There wasn't a lot that Hassan looked forward to on Crockett Island, but Sunday mornings had become a quick favourite in recent months.
Although most days proved quiet, Sundays were the quietest and this was something he no longer wished to take for granted.
When he'd first arrived, he'd wake up at ridiculous hours in the morning and force a distraction, whether that be making breakfast or setting himself chores for the day, anything to get him out of bed and away from the emptiness of the space beside him.
When he'd first moved to Crockett, he had considered buying a single bed but decided that there was a positive to having the space to stretch out, even if at times he still felt like he was intruding if his arm so much as passed over the other side of the sheets.
Taking a deep breath, he rolled onto his side and gazed in a groggy-minded haze at the opposite side of the bed, still empty and cold with only the ruffled sheets to prove that anyone had been lying there.
As he lay in the silence of the bedroom, other noises filtered in from the kitchen.
The boiling of a kettle, the clatter of crockery and a soft humming that brought a small smile to his face.
She'd be coming back soon and a part of him wanted to roll back over and pretend to still be asleep, knowing how much she liked to wake him up with a surprise gesture of varying sizes, from a simple sandwich to a full meal for breakfast.
Rather than wait for her, not knowing how long she had been up and wanting to get out of bed, he threw the covers aside and got up to get dressed and brush his teeth.
As he walked into the kitchen, bare feet padding against the floor, soft music filled the air and the smell of coffee took over his senses.
She stood at the sink, scrubbing at one of the leftover plates from the night before as she sang quietly along with the song.
She hadn't noticed him walk in and that brought up a perfect opportunity.
Stepping up behind her, he slipped his arms around her waist and took hold of the sponge and plate in his own hands, making sure they were secure as she inevitably squeaked in surprise and jumped, loosening her grip.
"Hassan!" She whined, tilting her head to look at him over her shoulder. "You're supposed to still be in bed."
"Really?" He asked, his voice still rough from sleep. "I didn't know there were rules for when I'm allowed to get up."
"Well now you do, specific Sunday rules state that you must stay in bed until I give you breakfast unless something is planned for the day."
"I see, I'm sorry for breaking the unwritten rule."
"As you should be, you are sheriff after all, you should be setting an example."
"Even if I did, they wouldn't listen to me."
"Hmm, true, but I would."
He smiled and pressed a kiss to her temple before loosening his grip so that she could step away and grab the now boiled kettle.
As she half-turned, he looked at the shirt she was wearing and rose an eyebrow, unable to stop an amused smile from tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Is that an Iron Maiden shirt?"
She glanced over her should and then looked down at the shirt as if she was completely unaware of what she'd grabbed.
"Yeah, I dug it out from the back of the closet, hope you don't mind."
"No," he shook his head, putting his hands on his hips. "I'm just surprised to see it, haven't seen that since my rookie days, I almost forgot that I had it."
"I was surprised to see it too, you didn't strike me as a Maiden fan."
"We're all full of surprises."
"Boy, are you."
Hassan moved to lean against the counter, arms folded as he watched her go about making them each a drink to go with their breakfast, basking in a moment of pure domesticity.
One where he wasn't sheriff and nothing was expected of him but to simply be.
Having someone to share quiet mornings with had taken some adjusting to, he truthfully wasn't entirely sure if he had fully adjusted just yet, but it was pleasant after what felt like an eternity of uncertainty.
It had been so long since he'd felt such a sense of pure love and adoration.
This was something he was going to cherish.
The small moments of two people sharing lives in rare unkept privacy, where they didn't need to dress up and preen to look suitable for the world.
She could wander around freely in a loose shirt with messy hair and only he was privy to, it gave him a sense of selfish happiness to know that such a sight was for him and him alone.
A morning truly just for them.
The real treasure.
She set aside the spoons she'd used to stir their drinks and smiled over her shoulder.
"I think we're ready."
He nodded and stepped forward, reaching around her to grab a plate in each hand.
"Then let me help you."
"Aww," she cooed, "a true gentleman."
She leaned up to give him a quick kiss and then pulled away to grab the drinks, her nose wrinkling.
"What is a morning without a scratch from a beard?" She laughed, stepping around him to move to the table.
"Sorry," he chuckled faintly, following behind her. "Want me to shave it?"
"Look at you, Mr Sheriff, encouraging change and setting an example."
"We both know no one would listen to me, even my own son isn't lately."
"Yeah, but he's a teenager and we both know how bad they can be with parents, we were both that age once and I'm sure we weren't the blessings from above that we believe we were."
He nodded slowly in agreement then glanced in the general direction of the boy's door.
"I take it he's out."
"Yeah, he yelled that he was meeting some friends before even I was out of bed."
"Someone is eager about something."
"Probably just happy to have some friends," she smiled at him.
"I wondered if that was why you were dressed up."
A rare smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth at his own sarcasm and his eyes noticeably raked over her, not through want, though that was always a given, but simply because he loved seeing her relaxed and at ease in her environment.
"Mhmm, just for you," she laughed. "Oh and back to topic, if you do shave that delicious scruff, then we're over."
She gave him a pointed look over her shoulder as she set the mugs down, one that she was struggling to hold without smiling.
He sighed dramatically, setting the plates on the table while staring down at her.
"I knew you only loved me for my beard."
"And the uniform," she replied, pulling out a chair to sit down. "The uniform is the ultimate bonus."
"I see," he said, sitting down opposite her and picking up his cutlery as he tried to look distracted. "Then maybe I'll wear it casually for you later."
She looked at him, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively before an undignified snort of laughter escaped.
"Maybe another time."
"Last night was enough?"
She smiled coyly at his playful smirk, but that quickly slipped into a softer look.
"It was, but I want to spend the day lounging and wasting my day off with some easy gaming."
Hassan nodded slowly, not looking offended but more understanding.
"Is your Switch charged?" He asked.
"As ready for the day as it'll ever be, I even bought us some snacks so we don't have to go out for anything."
"I love how you think so far ahead."
"One of many things, I hope."
"You know."
She gave him that smile, the one that made him feel wanted and loved, like he was the only person in the world that could make her smile like that, and then she started to dig into her much awaited breakfast.
His eyes lingered on her, content in watching her do something as basic as eating as though she were a deity who had come to earth to solely bless him.
They rarely got these chances, what with both of them being busy adults, even on an island as small as Crocket and Hassan knew just how painfully short life could be, so he had decided when even the hopes of finding happiness reared its head that he would appreciate every serene moment life gave him.
Even the simple and quiet Sunday mornings.