♗ + head scratches for band trees? (u kno me,,,)
holy shit these are cute together. I love them.
this is really short and it’s just. just fluff. the fluffiest
***
Evan did not sleep well.
It was something Zoe had learned early on; Evan was always just a little too anxious to fall asleep easily. Staying asleep was a whole other beast.
Another thing she learned? Evan was pretty adorable when he was sleepy.
(Not tired; Tired Evan was even more stressed than normal. Tired Evan would be an anxious buzz one moment, practically falling asleep on Zoe the other, and was prone to crying. Sleepy Evan, on the other hand, was all softness and quiet and calm; he’d tug Zoe’s hand close to his heart and press a kiss to her knuckles, or run a hand through her hair absentmindedly, or slip and call her sweetheart like his mother often did, or even just say “Zo’” a million times in a million gentle ways.)
Evan liked coming to the Murphy’s; Zoe knew it was a nice sort of different for him, away from the too empty house he lived in, especially when Heidi was at work or class. So they came to Zoe’s a lot, mostly doing separate things but enjoying the other being there.
One such afternoon, Zoe sat cross legged on her bed, strumming a few quiet chords. Evan had a book cracked open on his lap in Zoe’s desk chair, but he’d been watching her play for the better part of his time there.
She looked up at him while strumming another chord, a small smile set on her face. He smiled back, eyelids dropping a little. His hands twitched slightly where they were resting on his book. Zoe could tell, from the telltale traces of sleeplessness, that he had barely slept the night before.
Zoe set her guitar down gently next to her bed, gesturing for him to come over and join her. As he slowly stood and set his book aside, Zoe studied his fatigued look. He’d been coming to school looking more and more dragged down, which concerned Zoe a little. She wished there was something- anything-she could do to stop him from running himself down.
As Evan stifled a yawn, he sat down next to her, eventually choosing to lie down after a moment of deliberation. He lay his head in her lap a little tentatively, as if wondering if it was okay. She draped one arm over his chest and let the other run through his hair. Almost immediately, Zoe could feel his body relax, normally taut muscles loosening. He wrapped up her hand that was draped over him in his own, kissing the back of it before letting it drop over his chest, their fingers still entwined.
Her heart felt so full it could burst.
“Didn’t sleep well last night?” She murmered, focusing on the rhythm of her hand pushing through his hair. His eyes were already closed, and he hummed noncommittally.
“Mm,” he responded, clearly close to sleep. “S’ too quiet at night. Too still.”
Zoe hmmed back, a short, high note. She lightly scratched his scalp with her fingernails as she brushed through his hair, knowing the pressure helped to ground him. He smiled, the soft, sleepy smile she’d grown familier to seeing. He still held her hand, but his grip loosened slightly. She continued this as Evan’s breathing began to even out, letting the tip of her fingers graze his scalp. Almost absentmindedly, she started humming the same gentle song she’d played earlier on the guitar, letting the sound fill the room in a kind of warm lullaby. This seemed to do it; Evan was out like a light.
As she looked at him, snoring just slightly with his head in her lap, anxiety erased from his face thanks to the peace of sleep, she was filled with pride and a kind of hazy adoration. She could feel his heartbeat against her leg, a steady beat keeping her from floating off entirely. He looked so soft and warm, a tiny, content smile on his lips, still clutching her hand in sleep.
She really was a goner.
She ceased humming for a moment, even though she kept running her hand through his hair, and when he didn’t stir, she leaned quietly to press a feather-light kiss to his forehead.
“I love you,” she whispered to his still form, to his sleepy smile, and gentle snores. It was nice, to get it out in the open, even if he was asleep. It was the right environment. Her words ballooned in the air, filled the warm silence they sat in.
He was out, but in the way his mouth quirked up a little more, hand still gripping hers, she could have sworn an I love you was etched there.
Zoe leaned back a little against her backboard, letting her own eyes drift closed in contentment. She stroked her hand through Evan’s hair as she began to hum again, the sweet notes melting into the warmth of their matching smiles, something subtle and perfect and real.
