leans down to kiss him. When she breaks the kiss, she keeps her face close to his. She can feel, more so than hear, the words he utters.

"We're married," Will repeats happily, and she leans in again for another short kiss. Then, she pushes herself up again. Just so she can look at him, as he leans into the pillows under his head. The brown curls on his head stand in every direction, his pupils are a little dilated at the sight of her, and his chest is softly moving up and down. Her free right hand lowers, tracing along the oakleaf that lays resting there. And along the scar that lines his collarbones.

But that's a story for another day. Another morning. They have hundreds, thousands of those left anyway.

Will catches her hand. They are now holding both of each other's hands.

Alyss leans in for another kiss, but he evades her. She tries to pull back her arms, but he keeps them strongly locked in his hands. Finally, she meets his gaze. There's a devious sparkle in his dark brown eyes. She purses her lips disapprovingly, but the strict movement is cancelled out by the twinkle in her own eyes.

"And, Mrs. Treaty, how are we feeling today?"

"Tired," she teases him.

Will raises an eyebrow.

"Oh? You know, I could just leave, and let you sleep, you know."

Alyss rolls her eyes at him.

"Don't be dramatic."

Will loosens his tight grip around her hands and she lets herself fall into the mattress next to him. They just lay there for a few minutes, until Alyss turns her head towards him.

"You do know that I'll keep my own name for my own job, right?"

Will meets her eyes and smiles at her. His hand strokes her cheek.

"I wouldn't expect anything else."

She leans in to leave a soft kiss on his cheek. Then she snuggles against him, comfortably resting into the pillows and under the sheets.

Will whistles. It takes a few seconds, but then there's the sounds of paws softly coming into the contact with the wooden floors. Ebony comes running into the room, jumping high, and crashing into the sheets.

"Just this once," Alyss warns, as she stretches out her hands to pet the loyal dog on her head. Will doesn't argue against it. They have hundreds, thousands of mornings left to do that, anyway.

They lay there, for several long, blissful moments. Alyss's head on his chest. Will's arm wrapped around her shoulder. Ebony, stretching out over both their legs. Sounds of singing birds in the air. A fresh breeze blowing through the room.

A very good morning, indeed.