Worlds Apart

Forewarning

Eadric and I manage to get to bed at a decent time that night, although I am evidently sure he does not rest for most of it given I wake to him sitting away from me, his legs swung over the edge of the bed and shoulders slumped with exhaustive thoughts surely weighing on his mind. The lights still off in the room indicate it is not even six in the morning yet.

"Morning." I greet anyways, prompting him to slowly turn to me. It is then that I take note of the even more pronounced pigmentation seated under his eyes.

"Aurora, what are you doing up?" He asks, clearly unhappy with this reality given his arguable expression having taken suit.

"I'm a pretty light sleeper." I manage despite this, the tail end of my words contorted some as I lift a hand to yawn into the back of it.

"Get some rest." He immediately orders, turning towards me to adjust the covers bundled at my waist.

"I will when you bother to try." I state, actually lacing my arms around his own now caged over my body to keep him from sitting back up again. "You need sleep, Eadric."

"As do you." He retorts, huffing as he positions himself to lay more comfortably beside me again on his stomach. He scoots up to set his head beside my own, both of us now facing one another as I leave my hands tucked over Eadric's arm now resting across my stomach. "You okay?" He whispers after a moment, as though this were an automatic impulse of his.

I release an amazed breath, my gaze a little wondrous given he would think to ask me something like this despite all of the worries likely occupying his mind at the moment. "I am." I assure him, however, once recovered.

"That's good." He states, nodding a bit.

I cannot quite bring myself to ask him the same as I turn to set my head back into the dense pillow below me again, well aware of what he would answer despite how he is really feeling now. So, instead of asking, I simply trail the tips of my fingers over Eadric's arm, my touch lighter than I ever thought capable as Eadric sighs, burying his face even further into the pillow until the tip of his nose grazes the hollow of my cheek.

He bends his arm then to cup the side of my waist, his elbow now resting over my lower abdomen as I continue to lightly trail paths into his skin for no particular reason. "It was hard being seperated all those months." He suddenly mutters after some time, his tone exhausted a bit.

"Do you think we needed the time apart, though?" I cannot help but wonder aloud.

Eadric takes a deep breath as he considers this, pulling back a bit to give me the space to face him once again. "You changed a lot in that time." He regards calmly. "Matured."

"You changed too."

"How so?" He asks, his eyes narrowing slightly out of curiosity.

"I already told you. You started actually smiling more." I tease, reaching out to squeeze his chin.

He reaches up to take my hand in his own as he ducks slightly to hide the grin ironically occupying his lips now. "I think it's just relief that you're still here." He tries after a moment.

"And that usually fades by the time another problem has arisen." I remind him, regretfully pulling in our current unfortunate circumstances into discussion.

Eadric's gaze drops momentarily as he takes in what I have said with another weighted breath. "Then... how about you consider this hope." He finally states, his expression softened yet confident all the same as he finally raises his head to meet my gaze once again. "Hope that you've instilled in me."

I unfortunately do not have the time to remark on Eadric's words as the doors sliding open from the hallway emerges, causing us both to tense accordingly. "Who the hell has a keycard?" I question aloud, moving to sit up at cautiously slow rate.