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Another late night fell quickly into another morning that came all too quickly. Her own alarm wasn't even the one to go off, and thus her hand never had to leave the form she was so close to. Arms completely enveloped the lawyer as her eyes squeezed shut, not ready to face any sign of day yet. Instead, Natalie found herself pulling closer to her counterpart, nose pressing against the curve of her neck.
She knew that she would eventually have to shift. It was already determined that staying the night was a dangerous idea, but there lived no regrets in the decision. At least from the trainer's point.
Eyes still closed, she tilted her head up a fraction, lips pressing to Teddy's neck lightly.
It was beginning to become a common occurrence to sleep in a bed that wasn't her own with a body that seemed to love to hold her close. Teddy always fell asleep the way she woke up; wrapped in another being that was faster than she was at affection in the morning.
Fortunately, she'd been smart enough to leave at least some clothes behind for mornings like this. She didn't have to be up well before the sun to be ready in time for work. But for once, work was the furthest thing from her mind until the alarm set for it started to flare.
The lips against her neck kick-started the way she moved, and she reached out to blindly catch her device while the other hand soared across the arm around her waist. Eyes dragged open as she held the screen up, and she swiped her thumb across it to dismiss it entirely. Then she set the device down without a second thought.
Without the aid of her own eyes, Natalie could only assume that the alarm was set to snooze. She was thankful for the extra minutes it entailed, because although Teddy didn't have to wake up painfully early in order to return home and get ready, Natalie still selfishly wanted to keep her in bed. It was only encouraged by the hand that pressed on top of her arm, drawing a little squeeze out of her like she really could get closer.
Briefly, she tried to open her eyes, but exhaustion put up a battle as they immediately fell shut again. Instead, she pressed another kiss to the lawyer's shoulder.
A few more minutes wouldn't hurt, especially when it was all too easy to fall back asleep.
With her phone out of the picture, Teddy kept her eyes closed, revelling in the small connection against her shoulder. If nothing else, she was fully aware of the fact that her counterpart was awake. She wondered if the animals that often stirred her were already pining for her attention.
Minutes passed and no new alarm followed. There was nothing to pull her attention from anywhere but this exact moment. When she had the strength to, she finally moved the hand that held her. But she didn't try to drag it away like she usually would. Instead, she drew it up towards her mouth, lips brushing against the back of her hand lightly.
There was distinct comfort in laying there without disturbance. From the other side of the door, she knew several animals wanted to come inside, having heard the alarm just as loudly as Natalie did. Though her plans to move when the lawyer got up didn't seem to matter. She wasn't shifting, and although Natalie found herself slowly waking up, she didn't make an effort to get up, either.
When her hand was taken, the trainer was sure it was because it was going to be moved. Instead, she found herself surprised to feel it pulled towards Teddy's lips, making her own curve up into a lazy smile.
"Morning," she spoke against her skin, voice low to match the quietness of the early hour.
Something far better than her alarm broke the silence in the room. She sounded tired, and it was hard not to be a little smug about the fact. The quieter tone to the singular word reminded Teddy of just how thoughtful she was. At least she hadn't tried to make her move yet; this might have been the most selfish she'd ever been.
"Good morning, Natalie." Teddy replied then, still refusing to make a definite move either way. Still, she had to ask; "Did you need to get up?"
A quiet greeting was better than any sound an alarm could make, even if it didn't serve the purpose of waking them. By the way Teddy had moved, it was obvious she was already pulled from her slumber. Natalie pressed another thoughtful kiss against her skin, wondering if she could feel the way she smiled against her.
"Not yet, but I'm guessing you'll have to." By no means did she want Teddy to actually pull herself out from under the covers, but the trainer new it was inevitable. "I can make you coffee, though." She was already awake, so it couldn't hurt.
Another kiss against her skin and it forced an audible breath from her lips. It was unfair how easy it was for her to pull a reaction from the usually stoic lawyer.
Teddy found herself practically grinning and the response she received. Her actions betrayed the sentiment she was trying to convey, but she still didn't make a move to fight her. She hummed lightly in her feigned consideration, and when she stopped, she tried her best not to let humour catch her voice.
If any sort of disagreement came up, Natalie expected it over the idea that she didn't have to get up out of bed, even if the lawyer did. Though that wasn't something to stop her after the first morning she had woken up in the trainer's bed. The least she could do to make the mornings easier on Teddy was to at least get some sort of caffeine in her system before walking out the door.
Surprise colored her features, and Natalie was a little glad that her face couldn't be seen, though that did little to hide it from her tone. "You're not?"
Bright eyes kept themselves closed. Though she couldn't see them either way, it was nice to get a little more peace without the aid of powered sight. Teddy squeezed the hand she held once for some kind of reassurance; the surprise was obvious with the question she posed, regardless of her tone.
"No." She replied, like she could really leave the entire conversation summed up with a single word. "I mean, I will eventually." She didn't live there, after all, even if she'd managed to secure a small portion of her closet.
"But I was thinking..." Her words dragged, like she was only just coming up with this plan on the fly; "I could work something out. Most of what I have lined up today are calls. I can do that anywhere."
There was no secret in the way Teddy took her work; it was a fact placed up front, and one that Natalie did her best to keep in mind. Now this was different. Unexpected. And she listened intently to the lawyer in case she misheard, but quickly realized she hadn't. An ego could have easily built up from the fact, but instead the trainer felt humbled for the opportunity. She doubted there were many people that could drag Teddy James away from her desk for a day, even if it was to work remotely.
She squeezed the hand that had taken her own before easing it away to press against the mattress. With the aid of her elbow to prop her up on the other side, she leaned over the lawyer, eyebrows raised. "You spoil me." She whispered.
Teddy waited for the weight of her proposal to hit the body behind her. It only took a few moments, but she finally let go of the hand she held at the first sign of movement. She felt a set of eyes on her all the while and even for herself it took a few seconds before she shifted back to look up. She caught her just in time to hear those words.
And she had to laugh, barely. "Don't count yourself lucky just yet." She pointed out, "You have no idea; I could end up being at arms length, but a million miles away." She hardly wanted to be a let down on her first attempt at putting someone above her usual workload.
Finally, she caught sight of those bright eyes. Even so early in the morning, she was beautiful, and forced the curve of her lip to grow higher. Even though Teddy was quick to point out that she shouldn't consider herself lucky, she absolutely did. "I'll take what I can get." Of course, she'd still let the lawyer do her work, but at the very least, she could be close to her, even if it meant they were both doing independent things while being so.
Her balance shifted to one arm, and with her free hand she was already reaching for Teddy again. Fingertips ran the length of her arm before she kissed her lightly.
There she went again, being so optimistic no matter what Teddy tried to offer. She took every opportunity to sell the positive side to being around her - let alone with her - with every answer she gave. It was so incredibly clever that one would almost assume she planned it, but Teddy knew better. It was just real; this was who she was.
It was hard to ignore the difference between them now that she could see her. Knowing she was there and actually taking in her presence were two very different things; it was unfair how glorious she always looked, no matter what she did. Breathtakingly stunning. She was finally graced with the chance to kiss her and it was one Natalie didn't squander, small as it was. She reached up and curled her fingers in her hair.
"I'll just have to call. In a minute." She added finally, humour catching her tone.
Although she kissed Teddy at the first real opportunity to do so, it felt long overdue. The hand in her hair was the perfect sort of encouragement to keep her to stay close, not that she had any desire to shift away in the first place. Her palm pressed against the lawyer's side, drawing her in through any space that could have possibly remained between them in their entanglement.
A small hum passed Natalie's lips in agreement, and she had to wonder how those at the firm would react to Teddy's lack of presence today. That within itself was enough to paint a humorous image in her head. "What will they do without you?" She asked, though given the way she held her, Natalie let her selfishness take over. She had no plans to let her go now that she knew she was staying.
