things you didn't say at all

This was an Olitz mini fic prompt I received on Tumblr

Set sometime post S4.

Morning sunlight filters in through the curtains, casting golden-yellow rays over the tangled limbs on the mattress.

As dawn finally rises, Olivia Pope calmly takes stock of her new reality, turning to gaze at the nude man lying beside her with big blue eyes heavily lidded from lack of sleep. Her heart skips a beat at the sight and she grins at him boldly and broadly, feeling lighter and more carefree than ever before.

When he grins back just as brightly, she feels invincible.

Throughout the course of the nearly seven years she and Fitz have known one another, they've shared innumerable sleepless nights together making plans, making love – some of the best nights of her life.

But last night was different.

And now, with the sun rising on a brand new day, she finds she's not withdrawing or worrying; fixing or running.

Today, she's savoring.

Because today, she's in the Residence at the White House in bed naked as the day she was born with the love of her life, the married President of the United States – who, not even twelve hours earlier, had finally kicked his wife to the curb.

Liv looks at Fitz now – at the face she loves so much and the absolute reverence for her still in his eyes after everything – and she feels so happy in the moment she literally could cry.

"Morning," he whispers, the timber of his deep voice reverberating straight to the sore, dewy delta between her thighs.

Flooded with longing, she reaches for him wordlessly, aching for his touch as she presses her body flush against his.

There's still so much left unsaid – so much for them to decide. But last night – it had simply been too long and they had missed one another too much to pause for idle words. They had come together like two people starved for one another and hadn't made much (any) time for talking.

The heart remembers what the mind tries to forget and it was as if no time had passed and suddenly every reason she'd ever run from him no longer mattered or made sense.

Soon he'd have to get out of bed, go back to work as Ruler of the Free World and figure out what to say to the press about Cyrus and Mellie (if anything).

But for the time being he was still just Fitz, and she was just Liv, and she finally believed that they would be okay (as long as they had each other).

Even if there were still things left unsaid.

For a while they simply lay in silence, relishing each other's company, the feeling of skin against skin as she sprawled across his chest while he lazily drummed his fingers along her back and pressed kisses into her hair.

Eventually he spoke. "Now what? We didn't . . . you didn't really say what you…" His voice trailed off and she could see he was struggling for words that wouldn't upset her.

She tried not to let the shame she felt overwhelm her happiness (but she'd always been a flake and they both knew it).

"There's nothing to say, Fitz." She wants him to understand, even if she can't yet articulate all of the words he needs to hear, what a huge step last night was for her.

My presence speaks for itself, she thought.

"Does it?" He looks at her pointedly, reading her thoughts as plainly as she can now read his: Are you really here to stay or did you just come here to scratch an itch?

There's so much she could say – so much she wants to say; but she has no idea where to begin. She's never been good with words, especially where Fitz is concerned – but it's been the worst year of her life and she's exhausted.

She just wants to be happy and feel free and the only time she's ever come close to either is when she's with Fitz.

But she doesn't want to say that. Not now, not yet. Instead, she wants to say something else in answer to his question – arguably the most important thing, on this, the morning after.

"Have you called a divorce lawyer yet?"

For those who keep messaging/asking me about Once Upon a Time in Vermont – THANK YOU for loving that story so much but my answer hasn't changed- I am working on it. I plan to update. I don't know when. Hopefully soon. Please be patient. xoxoxoxox