AN: This was inspired by Ed Sheeran's "Wake Me Up". I think I spent a good lot crying about it before deciding to write it. This is dedicated to Rachel because I love her and you should all read her work "Where Soul Meets Body". I'd love to hear your thoughts about this too. :)

The smell of the sea always lingered in the grounds of their District. Though it coincided with the usual smell of the fish brought about in the early mornings, it doesn't cover up the mere fact that it is home. The sun's rays are just beginning to spread its way throughout, but it's enough to remind him to wake up.

He takes a deep breath, and shifts his position in the bed, admiring how warm it is and how he had missed its invitations to sleep. The silk textile glides over his skin and tempts him into falling back into his dreams, dreams that used to be nightmares plaguing him in every step. But his dreams nowadays have rarely been nightmares, they are filled with dreams he never desired to in his younger days but had always wanted to, they were impossible possibilities drawing and replaying in his head when the darkness claims him.

He opens his eyes to another figure sleeping on the other side of the bed. Her dark brown hair flows among the space between their bodies and he marvels at it for a moment, allowing his fingers to tangle themselves at it.

It wasn't this nice before.

Before all this, there were monsters hiding beneath the bed. Those nights he's haunted by the amount of things he'd been forced to do, they would eat him alive, spitting him out with feelings of disdain and regret.

They come as friends do, uninvited, barging and reminding him of things he had failed to. They plague him every time he tries to forget. On nights he'd come home from those monsters, he'd allow the anger to pour out with every object he'd hurl into the wall. He'd rather shatter such objects, reveling in the broken pieces instead of having those pieces stick into his skin.

Sometimes in shallow tides he'd immerse himself with, he thinks of drowning all the while removing the stains they'd left on his skin. He hates it when they leave marks, but not as much as he hates their voices piercing through his mind in lonely evenings when he'd write in blood curled anger, in shredded paper wishing for death numerous times than he could ever account for.

He reverts his attention back to the person sleeping next to him and admires the way his shirt fits in to her body, and the way her chest rises up with every breath she takes. He moves in closer to her and wraps his arms around her waist, burying his face in her warm neck, and thinks of the nights she'd hold him against the monsters. She'd paint him pictures of things that are pretty and beautiful and tells him of things he never dreamed of dreaming before.

He breathes in her scent, and traces kisses along her skin, loving the way she shivers underneath his touch. He always wakes her up with kisses just so he can hear her laugh and it's enough to start his day.

She shifts under his touch and giggles; he doesn't stop though and continues his actions, waiting for the right moment. A few more minutes of kisses, she relents, and playfully pushes him off her and opens her sea-green eyes to meet his.

"Good morning" she says and kisses him sweetly on the lips before looking back at him.

He smiles at her, and merely falls back into his side of the bed, and brings her closer to him, remembering past days when time would separate them and take her far from him. He remembers dark mornings in his bed, mornings filled with emptiness filling him up and monsters from last night and the clarity that it was all his fault and the horrible smell of blood would surround him and—

"Are you alright?" she asks cutting his thoughts.

"I am now." He says and looks at her concerned face and thinks of how bright she is. She is the candle in the dark, leading him away from the demons.

She isn't fazed by his assurance and brings her hands to his forehead in case, and looks at him like a mother would when her child would be lying.

"You're warmer than usual." She says.

"I'm always warm," he says with a cheeky grin allowing his words to settle in. Maybe she'd get his meaning like she always does, but today wasn't the day, he acknowledges this when she stands up.

"You should stay in bed today then; I'll bring up your breakfast if you want." She says, pulling on a robe. He pouts at this and pulls at her arms

"Annieeee" he says. He pulls her back to him, and wraps his arms at her waist.

"Finnick!"

"Let's just stay in bed today" he whispers in her ear, loving the way she shivers underneath. He holds her tighter. She struggles playfully, annoyed by his actions.

"If we stayed in bed today, we'd all starve" she says narrowing her eyes at him.

He chuckles at her words, "How about a morning starter?" he suggests, wiggling his eyebrows at her before she breaks out in laughter, and pushes herself off of him. He whines again before she presses her lips against him surprising him this time. He closes his eyes and deepens the kiss, putting his hand on her back, loving and memorizing every moment of it.

She pulls back, breathless and smiles noticing his gasps for air.

"Will that make up for a starter?" she asks.

"That will do for now," he says.

They both laugh before she kisses him again and say "Come down for breakfast soon."

He watches her leave, and thinks of the things he has to do today, and puts his arms behind his head staring at the ceiling, smiling at how everything in his life is finally at its place. The monsters had come and gone, but sometimes they visit bits by bits and he tries not to fall back into them. They are fading memories, slowly dying bit by bit.

He decides to help Annie downstairs and sits up when he sees a pair of sea green eyes and bits of bronze hair looking at him curiously at the end of the bed and smiles. He pats at the space besides him and watches as the small girl tries her best to climb the bed. Annie would always tell him how she would take more of him than Ronan had but he scoffs at her comments because he had always wanted the kids to take more of their mother.

She walks steadily towards him, with a smile that makes his heart swell because she has her mother's smile and how proud he is that she's practicing her first steps. He holds her arms to steady herself and kisses her cheeks, before he greets her a cheerful "Good morning, princess!"

She looks up at him, sea-green eyes curious and smiles as if finally recognizing him, and says her first words "Da-da"

And he remembers the first time she had said it, they were at his boat, fishing. Ronan was seated beside him, holding a fishing rod and asking questions about fish dishes. Annie was on Ronan's other side, holding little Shelly who was curiously looking at her brother who was swishing his rod thinking he'd finally caught one. He laughs at his son's actions whilst Annie explains to him the value of being patient making him roll his eyes. She reprimanded him too, saying how he acts more like a child than his own. He remembers looking at Shelly before Annie makes her promise not to act like him. And it was at her mother's words that she suddenly said "Da-da" surprising all of them.

He looks back at this one year old girl looking back at him before carrying her in his arms, and joining his wife in the kitchen. The smell of pancakes lingers in the air, greeting their stomachs. Ronan who was currently pouring milk in his cup sees them and jumps off from his chair hugging his legs.

"Morning to you too, little man!" he greets.

"You said we're going to make sandcastles today" he says.

"I did?" he asks, trying to remember when he promised such words.

"Yes you did! You said it last night before bed!" he said, a frown forming in his face.

He laughs again, and places Shelly on her chairs replying, "I guess I did" chuckling as he says it. Ronan goes back at his chair, satisfied that the promise made was intact. He takes a seat between his two children, just as Annie hands him his share of the pancakes and his cup of coffee.

"Five sugar cubes, like you always want" she says, her eyes twinkling at his.

"This is why I love you," he replies, smiling back and reaches for a kiss.

Ronan makes a noise of disgust making both of his parents laugh, to which Annie gives him a kiss in reply.

It was another good morning for them. Mornings filled with love and satisfaction. He watches Annie, fix Shelly's bib and Ronan pouring syrup in his pancakes and savors in these moments like words written in paper.

These were little things that burned in the back of his mind in the dark. They were things that brought him home, that can extinguish the monsters, leading him back to the light.

And he was sure that no matter how much he'd be haunted, he was always brought home.