Midnight Clear... or Four in the Morning
I wrote this little ficlet for the nosmutforyou holiday challenge, and I thought I'd archive it here as well. I hope everyone had a nice holiday season. I got a sweater shaver and my kittens got a window seat! Hurray!
Title: It Came Upon a Midnight Clear... Well, More Like Four in the Morning
Author: wotcher_wombat
Characters: Lily Evans Potter, James Potter
Rating: PG for a married couple not having twin beds *gasp*
Word Count: 583
Summary: James has a revelation at an unreasonably early hour. Lily just wants to sleep.
Lily woke up with her face in a small puddle of her own drool. Turning her head away from the wet spot on her pillow, she blinked and tried to discern what had woken her so much earlier than her alarm clock. The walls of the dark room shimmered for a brief moment before the bed shrunk another few inches underneath her. The sudden shift must have woken James as well, because she could feel him stirring beside her.
She sighed and pulled the blankets tighter. “You renew the expansion charm,” she directed while letting her heavy eyelids close.
“I did it last time,” came his grumbling reply.
“I got take-away last week.”
“I took out the trash.”
“I’ve got your child inside my body.”
James laughed softly against the back of her neck, his hand wandering down to rest on her stomach. “You know, one day that’s not going to work on me. There’s got to be a cut-off at some point.”
“Not this morning.” Her eyes still closed, she smirked in triumph when she felt his warm body leave their bed, which had lost another few inches while they were talking. She dozed off while he performed the incantations to keep the dimensions of their room to a proper bedroom size instead of the slightly-larger-than-the-average-closet sized room their tiny flat actually offered. The next thing she was aware of was James climbing back under the covers, his hands running down her side.
She squirmed. “Your hands are like ice.”
“Heat’s on the blink again,” he mumbled. “Seems like it happens every time the room collapses. I’ll try to look at it…later.” His words were punctuated by a yawn.
She snickered and turned to face him under the covers. “Come here,” she sighed. “Let me warm you up again.” She inelegantly wrapped herself around her husband, her hair fanned out over his face, her leg slung awkwardly over his hip.
“You know, I was thinking-” he began, pausing to remove her hair from his face.
“No thinking, only sleeping,” she said, nuzzling closer to him.
“But it’s a good sort of thinking,” James continued. She could hear the smile in his voice. “Do you know what today is?”
“It’s early. Today is too early,” she groaned, flattening her nose to his bare chest. He chuckled, and she could feel the rumbling vibrations through her whole body.
“It’s December twenty-fifth. Christmas,” he explained, his voice full of awe.
“And for my Christmas present, you can let me sleep until a decent hour,” she muttered into his chest hair. “Sleep,” she insisted, squeezing his body for emphasis.
“But it’s our first Christmas,” he whispered. “All-all three of us.”
In her sleep-riddled state, it took a moment for Lily to realize what he meant. “Oh.” In the darkness she opened her eyes a tiny fraction and moved her head to look up to her husband’s face. She couldn’t make out his expression in the darkness, but she knew exactly what kind of smile he wore. “That’s… great,” she said lamely, having no idea what to say to this monumental revelation.
He laughed, and kissed the top of her head. “Happy Christmas, Lily.”
“Happy Christmas, James,” she sighed, her eyes drooping closed once more.
“Happy Christmas, little one,” James whispered, moving his slowly-warming hand to rest over where the baby lay between them.
The last thing Lily could remember was pulling the blankets tighter around her family. She smiled and drifted back to sleep.
Title: It Came Upon a Midnight Clear... Well, More Like Four in the Morning
Author: wotcher_wombat
Characters: Lily Evans Potter, James Potter
Rating: PG for a married couple not having twin beds *gasp*
Word Count: 583
Summary: James has a revelation at an unreasonably early hour. Lily just wants to sleep.
Lily woke up with her face in a small puddle of her own drool. Turning her head away from the wet spot on her pillow, she blinked and tried to discern what had woken her so much earlier than her alarm clock. The walls of the dark room shimmered for a brief moment before the bed shrunk another few inches underneath her. The sudden shift must have woken James as well, because she could feel him stirring beside her.
She sighed and pulled the blankets tighter. “You renew the expansion charm,” she directed while letting her heavy eyelids close.
“I did it last time,” came his grumbling reply.
“I got take-away last week.”
“I took out the trash.”
“I’ve got your child inside my body.”
James laughed softly against the back of her neck, his hand wandering down to rest on her stomach. “You know, one day that’s not going to work on me. There’s got to be a cut-off at some point.”
“Not this morning.” Her eyes still closed, she smirked in triumph when she felt his warm body leave their bed, which had lost another few inches while they were talking. She dozed off while he performed the incantations to keep the dimensions of their room to a proper bedroom size instead of the slightly-larger-than-the-average-closet sized room their tiny flat actually offered. The next thing she was aware of was James climbing back under the covers, his hands running down her side.
She squirmed. “Your hands are like ice.”
“Heat’s on the blink again,” he mumbled. “Seems like it happens every time the room collapses. I’ll try to look at it…later.” His words were punctuated by a yawn.
She snickered and turned to face him under the covers. “Come here,” she sighed. “Let me warm you up again.” She inelegantly wrapped herself around her husband, her hair fanned out over his face, her leg slung awkwardly over his hip.
“You know, I was thinking-” he began, pausing to remove her hair from his face.
“No thinking, only sleeping,” she said, nuzzling closer to him.
“But it’s a good sort of thinking,” James continued. She could hear the smile in his voice. “Do you know what today is?”
“It’s early. Today is too early,” she groaned, flattening her nose to his bare chest. He chuckled, and she could feel the rumbling vibrations through her whole body.
“It’s December twenty-fifth. Christmas,” he explained, his voice full of awe.
“And for my Christmas present, you can let me sleep until a decent hour,” she muttered into his chest hair. “Sleep,” she insisted, squeezing his body for emphasis.
“But it’s our first Christmas,” he whispered. “All-all three of us.”
In her sleep-riddled state, it took a moment for Lily to realize what he meant. “Oh.” In the darkness she opened her eyes a tiny fraction and moved her head to look up to her husband’s face. She couldn’t make out his expression in the darkness, but she knew exactly what kind of smile he wore. “That’s… great,” she said lamely, having no idea what to say to this monumental revelation.
He laughed, and kissed the top of her head. “Happy Christmas, Lily.”
“Happy Christmas, James,” she sighed, her eyes drooping closed once more.
“Happy Christmas, little one,” James whispered, moving his slowly-warming hand to rest over where the baby lay between them.
The last thing Lily could remember was pulling the blankets tighter around her family. She smiled and drifted back to sleep.