Pairing: Nathan/Audrey
Rating: G (K)
Disclaimer: There'd be plenty of things that would be different if I owned Haven, despite its near perfection.
Spoilers: Yes, specifically for "Ain't No Sunshine".
Summary: "That does not look like Laverne's hair," he insisted. Autumn evenings were the best companions. If you are interested, there's a little mini-mix that goes along with this. Just a handful of songs that came up on iTunes while I was writing that suited my mood. It can be found at my LJ here: http: / tempusborealis. livejournal. com /3999. html
One of the best parts about being friends with Nathan, Audrey thought, was how low-key he was. They weren't the kind of friends who had to make dinner dates or set times to see each other. Their friend-time grew organically out of their cop-time. When they finished a case, they just got into the Bronco or took a seat near the water if they were close and simply kept each other company. No discussion. That was certainly a blessing, because she didn't really know how to be friends any other way.
Today was a good day. Their case (typical Haven weirdness) had had a happy ending, a conclusion too uncommon in Haven, and it left them by a network of public trails. They'd settled in a field that served as a crossroads, the tall grass brassy in the light of deep afternoon. Late autumn left them warm without being hot and permitted large, puffy lilac clouds to float across the sky.
"No, I don't think so," his baritone murmur cut through the orange-gold evening.
"How can you not see that?" she teased, biting the inside of her bottom lip.
"That does not look like Laverne's hair," he insisted. He turned his head to look down at her skeptically. She couldn't stop her grin, and his mouth twisted in sympathy. A cooler breeze tossed her hair, heralding sunset. Laughing, she pointed up at the cloud in question.
"It definitely does! See, it's thinner at the top and kind of tumbles down from there…" she trailed off as he raised an eyebrow. "Her hair is massive, Nathan," she snorted.
He licked his lips and let a smirk bloom across them. "Yeah," he chortled after a moment, "it is pretty big". Then he graced her with an honest-to-goodness smile, one that reached his eyes and showed teeth. Unconsciously, she returned his grin and they laughed together. Her gaze slid over his features. His green-blue eyes looked tawny in the light, his ocher hair a crepuscular rose. That was all the time it took for his grin to settle into a half-smile. He sat up straight and stuck out a hand as if to shake hers. Brow furrowed, she offered her hand and he took it delicately, gently turning it to join with his. He stared at their linked hands for a moment. His thumb stroked the place where her index finger met her palm once, deliberately. Then he gave her a sharp tug that brought her to her feet.
"Need a hand up, partner?" she queried nonchalantly, though her heart was beating a bit faster than she'd care to admit. Tenderness (or deep emotion of any kind, really) from Nathan wasn't exactly surprising, but always unexpected and pleasant. It meant he trusted her enough to show it, and it let her know she could trust him for the same.
He didn't reply, simply tugged at her hand again and she pulled up with all her weight, both hands grasping his larger one. Upright and once again towering over her, he looked down with a sort of quiet, open regard with a shade of a smile. Audrey decided to unpack what all that meant at a later date. "Come on, it's nearly five. You promised to make me pumpkin ravioli. I'm holding you to that promise, Wournos". Her tall companion smiled and shook his head. She bumped his arm with her shoulder and they followed the path down.