Raiyuusha

Spike's sure he's woken up this content before, but hell if he can remember when he did. He just knows he remembers dinner and after dinner and hot tub and after hot tub and the sheets on the bed are pure linen and the light filtering in through the clouds is pure sun, and it lights the room in a way that whatever star lights up their asteroid at the end of the universe just doesn't do.

And there's Beth, sleeping with a little smile on her face, looking like the contented princess he knows she is. And he takes a private minute just to watch her, to kind of marvel not at how beautiful she is but how strong she is, in every way. Smart and gutsy and intelligent, and curious and brave and willing to try almost anything.

Sexy as hell, too.

He likes her scar.

He likes the way she carries herself.

He likes the way she soaks in every single experience, good or bad, fun or not.

He thinks he'll lean over and kiss her awake so she can see the Venusian early morning too. Then they can do the room service thing again, if she wants, and go check out that church she wanted to see. He wonders if she'll be amused by the computerized confessionals or if she's past being surprised by shit like that now.

And the birds, he wants to take her to see the birds. He wants her to have them drink nectar from a cup in her hand, because that feels like magic.

So he leans over and kisses her lips softly, then pulls back so he can watch her eyes open and greet the day.

"Morning."

He kisses her again.