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The light, sweet trill of a songbird just outside the open window is what wakes her, bright and airy and echoing in the large space of the room. At first she’s too groggy to place exactly what woke up her, until the bird inhales and begins it’s song again, a high-pitched pattern going up and down until there’s a pause of silence for the bird to take another breath.
With a groan, Vi groggily opens her eyes, blinking in the morning light. The birdsong trills again, and Vi finally wakes up enough to realize what is happen. Birdsong. Morning. Light through the window. Vi wrapped in soft sheets on the bed. A heavy weight on one arm.
Vi adjusts herself, best she can, and looks at the weight.
Long, dark hair is spilling over her shoulder, half obscuring the face of the woman curled up around her, using her bicep as a pillow. She’s still asleep, which makes sense to Vi. This is her room after all, she’s probably used to the birdsong.
The high-pitched pattern is sung again and Vi settles back into the pillow, closing her eyes a minute. When she reopens them she focuses on the far wall, opposite the window, where bright, golden-hued rays of the early morning sunrise are illuminated. The window has them cut off in rectangles, looking like rich, golden artwork hung on the walls.
Vi glances down at the woman sleeping in her embrace again and slowly moves to push Caitlyn’s hair away from her face. It takes her a few gentle tries, carefully pushing a strand of hair back to tuck behind her ear and then moving back to brush another strand. Each time she let her finger tips brush against Caitlyn’s cheek, selfishly enjoying the feeling of her soft skin.
Once she had tucked enough hair back to see Caitlyn’s sleeping face, Vi indulges in cupping her hand around the woman’s sharp jaw, running her thumb lightly over her cheek.
This seems to be what finally wakes Caitlyn, the muscles in her jaw twitching slightly as she leans into the caress.
She hums, stretching out as Vi smiles. Sliding her fingers down to rest her hand on Caitlyn’s collarbone, Vi watches her partner start to shift under her touch. She can feel the flutter of eyelashes against her arm as Caitlyn slowly blinks awake.
With a sleepy hum and smile, Caitlyn turns into Vi’s body, nuzzling against her arm before slowly turning back. She looks up to see Vi looking down at her, and lets out a low, affectionate chuckle.
“Morning.”
Caitlyn’s voice is rough and low and a little raspy from sleep, and Vi watches her lick at her dry lips. With a barely contained yawn, Caitlyn starts to adjust her position. She moves a little higher, nuzzling into Vi’s shoulder until she’s tucked into the crook of her neck, letting out a puff of hot air with a satisfied hum.
Vi chuckles. “Morning, Cupcake.”
“Is that damn bird at it again?” Caitlyn’s voice is muffled from where she’s buried herself against Vi’s skin, but the annoyed tone still makes it through.
Vi brings her hand up to stroke at Caitlyn’s hair, listening.
The high pitched trill of the pattern of notes rings out again, the bird still diligently calling out its morning song. She had tuned it out for a minute, focused on Caitlyn.
“Yep,” Vi replies, and Caitlyn groans and tries to bury herself in further. Vi laughs, wraps her arms around Caitlyn to pull her in for a tight hug.
“Too early,” Caitlyn protests, voice still a low and sleepy mumble. “This is supposed to be my day off.”
Her lips dance across Vi’s skin as she speaks, tickling.
Shifting her body best she can, Vi adjusts them so she has Caitlyn tucked more comfortable into her arms, against her chest. Caitlyn shifts with her, bringing her hands between them, against Vi’s torso, tangling their legs together in a warm twist. She settles into the position with a happy sigh.
Vi gives Caitlyn a kiss on the forehead, as the bird sings out again.
“Want me to go take care of it?” She jokes.
One of Caitlyn’s arms wraps around Vi’s waist in a definitive answer, holding onto her tightly. “No,” she protests, “you’re warm.”
“Hm,” Vi slowly begins to draw a hand up Caitlyn’s back and then down again, enjoying the soft skin over the ridges of her spine. “Guess that’s more important.”
“Yep,” replies Caitlyn with a kiss to Vi’s sternum. Vi hums.
Her fingertips find a small scar on Caitlyn’s back, a thin line of healing tissue from who knows when. She traces it, and then moves to another scar, one that’s a bit more faded that she remembers Caitlyn getting after a fall; up again to Caitlyn’s shoulder to a small, smooth little circle where a bullet passed through a number of years ago, back down Caitlyn’s spine to the small of her back where a small, pale patch left from a burn she can’t feel but knows is there.
Vi closes her eyes, still trailing her fingers up and down Caitlyn’s back in a soft, rhythmic pattern as Caitlyn’s breathing starts to slow again. Vi’s a bit too warm, honestly, with the blankets half draped across them and, Caitlyn’s hair over one arm, Caitlyn pressed up against every inch of skin she can make contact with. But nothing could make Vi move now, break this peace.
The bird sings out again, sounding more shrill than before, and Caitlyn makes a frustrated little noise.
“When we do get up, darling, please throw a shoe at that damned thing.”
Vi laughs. “You got it.”
Caitlyn’s arm stays tucked around her however, so Vi doesn’t bother to move just yet. She just continues to trace her fingers over the few small blemishes she has memorized, the new and fading tiny scars, the cute mole at the base of a shoulder, the dimples of her lower back.
The bird shrills out again, but Caitlyn only tucks herself in tighter, and Vi just softly flattens her hand against Caitlyn’s back. She can feel her lover’s heartbeat so faintly against her palm, and she relaxes.
She’s too warm, that bird almost sounds like it’s screeching at this point, her supporting arm is starting to get numb— but she relaxes. Caitlyn’s breathing like she’s almost asleep again, and Vi tucks her chin against that soft, dark hair, inhaling the faint lavender smell of her shampoo. With a content sigh, Vi rests her cheek against the top of Caitlyn’s head, eyes closed and a smile on her face.
For now, there is peace.