Abide » Alden

*UPDATED* 18. Breaker

It was still dark outside when Alden crept into his trailer. He saw Paesyn curled in on herself on the bed, her arms crossed against her chest. It was hot enough in the trailer for her to be comfortable without the blanket.

Alden sat on his side of the bed and took his shoes off. Then he took his shirt off and laid down beside Paesyn. He draped an arm around her waist, his hand over hers. He sighed before closing his eyes, content to be back in bed with his lover. He hoped to sleep in late after that shift.

—

When he opened his eyes, he was met with Paesyn's sleeping face. She looked peaceful and he felt his heart skip a beat. He caressed her cheek and traced her scar. He noticed the duality of how delicate the scarred skin looked, yet gave a badass impression. He loved how it paralleled Paesyn's own personality. She was always so tough but once he got closer, he was able to see the delicate tenderness of her heart.

At the feeling of his skin on hers, Paesyn's eyes fluttered open. Her gaze focused on the man mere inches from her. She admired his dazzling eyes, the way they sparkled whenever they made eye contact.

He admired her, too. In her eyes, there were layers upon layers of greens and browns, even golds. He thought if he looked hard enough, he would find all of the wonders of a forested landscape.

"Good morning." Her voice was deeper and laced with sleep. His chest felt tight when he heard it.

Alden smiled lazily at her. "Good morning, beautiful." Her face flushed at his compliment. She never knew what to do when he said things like that. She smiled and rolled her eyes, brushing off the flattery.

She pulled herself into his chest and hugged him close. She rested her head in the crook of his neck and closed her eyes. She inhaled his scent with a deep breath. It seemed both of them wanted to stay in bed all day.

Alden hugged her back tightly. He kissed her head before settling back on his pillow.

"How was night watch?" Her voice was muffled when it reached his ears. But he felt the vibrations against his chest as she spoke.

He shrugged slightly. "Boring. I would have rather stayed with you."

Paesyn felt her face grow hot at the memory. She was still amazed that she had someone who wanted to love her— to touch her. She had been touch-starved for so long, she figured that no one wanted to touch her anyways. That people found her repulsive somehow.
To her amazement, Alden was the opposite of what she had believed for years.

She pulled away from his chest and leant up to kiss him. When their lips separated, their eyes opened slowly. Alden noticed the bruising on her neck and collarbone. He let out a laugh.

"What?" Paesyn furrowed her brows.

Alden moved his hand to trace the hickeys. "Your neck. It's purple." He continued laughing.

Her face burned at the thought of her neck being covered in hickeys. At that moment she decided she wasn't going to leave the trailer until the bruises went away. She brought her hand up to feel her neck and rested her fingers over Alden's. He had a shit-eating grin as he gazed at his work.

"How bad is it?" Paesyn began to laugh.

Alden upturned his lower lip as he pretended to mull it over. "I'd say bad enough that if Tara saw it, you'd never live it down."

"That's like, with anything Tara finds funny." Paesyn chuckled, a faint snort mixed in.

Alden began to chuckle hearing Paesyn's laughter and soon the two couldn't stop laughing.