Almost

Chapter 17: Morning

Katherine woke early, her head groggy and heavy. Smithwick's tail was flicking her in the face in his sleep, which she would have been annoyed about if he weren't so cute and she weren't so warm. Still buried under her blankets, she looked out the windows that were letting in the warm glow of early morning sun. On her bedside table, the snow globe Crawley had given her their first Christmas was reflecting the golden haze. The little figurine Katherine inside was standing in the yard of the model of her Iowa home, unwrapping the scarf from her neck as it got warmer and warmer inside. She could see the tiny Corliss just beginning to fall asleep as she perched on the chimney, her back to the light. Nestor sat on the porch stoop, but his little blue body glittered every time he shifted. The snow globe had broken in the fight, but Crawley had fixed it for her—and admitted that the other aurors had nothing to do with the gift.

When she finally rolled over onto her back, she untangled her arms from her blanket and stretched them up past her head. With a contented sigh, she removed the tempering and prepared for the jarring race of static.

She took her time in the shower, doing a hair mask, exfoliating, and shaving her legs. When she got out, she dried her hair with her wand and set to creating loose waves that fell almost all the way down her back. Her makeup brushes called out to her and she swept and swirled and buffed a face together that finished with a little highlight and a thin swipe of rosy lipstick. Once she had on a gauzy blush blouse and dark jeans, her wand tucked in her waistband, she stepped quietly out of her bedroom.

It was early enough that Crawley would still be asleep, so she peeked her head into his door. The sun wasn't as golden as before, but the light still bounced through the windows and across his face.

She'd heard Ginny talking bluntly about the way Crawley and Harry, and even her brothers, benefitted from the same phenomenon. They might not be the most attractive men on their own, but something about the nature of their jobs and the confidence they carried made them more interesting.

But when he slept and all of that was swept away, Katherine still couldn't help the annoyingly girlish flutter in her stomach. It was especially irritating because, despite the polished look Crawley always had in his day-to-day life, he was objectively a ridiculous sleeper.

His mouth was barely open, and he snored. His arm was flopped over the side of the bed and if he moved at all, he might topple off the edge even though there was plenty of room on the other side. He gave her a hard time for kicking in her sleep, but she knew he was worse. His figure was deceptively still, but his tossing and turning was evidenced by the blankets all pooled at his feet. His hair was disheveled and stuck up around his head in a mess of broken waves. He always slept in a white t-shirt and plaid pants, both of which were wrinkled and askew.

It wasn't often she got to see him asleep, but it always made her breath still. It might take a lot for him to get comfortable, but once he did, there was an undeniable peace in the set of his face. His jaw was relaxed, and his chest rose and fell in slow, even motions. The light streaming in his room made the frizz of his hair look like a halo. Even the sound of his gravelly snores was more like white noise than disruptive.

Pulling herself from the doorway, she meandered down the stairs and filled the coffee pot. She let the steam and the roasty smell fill the kitchen as Corliss flew in through the window, back from hunting. The owl immediately came over to Katherine, hooting happily at her unexpected presence. Katherine scratched at her head, Corliss's sharp talons gently tickling the palm of her hand. When the coffee maker beeped, she carried her over to her cage and left her, sleepy and relaxed, to tuck into a slumber.

She poured two cups of coffee when she heard Crawley's alarm start to sound and wandered back upstairs. She gently opened his door all the way and stepped towards him quietly, quickly silencing the alarm that didn't seem to be riling him. Placing the two mugs on his bedside table next to the clock, she knelt by the side of his bed and began gently smoothing his hair. The moment really capsized her when the corners of his mouth turned up into a lazy smile and he let out a small, contented sigh.