Disclaimer: I don't know what to say. Honestly, I'm not even sure I have enough money to buy lunch this week. No, I don't own them.
I actually hate the word "forever". Must be my commitment- phobia coming through. Still, it all started with that little word...
When the day is short
And the nights are long
It's a different world
Where the rules are wrong
- Martha Wainwright
When the day is short
"Forever." he whispered into the crook of her neck, his mouth nuzzling her hair. He closed his eyes, tried to take in the feel of her as her back pressed into his chest.
"Forever's a long time." she replied serenely, resting her head against his shoulder.
The afternoon sun slanted through the window and spilled across her skinny calves onto the couch. A leather couch, not very comfortable but comfortable enough to let the hours slip by as they defeated sleep.
Her body felt heavy, oh so sleepy and his arms skimming up her naked arms, warming the skin the old air conditioner had cooled, felt light and wonderful. Resting here with him, looking forward to a shower and a long sleep, she was the incarnation of tranquility.
"Too long?" he asked slowly, as if he was scared of her answer. His hands wandered across the straps of her top and lined out her collar bone. Such a gorgeous bone, right beneath that thin layer of skin. She closed her eyes, loved the feel of his finger exploring her body as if it was a map laid out in front of him.
"No." she answered. She felt him smile against her neck and turned into the touch. Reaching out, she grasped his hands and pulled them down to rest on her bellybutton.
"Good." His voice was sleepy; she untangled herself from him, got up on shaky legs and reached out a hand to him. They needed to sleep and they needed to wash the fear away. They deserved it.
"Care to join me in the shower?" she asked quietly and winked. He smiled at her as he took in her face, resting on the shadow of a scar on her left cheek. So close… What had taken him so long in the first place? Nodding, he followed her into the bathroom.
The warm spray hit her face as she breathed in the humid air, feeling like a bystander as the last weeks and months slipped from her skin and ran down the drain. She felt like a snake shedding her old skin, the new one oh so sensitive to the touch of water and his fingers as he quietly stepped behind her, ran a hand underneath the wet sheet of hair tumbling down her back and kissed the side of her head.
Shared showers had become a common thing, one that he'd had trouble getting used to. Sleeping with her, eating with her, being with her was easy. He'd fallen into that with more ease than he'd ever imagined. Taking that next step into absolute trust and comfort had shocked him, scared him even. But she, with her endless patience had coaxed him out of his shell, out of his clothes, really, and as she had brushed her hands across his wet skin, she had brushed away his last resistances. She had gotten under his skin.
He massaged shampoo into her hair; she did the same for him, rubbed shampoo into his curls while her eyes never left his. When they climbed into bed, both carelessly towel dried, they curled up close to the middle.
"I was scared." he confessed, curling his fingers around her hand.
"So was I." Her legs tangled with his, drops of water the towel had missed warming where their skin met.
Months of trying to outsmart a killer had culminated in this. A scar unrelated to the case, two small purple dots just below her collarbone, off to the right; glass cases filled with models stored in his office and a confession to people they had kept a secret from for the better part of two years.
All the work, the frustration with the case and with each other had brought them here. And yes, they had gotten frustrated with each other but they had sailed through that rough ocean and now they were here, in this darkened bedroom and as her fingers trailed along his jaw line lazily, he sighed a sigh of relief.
"I'm glad we're here." he stated, making her chuckle.
"Why wouldn't we be?" she teased. So much had happened, so many obstacles and fears that they had had to overcome. Spontaneous sabbaticals, people she personally had hoped never to see again, cases that left them both empty and a killer that had made things personal.
It hadn't been easy. She had learned early in life that what doesn't kill you makes you strong. And they were stronger now, as a couple. They had grown together while they had been scared of growing apart.
He smiled at her, pushed a strand of wet hair back behind her ear.
"Your hair's going to be curly tomorrow." His hand in her hair, he twirled a strand around his finger and let go, letting it fall in front of her face.
"I thought you liked it curly." she said quietly. He smoothed the strand back softly.
"I do. I love you, you know?" he said sincerely.
"Yeah, I do." She smiled and leaned into him, pressing a kiss to his lips. It was slow and sweet and meaningful and when they broke apart, she rested her hand on his cheek.
"Good night." she whispered sleepily, her eyes slipping closed as her hand slipped into his again.
The End.