Summary: Pure fluff set during The Sophomore. James and Harper spend the morning together.
Harper woke with the sun.
It was much earlier than she would have liked, the fading orange of sunrise still visible between the high-rise Northbridge buildings. James was fast asleep beside her, his soft snores a sound she was growing more and more used to waking up to. He was facing her, one hand tucked under his head, under the pillow, and his other arm resting lightly across her waist, although she could barely feel the weight of it through the duvet she’d somehow managed to wrap around herself, keeping her and James further apart than she would have liked.
She always did this. It wasn’t the first time she’d woken up with the majority of the blanket tangled around her, and James refused to wake her up so he could steal some of it back, instead sleeping with only a corner of it across his midriff, his chest and calves blanket-free.
It took a bit of wriggling for her to unwrap herself from the blanket and tuck it over him, but he didn’t even stir. It was only when she brushed her knuckles over his cheek that he moved, turning into her touch and murmuring something unintelligible.
She took a few minutes to relish in the moment. It felt like forever since she woke to silence, to him, even though he had stayed at hers both nights the previous weekend, but there was something much more peaceful about his apartment. It was warmer, cosier, and far more relaxing than her own house, and it was only for them.
James was an early riser only when he had to be, so she played on her phone for a while instead of waking him, watching the sun climb above the Northbridge skyscrapers. If they’d remembered to close the curtains the night before, she would probably have managed a few more hours sleep, but after late night at the newspaper followed by a meal and a few drinks at James’ favourite pizzeria, they hadn’t really been thinking of anything but each other when they finally got back home.
(She vaguely remembered James mentioning the curtains, but she also remembered him choking on his words when she dropped to her knees before him and made him forget how to speak.)
Muted cat videos were only entertaining for so long, and there was a limit on how many quizzes and how many recipes she could read on Buzzfeed before getting bored. She abandoned her phone on the bedside table and snuggled into the blanket, closer to James. A kiss to his cheek didn’t wake him, neither did one to his jaw, and it was only when she pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose and felt his own lips brush her chin with a sleepy, soft kiss that she knew he’s awake.
“Morning,” she whispered, beaming down at him when he murmured something in response. “Did you know you forgot to close the curtains?”
He mumbled an apology, although she didn’t really need one, and then she nudged him onto his back so she could settle more comfortably against him. She curled herself against his side, one hand on his chest, above his heart, and he draped his arm around her shoulders.
This time, when he kissed her, he found her lips. It was lazy, slow, and it hadn’t been long enough when he pulled away and asked, “What’s the time?”
“It doesn’t matter,” she told him, her nose brushing his as she nuzzled closer. “It’s Saturday.”
She kissed him again, sucking at his bottom lip and enjoying the way he shuddered against her, his fingers tracing slow circles onto her bare shoulder. He shivered when she trailed her hand down his chest, her nails scraping lightly against his abs. James stroked his hand up and down her side, his thumb brushing against the curve of her breast before his hand settled at her hip and soon she was raising herself up onto her elbow so she could lean over him and deepen the kiss, her hair a curtain between them and the rest of the world.
“Did I use up all the chocolate chips when I last made cookies?” she asked when they parted.
It took a moment for James to respond and then he finally opened his eyes and peered up at her, his eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t know,” he said slowly, his free hand rising to comb through her hair “Why?”
“I thought I could make muffins for breakfast.”
“Mmm, sounds good.” His smile was wide and relaxed, the smile that she’d learned was only for her and only when they were together, the one where his gaze softened and he looked at her like she was everything. “Harper? Have I said I love you yet today?”
“In the five minutes since you woke up? No.”
“I love you.”
She beamed at him, brushing her lips against his again. “Well, wait until you’ve tried these chocolate chip muffins because they’ll make you love me even more.”
James chuckled. “I’d say it’s impossible for me to love you more than I already do, but that’s proven wrong every single day.”
No matter how many times James said such things, it always made her blush. She pressed one final kiss to his lips before climbing out of bed and pulling on one of his few t-shirts, padding over to the kitchen.
There weren’t many chocolate chips left, and she ended up combining them with a few browning bananas that neither of them were going to eat otherwise. They were just about ready to put in the oven when she felt James’ arm slide around her waist and his lips at the nape of her neck.
“They look good.”
“They’ll look better when they’re cooked.”
He stepped away just so she could bend to put them in the oven and then he was holding her again. She leant back against him, sighing when she felt him kiss her shoulder. “And how long will that take?”
“Twenty-ish minutes.”
“That’s plenty of time.”
“Plenty of time for what?” He turned her around and kissed her. Harper squealed when he slid his hands down to her thighs and lifted her up, sitting her on the counter. “Oh, okay, so you’ve woken up then?” He hummed his acknowledgement, his lips at her neck. “Because I like where this is going.”
“Oh, I’m going to make sure you like it,” he said, his words at odds with his actions as he loosened his embrace and nodded at something over her shoulder. “Once I’ve done the dishes.”
Harper gaped at him. “You tease.”
“You’re the one who woke me up and then left me in bed so you could bake.” She shook her head, reaching out to pull him back to her, wrapping her legs around his waist. “Besides, it will only take a minute.”
“Yeah, and it’ll only take a minute in twenty minutes.” She leant in, nipping at his earlobe and grinning when she felt his hands back on her waist. “Just this once, James. Come on, baby.”
He kissed the laughter from her lips.