A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.



(F/n)'s watch had been uneventful. The haasna had never traveled back, and no unexpected visitors had revealed themselves. With her time passing, she rolled from her left side to her right. Tarhuinn seemed to be fast asleep. His chest's steady rise and fall almost lulled her to sleep. Her body wouldn't permit her too much more time to stay awake, so she called out his name quietly a few times.



This produced the desired result as he steadily began to awake. His dark blue eyes met her (e/c) orbs before he gave her a simple nod. Taking the signal, it wasn't long before her eyelids closed. It barely took a blink of the eyes before she drifted into sleep's embrace. If she could be awake at the same time, she would've surprised herself with how truly exhausted she was.



Switching to rest on his back, he positioned her so that his chest could serve as her pillow. She snuggled into him almost immediately before she settled down again. He made sure that the cloak was secured around them, more her than him. A content sigh escaped her lips while her hands gripped at his shirt lightly.



His right fingers brushed across her forehead softly. Her smooth skin was chilled with the cool night air, and her parted lips gave away her breath. She turned her head so that she could hide her face more in his shirt. Bringing his fingers back, he ran them over her silken locks. He twirled a couple of strands around his index finger. The strands slid off gracefully like a lone petal drifting to the ground.



Most of his attention was on her while some was partitioned to their surroundings. This was the case until the area grew somewhat brighter. A gap had opened up in the clouds. The moon's light shone down on the region while stars twinkled beside it. He was partially tempted to wake her up so that she may see the spectacular sight. On other nights, he had viewed something similar, but it seemed all the brighter now that he had her back.



The clouds didn't withhold, however. Droplets of rain started to fall a little distance off. Moonlight and starlight caused the beads of water to sparkle some, giving away the exact location of the wall of rain. They were under decent enough cover, and they may only receive a few droplets on them. If the rain grew heavier in its fall, then they may get quite wet.



Even though such a fate may befall them, he appreciated the scene before them. It was peaceful and beautiful. To its soothing tune, he found himself lightly humming. The notes were quiet enough that it wouldn't wake (f/n), but they were clear otherwise.



As the falling water progressed towards them, he didn't realize that his voice had increased in volume to be heard alongside the drip-dropping of the rain. The tune began to tug at the ears of (f/n). She shifted a little, which alerted him. He lowered his voice, but the strings had already been played.



Vision of the world returning to her, she kept herself still. Her ears picked up the sweet sound. They were called to it. It was as though they were listening to a myriad of the most pleasing tunes. Maybe, it was just Tarhuinn's voice's effect on her. His humming most likely was different to other ears, but she didn't mind. She was enchanted by it.



Gaze moving to the rain, she spotted it nearing them. Soon enough, it fell upon them. It was only a few drops, but the feel of the icy water made their matched pace all the more real. His voice seemed to meld with the rain, yet it contrasted the coldness of it. If they could dance upon the stars and be warm among them, that would be a near perfect description of what greeted her ears.



Sleep kept its arms around her, however. The beautiful humming had tempted her to wake up, but it was now doing the opposite. It melted away the fears of the night and replaced them with a loving enfoldment. Her eyes complied with the comforting shroud and closed once more. While she returned to a dreamless sleep, his humming was the last thing that she heard for that evening.



~~~~~~~~~~



Come morning, the rain had passed, but the clouds had remained. Any sound of water came from the stream. Sitting up, Tarhuinn gently placed (f/n)'s head on his lap while the cloak still covered most of her form. A small yawn escaped his lips as he stretched his arms. His eyes scanned over the nearby region. He spotted nothing that would bother them. So, he decided that he could let her sleep a little longer.



With his left hand, he reached over and fished out a piece of dried meat. His sharp teeth wished to tear through it, but he made himself eat slowly. If he ate at the pace that he wished, their food supply would be diminished by a decent amount. He caught another yawn, but this time it wasn't his own.



Staring downwards, he watched her blink open her eyes. Her hands traveled towards her face before she rubbed the sleep away. Or, she tried to anyway. Tiredness remained in her eyes upon her meeting his gaze. A gentle smile graced his lips as he wished her a good morning.



A chuckle parted from her. She proceeded to sit in an upright position. The cloak covered her legs as it did his some. Supporting her weight with her right hand, she covered her mouth with her other hand while her quiet laughter continued. In response, he raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure what's amusing to you, (f/n)."



Hand descending some, her left index finger pointed to her lips. She parted them and tapped the space between her left front teeth. A grin upon her lips, she stated, "You have something there."



Embarrassment washed over his countenance. He looked away from her before quickly removing the piece of meat from between his teeth. His reaction only caused her to laugh more. It was cute to view him in such a light, especially over a simple matter. She knew that he wasn't a disorderly eater, but there were things that he couldn't prevent all the time.



"Maybe, that's telling you that you shouldn't eat breakfast without me," she joked as her laughing started to die down a bit.



"If I were to follow that, it would defeat the purpose of me getting most of the food," he countered while he now wore his own smile. "Besides, I liked having you cuddle up next to me. During our travels today, you should stay close and under my cloak. That'll keep us both warmer."



"Yes, and it'll prevent me from eating breakfast since I suspect that you would be carrying me in that scenario," she pointed out, jabbing her left index finger at his chest accusingly. "That, I'm not going to allow. I made you breakfast yesterday, so I expect a fair share of breakfast today in payment." Before she could reach over to one of their packs and pull out some food for herself, Tarhuinn grabbed her wrist and tugged her to him.



"I do suppose that you're right. I should treat you to breakfast," he voiced, his face several inches from hers. It was only moving closer, and he stopped when his lips hovered over hers. Contact between their pair of lips never occurred, for he let go and placed his hands on her hips. Lifting her up, she gave out a cry of surprise before she was seated on his lap.



Back to his chest, he wrapped his right arm around her waist. He hadn't pressed her back to him too hard, which was considerate given that the bruises were still somewhat sore despite the salve. His left hand reached over to his pack and retrieved a piece of dried meat for her. Holding it to her lips, he asked, "Well, aren't you hungry?"



"It'd be nice to eat on my own, but if you wish to make me lazy, so be it." She pushed back the heat which rose to her cheeks and parted her lips. Biting off a piece, she smiled in delight at having food. It wasn't warm fish soup, but it did aid a hungry stomach. (F/n) continued to partake of the strip of meat until it was finished. Tarhuinn retrieved some dried cherries and fed them to her individually. No complaint left her.



Rather, she managed to steal some from him and hold them up to his mouth. "I thought that I was meant to spoil you this morning?" he questioned, and she assumed that there was a smirk upon his lips.



"Yes, but I'm increasing your payment to me. When we return to our home, I expect you to make me a grand feast. Then, we'll be even."



After taking a cherry, eating it and swallowing, he moved her once more. She stayed on his lap but now faced him. Before he took another cherry, he commented, "I had planned that anyway. On the night that we return home, I intend to make sure that you fulfill your promise to me. It's going to be quite a special evening." He bit into the cherry and stole it from her fingers before she could accidentally drop it.



There was definite heat in her cheeks now. "Well, aren't you going to feed me the rest of those? Or, do I have to do so myself?" Pursing her lips, she took the remaining amount and pressed her whole hand to his mouth. His eyes shone with clear amusement, and he looked like he wished to say something.



Pushing her hand against his face, she got up from his lap. She took her hand away and stood to her feet as she held onto the cloak. (F/n) kept it around her shoulders before she picked up her pack. After she slipped it onto her shoulders and draped the cloak over it, she looked down to him. He was eating the dried fruits while a smug expression coated his countenance. "At least you can't say anything more for the moment," she muttered with a roll of her eyes.