Leonard,
His name whispered into my mentality like the ending wisps of a pleasant dream, long-since forgotten. A name that came so abruptly to my mind that it came forth upon a shaken breath from my mouth, uttered only in a soft whisper against my tearing pools.
"Leonard," I began again, barely coherent even to myself as I started forward.
Eyes widening slightly, my heart began in my chest like the speedy pounding of a drum. I felt a scream beginning to concoct within the deepest corner of my gut, welling slowly upward through my internal organs and catching in my throat. My feet moved forward subconsciously, without my being aware that I was suddenly being carried across the field and towards his luminescent, grinning face. Towards his opening arms as we closed the proximity between each other, and I felt myself colliding with his body.
All I could muster was a gentle, strangled noise in response; however, my only desire was to throw myself upon the ground before him and kiss his feet. Whilst his arms enclosed around my small, lithe anatomy and lifted upward, pulling my feet out of the grass and bringing me swiftly and firmly into his strong arms, a breath whooshed out of me, and the scream that still held within the lump in my throat nearly burst right into his ear. His scent whirled around me, and throwing my arms around his neck, I burrowed my face into the crook of his shoulder, inhaling deeply as I wrapped my legs tight around his narrow waist.
Five long years.
Five long years I have waited for this precise moment.
Five long years I have longed for him.
Cried for him.
Five long years had built up loneliness and longing, waiting until this very moment would allow it all to erupt into joy.
Happiness.
Feeling a shudder ripple through my body, I tightened my grip upon him and squeezed my eyes shut, reaching upward slightly and delving my fingers into his thick, perfectly groomed brunette mane. I could nearly feel his grin through the warmth in his face, feel the rumbling thunder of his gentle chuckling against me as he spun us around, face nuzzled into my neck.
I heard him mumble a few words against my flesh, however I hadn't the capacity to even begin to register their meaning against my own blithe, mental clamor.
"Oh Leonard..," I began softly, tears gathering at the corners of my eyes as he swayed slowly back and forth, thumb running back and forth against my shoulder.
His words rumbled against me, and at last I was beginning to make sense of them.
"-darlin'." he whispered, beginning to repeatedly kiss against me as I pulled my head back to repeat the gestures, grabbing his face between my open palms and kissing my lips against any flesh that was visible to me. His chuckles and gentle noises rang into my ears like the singing chorus of angels. His hand slowly easing against my thigh was ecstasy, and the other against the small of my back was the comfort of a million suns on a winter's coldest evening.
Our deep, relaxing inhales and exhales simultaneous, I pulled my lips slowly away from him, nuzzling my nose against his before our brows rested upon one another. There was a moment of silence passed between us as the emotions contained and overflowing within our small, precious human bodies seeped slowly into the flesh of the other, and vice versa.
Sighing slowly from my nose, I stroked my thumb slowly back and forth against his smooth, freshly-shaven cheek.
"My god, Leonard.." I began quietly, one hand smoothing back his hair - fixing his part before I nuzzled my brow once more against his. "My god."
"I know it," was his immediate response as he squeezed me to him, his smile unwavering. "God, don't I know it." he continued before leaning down and capturing my lips in a long, slow kiss that made my heart drop into my belly and then shoot upward and into my throat. My fingers tingled, my heart swelled, and I was breathless and weak by the time he pulled away.
Bestowed then barely enough time to catch my breath or even smile, his lips collided violently then with mine, and those five years in uncharted regions of space - encased in loneliness and frustration - bore out from him in passionate vibes of energy strong enough to blow over a house. There was a certain gentleness about his roughness - about everything he did - that could steal your breath away even with just the slightest caress, and steal my breath he did.
Gripping my fingers tightly into his hair - I squeezed his waist in my legs, eyebrows knitting together - and tugged lightly, rousing a gentle grunt from him just before he wrenched his mouth away, just as out of breath as I had become.
I felt his grip loosen around me, and upon that perception, I climbed down from where I had situated myself upon him, my feet at last touching earth beneath me and my hands lowering, fingers interlacing into the spaces between his where they fit immaculately.
Twas only then that I realized he had begun to tremble.
Smiling softly, I sighed and leaned forward gazing upward and into his Sinatra-blues as I kissed my lips gently, quickly against his - and once against his chin before I finally allowed myself to rest. Directing his arms around me, I pulled my hands from his and wrapped my own arms snug around his middle, kissing his shirted chest before resting my brow against it. Burying myself into it, longing to block out the rest of the world around us.
There was a gentle weight as he rested his cheekbone against the top of my head, arms comfortably snug around me.
"Five years in space.." he began, mind obviously still with the stars.
"I've missed you." I chimed in lightly against his pectoral, causing a gentle chuckle from him in response followed by an almost incoherent yet heartbreaking noise from deep within his chest as he smoothed an open palm back against my hair, as if that were the only way he could get any closer to me.
"I've missed you too." he mumbled against the top of my head, vocal chords vibrating against my cranium and speaking words so softly that they nearly lulled me to sleep.
Sighing against him, I felt my body press unintentionally closer to his, until I was shoving my form so immensely against his own form that he could have consumed me, like a plant took in the rays of sunshine during photosynthesis.
I couldn't be close enough.
For some reason, I could feel distance.. From him, from the world.
I just wanted him to absorb me.
To hold me, here, until the end of time -
until I just withered away in his arms.
I was happy to have him back, leaning against me and kissing me and embracing me.
Back against his thin body, with his scent surrounding me. I desired him suddenly in every way, and I knew that he would acquiesce to me without even a second's hesitance.
So why did I feel so far away?
So incapable of properly expressing myself?
Happiness, longing, and depression for the years lost.. I felt thieved of them.
What a combination it produced.
But he's here now...
I could feel the soft, velvet-like cotton fabric of his top underneath my thumb as I traced it back and forth against it, feeling almost every thread under my touch slowly until the rest of my hand joined it's movement. Running my palm, my fingertips up and over his bony shoulder blade until it returned downward again, stroking against the small of his back.
"You've gotten so thin..," I began, interrupted by his snort.
"Gotten thin? Are you sayin' I was ever husky?"
"Well no, but... Well." I stammered, finally moving slowly away to give my eyes the opportunity to properly drink him in. Hands finding one another instantaneously, my gaze fell, picked up quickly by his index finger guiding underneath my chin. "Hey now," he began, pursing his lips slightly and quirking that right eyebrow up towards the sky. "I thought you'd be at least little happier to see me."
His knuckle ghosted along my cheekbone, bringing my eyes closed and exerting from me a long exhale.
"I am happy." I corrected him, taking forth his hand within mine and kissing his palm - a smile tugging at the corners of my lips. "Happier than I can properly express.."
All he offered me in response was a smile and understanding silence, after he mumbled a quick "You're beginning to sound like that damn Vulcan."
The stroke of a hand to my hair. A kiss to my head.
"Are you here to stay?" I asked suddenly, fiddling with the small Starfleet insignia patch sewed flawlessly above his breast.
"Yes ma'm." he answered, taking my hand and holding it against his chest, smiling sweetly down at me as I gazed up towards him. Like a lovestruck child, he bore a glint of glamorous hope within his eye. "I resigned this morning," he continued, quirking an eyebrow upward. "I am officially a retired MD," he lowered is face down, closer to mine, and lowered his voice. "And entirely at your disposal for the rest of our lives..."
I had to smirk, eyes lowering to his mouth.
"That's certainly a relief." I reached up, stroking slowly the tip of my index finger slowly against his lips.
"Oh? .. and why is that, my dear." he continued, Georgia accent thickening slightly - more than likely without intention - and making me question whether he was making a statement or asking a question.
I hummed, at last bringing my gaze back within those deep blue pools, hands drifting back to hold his face between them.
"Because what I have planned for you later this evening may just take the rest of our lives."
With that, I grabbed him again into a kiss.
Tonight I would take back those five years of our lives.
And dammit, I would do it well.