Stef held the door open for her partner who stumbled through it, giggling as she grabbed Stef's arm to steady herself. Stef smiled at her, grateful to be home after such a long night. Kelly and Jenna's annual Halloween party was always a success and with their three young children at her dad's they had been able to go this year. But despite the contradictory evidence Lena was displaying, partying until two in the morning was not usual for them anymore and Stef had spent the last two hours longing for her bed.
"Maybe you should have quit before that last glass of wine, love." Stef closed and locked the door behind them, darkness flooding the porch when she flipped off the light.
"Pfft." Lena dismissed the idea, still giggling. "I'm fine." She straightened her back, standing tall and rigid. Carefully placing one foot in front of the other she slowly walked toward the stairs. Her black stilettos, which she'd taken off in the car on the way home, hung from her finger by their ankle straps.
"Sure, honey," Stef said, rolling her eyes. She caught up to her as Lena mounted the stairs. Holding one hand just away from the small of her back, Stef followed her; sure to stay one stair behind. "Your butt looks really good in that cat suit." Stef said, enjoying the view.
"You think so?"
"Mmhmm." Lena stopped abruptly to wiggle her hips at Stef but she lost her balance. In a panic to grab the bannister she overcorrected and fell back. Instinctively Stef gripped her by the waist, pulling her in tight against her body. Adrenaline pumped through her and she stood there still for a moment, clutching her partner while her heart slowed.
"Are you okay?" She asked, finally confident that they were both steady. Lena just laughed hysterically, half of her face hidden behind her black mask with pointed ears at the top by her forehead. Stef sighed, shaking her head, a smirk pulling at the corners of her mouth. "Clearly." Before she could resist, Stef wrapped one arm beneath Lena's knees and lifted her off of the stairs.
"Hey! I'm fine," Lena demanded, still giggling and kicking her feet in protest.
"And I'm just making sure it stays that way, love." Stef carried her up the rest of the flight of stairs and down the hallway. As they entered their bedroom Lena covered half of Stef's face with her hand in what Stef believed to be an attempt to cup her cheek.
"You take such good care of me." Lena's words ran together slightly as she spoke.
"I do my best." Stef laid her gently on her side of the bed, took her shoes from her hand and set them on the floor by the nightstand. She turned to walk into the bathroom but Lena grabbed her arm and pulled her back. Stef sat down on the edge of the bed, her body instantly relaxing as she sank into the soft mattress.
"Yes, my love?
Lena pushed herself up onto her elbows and took a long sweeping look at Stef through her mask. "You are a hot lumberjack." Her voice was low but instead of the sultry effect she was going for she sounded like her tongue was swollen.
"HA!" Laughter burst from Stef. "Now I know you're drunk!" She shook her head and tried to stand up but Lena pulled hard on her arm again so that she was laying half over her. She pulled her face down and covered her lips with an open-mouthed, sloppy kiss. Stef pulled back, wiping the wetness from her mouth. "Honey, I'm exhausted," she said, gently.
"Come on. I even dressed up like Cat Woman for you. I know you've always had a thing for her." Lena ran her fingers beneath the collar of Stef's plaid shirt.
She smiled down at the pouting lips of her inebriated lover who was now fumbling with the buttons of her shirt. "You're right, and I love the costume. But I don't think you're in the best shape for sex tonight, sweetheart, and I know I'm not. Why don't we try this in the morning?" She raised her eyebrows suggestively. "It's been a long time since we had a kid-free morning."
"How about both?" Lena had abandoned her failed attempt at the buttons and had resorted to tugging the bottom of Stef's shirt out from the waist of her jeans. Her hands roamed the skin beneath and despite the exhaustion pulling at her eyelids Stef felt a quiet stirring of arousal.
"Fine," she said, smiling. "Just let me go wash the makeup off my face." She kissed Lena softly on the lips before getting up to walk to the bathroom. Looking at her reflection she couldn't help but chuckle. She tried to imagine Lena saying she found the fake stubble that covered the bottom half of her face attractive while sober and laughed harder. It looked absolutely ridiculous. She rubbed soap across her face, the lather turning gray as she scrubbed the makeup off. The water was warm on her cheeks as she rinsed and rubbed her face dry with a hand towel. She stripped her clothes off and threw them into the hamper beside the door then padded back into the bedroom, the hardwood floor cold beneath her bare feet.
"Okay, honey. Let's – " She was interrupted by a rumbling snore. Lena was passed out on her back, limbs sprawling out across the bed, wearing nothing but the Cat Woman mask; her costume in a pile on the floor. Stef laughed quietly at the sight, reminded of their first few years together when late nights were a bit more commonplace. She pulled the comforter up to cover Lena and brushed back a lock of curls from her forehead. Though she knew Lena would sleep through an apocalypse at this point, she gave in to the instinct to creep across the room to switch off the light and around the bed. Slowly she slipped beneath the blanket on her own side. Pulling the mask off of Lena's face cautiously, she set it on her own night stand before placing a soft kiss on the corner of Lena's half-open mouth. She laid her head on her partner's bare chest, wrapping her arm around her waist. And as the sound of her snoring filled the room, Stef's last thought before gratefully surrendering to sleep was just how truly lucky she was.