By Her Side
Disclaimer: I wish, but no, I don't own the characters/show.
Spoilers: Everything up to Season 2's "Next Tuesday."
Author's Note: Set right after "Next Tuesday," because as much as I enjoyed the episode I really wanted to see them get rescued in some capacity and so this little bit of ficlet fluff was born. Enjoy!
He's pretty sure that he's never resembled a prune this much in his entire life, but wrapped in a heavy wool blanket in a Coast Guard helicopter that doesn't have a pissed off squid in a box with a slumbering Magnus' head on his shoulder, he decides that maybe it was all worth it to get to this moment.
As it turned out the short radio transmission they'd been able to transmit had made it, but only in garbled bits and pieces. It had been a stroke of Magnus luck that they'd managed to hear enough of it to start a search and a pilot's hunch that had finally lead to rescue and the end of their most recent misadventure.
A misadventure which would have been far more pleasant between them, if he hadn't let his anger keep him from seeing the real reason behind her wanting him to stay close to home in the first place.
Ashley's birthday, it all made perfect sense looking back on Magnus' behavior when contextualized with that information. It also made him feel like a perfect ass for pouting like a child as he had over missing something as stupid as a conference in comparison.
Feeling her head shift against his shoulder, trying to find a more comfortable position, however, he decided that he would start making it up to her as soon as possible. The very least he could do was be a better pillow until they were on dry land once more.
Unwrapping his arm from the blanket, he carefully raised it to wrap around her own blanketed form. Watching, not without some amusement, as she unconsciously lifted her head from his arm as he moved to snuggle into the new niche he had provided.
Helen Magnus was a cuddler; wonders never did cease.
Feeling the eyes of the men who had rescued them, however, he simply smiled at their knowing looks before resting his own head against Magnus' for a well-deserved nap.
Soon enough they would be back home, and Ashley's birthday would arrive, and he would be there with her because she wanted him to be, because he needed to be. Until then, he would sleep, silently thanking his own luck for helping him to stay by this amazing woman's side as he tightened his grip around her waist, feeling her burrow closer still in response.
After all, there may be plenty of fish in the sea, but there was only one of her. And as his eyes closed slowly in exhaustion, he couldn't deny that any loneliness he may have felt before was long gone.