Author's Note: It's all the fault of a .GIF (street-of-mercy. tumblr. com / post / 13468238278 / i-have-not-the-slightest-idea-whatsoever-where) I created and then got hit by this nagging little thing. I feel blind-sided.
Disclaimer: I own neither the show nor the characters. I don't earn any money with this piece. I just do it for fun.
"Lieutenant."
"Hey." Wash gives him one of her rare smiles, not really surprised to see him standing there, waiting for her. To anyone else it looks like he's walking the colony like he does every night but she knows better. They meet like this so often, she stopped counting after a while. Whenever one of them leaves the hospital after an encounter with the local wildlife, they come across the other. All by pure chance of course.
This morning, however, it wasn't a Nyko she ran into and ever since she's been returned (she truly hates that phrase), Taylor's been staring at her, never leaving her out of his sight for too long, his eyes darkening whenever they land on her bruises. Like right now. Not once he has looked away and yet she can't get a read on him, has no idea what's going on behind those silver-steeled eyes.
"How's the lip?" If Wash hadn't been by his side for over two decades now, she would have missed the imperceptible tightening of his hands on his belt. Ah, it's about that.
"It's fine, sir." She smirks, trying to lighten the sudden tense air around them. "You should see the other."
Her words must have a hit a nerve because Taylor growls low and crosses the distance between them in a blink of an eye, invading her personal space until they're almost chest to chest. Whatever she expected, it's not this, and her breath hitches involuntarily as he reaches up and cups her cheek, brushing his thumb across her lower lip.
"The other will be damn lucky I don't kill him the next time I get my hands on him, not after what he's done to what is mine," he whispers huskily, the glint in his eyes sending shivers down her spine.
And then he's gone, melts back into the shadows without a sound, and Wash is left with a burning lip that got nothing to do with the bruise and a thundering heart that got everything to do with the man who just turned her world upside down.
- END -
