Chapter One
Holly, as it turns out, is one of those people you can actually get away with giving socks to during Christmas time. On Gail's steadily growing list of "Holly quirks" is the ridiculous amount of socks this woman owns. And who knew there were so many different kinds? There are ankle socks for casual comfort. Plain, practical crew cut socks, "for the lab, because the downside to keeping dead bodies at an ideal temperature for examination is a pesky draft that sneaks up under your dress pants". There are also the thick wool socks that Gail can't help but tease her about, because as far as she's concerned they are only one small step away from fleece. Holly owns striped socks, socks for running, half socks, and even a strange mutant pair that Gail remains horrified by after learning that yoga socks are in fact a thing.
The first time Gail notices them, Holly is on the phone, pacing the hallway leading to her study room. She hears the words "retinal hemorrhaging" and immediately pulls a face, content to leave her girlfriend to her work before a flash of red, blue and yellow draws her attention. It takes a second to wrack her brain for answers to the familiar insignia but when it clicks she can't help but blurt, "is that Wonder Woman?"
Holly doesn't seem to hear the question and instead manages a quick smile followed by an apologetic look as she points to the phone attached to her ear. And before she can stop her, Holly is walking away, taking those fantastically nerdy pieces of cotton out of her sight. A week later, Gail finds herself snooping through Holly's dresser in search of the very same pair. It starts a cycle of stealth and sock theft, and each time Gail slips them on she can't help but smirk and think back to the days when she would sneak into Steve's room and immerse herself in his comic book collection.
She settles herself on the couch on one particularly lazy afternoon, idly wriggling her socked toes as she stretches and flips mindlessly through channels on the television. The next thing she knows, there are fingers running gently through her hair, and she opens her eyes to find a familiar crooked grin just inches away.
"Someone looks comfortable." Holly teases, shifting her caresses to the curve of Gail's cheek. Blinking away the last of her drowsiness, Gail simply hums in greeting and immediately reaches out to bring Holly in for a lingering kiss. Just as she tilts her head to deepen their embrace, she feels a puff of laughter against her lips. Holly pulls back, biting her lip and looking far too amused.
"Y'know, this wasn't exactly what I imagined when we eventually came back to the topic of sharing clothes."
"Huh?" Gail replies dumbly, blinking again and wondering why there were suddenly so many words in the air. She feels Holly tug at her socks suddenly, prompting her to look down and back up quickly as her eyes widen at the realization that she's finally been caught. Holly simply tilts her head, brown eyes shining even behind her glasses.
Gail narrows her eyes then huffs, feigning innocence and casual disinterest. "What can I say, nerd? I approve."
"Oh really?"
"Yes, really. You might have claimed a lack of agreement when it comes to our taste in clothes, but I made no such comments. In fact, I'm a little offended. Were you planning on revealing this level of nerdiness to me, or am I going to have to look through- mmph."
Holly rolls her eyes, cutting Gail off with a kiss. When she nips playfully at the blonde's bottom lip a second later, she feels Gail smile into the kiss before pressing closer. They break apart when Holly laughs again. She looks down at the hand wrapped around her wrist, hovering just above Gail's ankle. She feels the grip on her wrist tighten, and she's barely met Gail's eyes again before she's pulled unceremoniously onto the couch with her hands pinned above her head. Gail leans in closely, trailing her eyes over every inch of Holly's face before settling on her lips.
"Just so you know, I'm willing to discuss some terms and conditions for future ownership. Of these socks."
Holly smiles and shifts her body so that Gail's weight is resting against her more fully. "Whatever you say, Officer."
Author's Note: For those of you that have tumblr, this was inspired by the post about Holly's comfy socks.