You stifled a yawn as your reread the same sentence for the third time that evening. "How are you faring, Miss Y/N?" Ichabod's voice drifted through your haze. "I'm alright, thanks." You glanced over at the tall brunette. His eyes were glued to the book in front of him, or so you thought. What you didn't know was that Ichabod was casually stealing glances at you as well. He liked you quite a lot and you liked him too, but Ichabod still hadn't found his true place in this time so a relationship was not possible yet.

You felt your eyes getting heavier. You had Ichabod had been in the archives for two days and had yet to come up with anything useful. The two of you had been swapping ideas for hours, taking breaks every now and then to catch up. "I just don't understand why we haven't found anything, Crane," you complained as you yawned again. "I agree. Our research has been fruitless and seemingly endless," he replied, grabbing yet another book. You decided to close your eyes for a moment.

The next time Ichabod glanced over at you, your eyes were shut tightly. Your head was resting on your arms on the desk and it was obvious that you were sleeping. Ichabod chuckled softly when you let out a light snore. Ichabod got up from his seat and carefully maneuvered you from your seat. He picked you up bridal style and carried you over to one of the couches in the archives.

Ichabod moved to lay you down on the couch, but you grabbed a hold of his coat and mumbled something that sounded like, "No." He internally debated on what to do for a moment before he realized that you were not going to let go. He sighed and sat down on the couch with you in his lap. With one hand, he ran his fingers through your (h/c) hair while he grabbed a blanket with the other. He spread the blanket over the both of you and sighed happily.

While Ichabod really wasn't used to such a showing of affection, but in that moment, he was content. He rest his cheek on your head and closed his eyes. He couldn't help but smell your shampoo and it made him smile. Ichabod listened to the sound of your breathing, steady and strong. After a few moments, it lulled him to sleep too with his arms firmly holding you in place. The two of you remained that way until morning.

When you woke up, you tried to stretch, but something stopped you. You opened your eyes and realized that it wasn't something, but someone. Ichabod. During the night, he must have shifted with you in his arms so he was laying down and you were laying on his chest. You gazed up at his sleeping face. You didn't think it was possible, but he was even more attractive. His face was peaceful for once. You watched him for moment before you began to feel like a creeper and he started to stir.

His eyes opened and he stared at you for a moment until he realized the position you were both in. He bolted straight up, knocking you to the floor in the process. "Ouch," you mumbled just loudly enough for him to hear. "Oh, my apologies, Miss Y/N!" Ichabod exclaimed, instantly stretching out his hand to help you up. Ichabod's face was the color of a tomato and you couldn't hold back your laughter. "It's okay, Crane. You took care of me last night and I appreciate it."

"But I have done so in a most inappropriate manner," he said, looking down at his boots. You shook your head and forced him to look at you. "Crane, there was nothing inappropriate about it. Nothing happened. We fell asleep." His blue eyes stared in to your (e/c) ones. "Forgive me. I am still somewhat unaccustomed to the social conventions of this time. In my time, it would be considered an impropriety for us to be alone in the same room together." You shook your head as he sank back down onto the couch. "Well in this time, there's not much that would be considered improper for two adults. Besides, you're alone with Abbie all the time, you live with her. So, what's the difference?"

"I do not love Abbie the way I-" Ichabod cut off, his face turning an even brighter shade of red. You felt your own face heat up when you realized what he was about to say. He loved you. You were still registering it as Ichabod was rambling out an apology. "Crane, chill. Why don't we go grab a coffee and a bear claw and forget this happened, okay?" He perked up at your suggestion and nodded. This was one of the many reasons he loved you. You were easily able to defuse any awkward situation and there were many of those with Ichabod. "Thank you, Miss Y/N. Perhaps, one day when things are not so complicated, we will be able to explore whatever this is between us." You stood up on tiptoe and kissed his bearded cheek. "I'd like that."xs7