𝙷𝙱𝙾 𝚆𝚊𝚛 𝙸𝚖𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜

Can't Help Falling In Love | Shifty Powers

Had trouble with early drafts, then a youtube spiral saved me and inspired me with the right way to write this. I listened to Can't Help Falling in Love while writing this and had that eureka moment when this song popped up, so if you need a song to listen to while reading, that's the song. Implied female reader? Post-war fluff. Mentions of nightmares and PTSD.

~~~

Shifty lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. His thoughts drifted from one to the next, never settling on one for too long. He wondered how long it had been since he tried falling asleep.

"Honey?" your groggy voice interrupted him. He turned his head to see you with your eyes still closed, but a small smile was tugging at the corners of your lips. 

"Can't sleep." he explained, though he knew you knew he couldn't sleep. He didn't think anyone who came back could. 

"Could you....could you sing me to sleep?"

You opened your eyes and reached a hand out to cradle his face. "Well, I'll do you one better. Come on, we're going to help you relax a little; you've been so tense."

Shifty wondered what you were up to when you rolled over, quickly pulled a jacket on, and tugged him out of bed with you. Your hand gripped his reassuringly as you made your way to the front porch, the cool early morning air making him shiver. You still held his hand as the both of you settled on the porch swing.

He sighed as the swing gently rocked back and forth. He looked down at you, head in his lap. You looked very much awake now, with a beautiful smile on your face as your eyes wandered the dark sky.

"The stars are always pretty, aren't they?" you murmured. "Twinkling like they're always in a party or something."

Shifty grinned. "How about we have our own party here?"

You turned to look up at him. "Now?"

"It's more like a two-person event, but why not?"

You sat up, your smile never leaving your face. "I do think that is a good idea."

Shifty stood up with a playful grin and bowed, holding a hand out to you.

"Shall we dance?"

You nodded. "Why, yes, of course."

Taking his hand, you began to slow dance with him, swaying and laughing and spinning around. Imaginary music filled the air, a melodious tune well suited for dancing under the stars with your significant other.

He smiled. Really smiled. He didn't think he'd felt himself smile that genuinely since before the war and fighting. 

The nightmares and intrusive thoughts drifted away. All his fears were forgotten in the moment. He cherished these moments with you. Your smile, your laugh; he couldn't deny that even though he and you were married, he fell more and more in love with you with every passing day. It seemed as though every other day, there was always something new about you that he didn't know of before.

He dance the night away with you, laughing with you as he twirled you around. The hours passed by in the blink of an eye, and before he knew it, he was spinning you once more, with a backdrop of red, purple, orange, and yellow streaks in the sky.

His hand cradled your face, and he studied the light as it caught on your eyes and glinted off of them, a soft smile on his face.

"I love you, so much." he whispered.

"And I, you."

He pressed a soft kiss on your forehead, then on your nose, then a last one on your lips, each one lingering longer than the last. 

When the sun began to peek over the tops of the trees, it was Shifty's turn to tug you to the bench, and sitting you down before he muttered a soft "I'll be right back." and disappearing back into the house. He reappeared seconds later, two pillows in hand.

He tucked them against one of the arms of the porch swing, leaning back against it and pulling you back against him. You intertwined your fingers as he wrapped his arms around you, watching the rising sun as you drifted off to sleep.

Shifty stayed awake a bit longer than you did, watching the sunlight grow brighter and brighter as it shed its golden light on you. You were stunning in the sunlight, he thought.

He pressed another kiss to the top of your head before leaning back against the pillows and allowing his eyes to close. He didn't have nightmares this time. They would come back, no doubt. 

But not today.