D. Vancomycin gave me some prompts and well… challenge accepted! This is so fluffy and sweet that it might give you cavities. You've been warned… D/G because well… I have not an ounce of shame.
Prompts: Snow and "I didn't expect this from you."
"Snow"
Being home after the long voyage on the Christa was surreal, although to call Montreal "home" after so many years was a bit of a misnomer. Seth's parents lived here still, as did one of his sisters, but just because there was family here didn't make it home. Yet here he was, in a hotel room within the old city, readying himself to see his family after nearly five years and introduce them to his fiancé. That was on tomorrow's agenda.
They had returned to the Sol system three days ago, to a welcoming fanfare at the Starcademy, but he knew that was just for show. Many things still needed to be answered for, although STARDOG Command had given everyone two weeks leave to see their families before they were to be summoned back to be debriefed on their adventures and likely face consequences for disappearing with the students. At best, Seth was facing time served and potentially being reassigned to space; at worst, he was tossed out dishonorably with no rank, no pension, and potentially landing in jail. Neither extreme was one he wanted to consider.
As part of his homecoming, Seth had invited TJ to his hometown to meet his family and have their own mini vacation before seeing her parents on Mars colony, then returning for the trial. He had insisted on a hotel, allowing them to have some privacy (something they had sorely lacked on the Christa), and gave them the freedom to wander on their own terms. Their hotel overlooked Old Montreal, walking distance from the all the major historic sites, and the St. Lawrence River. They had spent the day exploring, Seth enjoying the wonder on her face as she soaked in all the local history, and conversed with the locals in French as though it were her native language. It warmed him to see how at ease she was.
That evening, they had made love to one another, taking their time to explore, nip, and tease each other, him driving into her slowly, finding the spot that would make her beg for more, and whisper his name as a prayer, while trying to match him stroke for stroke, trying to be sure he gained as much pleasure as she was getting. Every touch, every word, every matching stroke and sigh, only added to the pleasure and when he finally whispered "je t'aime" (likely a result of his being exposed to French all day), into her ear, it threw her over the precipice into a blinding orgasm to which he followed close behind. Seth was amazed by this woman and how she made him feel every day. When they finally came down from their high and caught their collective breaths, he rolled to his side, and pulled the blankets over them, then gathered her close to his body, needing her near as they drifted off to sleep.
He felt her leave the bed sometime in the middle of the night, and hating how cold it left him, he got up and followed to where she was, staring out the window in wonder. "Hey," he whispered as he approached. "You okay?"
She turned to see him over her shoulder and smiled, a wondrous look on her face. "It's snowing," she said simply, as though it were the greatest revelation she had ever made.
"It does that around here this time of year," he said with a shrug.
"It's beautiful," she sighed.
Suddenly he was hit with a stark realization. "You've never seen snow before." It was a statement.
She shook her head. "It doesn't snow on Mars. Unless you call our frequent dust storms 'snow'- which I do not."
"But you've been to Earth many times before-"
"During summer holidays, or for tropical getaways where it doesn't do… that." She pointed out the window as she said "that." "How lucky you are that you got to grow up in a place such as this! The history, the beauty, and… this!"
"I didn't expect this from you," he told her.
"Expect what?"
"The excitement."
"We should go outside."
"Wha-? Teej, it's-" he glanced over at the clock on the bedside table. "0400. You don't go walking around in the middle of the night around here." He tried to reason with her, but she turned her lips into a pout, eyes pleading to change his mind. He was a goner. "Get dressed," he said with a sigh. "There's a park near here along the river. We'll go there."
Twenty minutes later, they crossed Rue Saint-Paul hand-in-hand, as Seth guided her to the Parc Lineaire de la Commune. Usually a bustling port filled with people and activity, it was quiet, the snow falling moderately and accumulating. "There's so much already," TJ commented.
"Not really. We had a real bad storm when I was fourteen. Snow covered the front door of our house and we couldn't get out."
TJ looked horrified. "What did you do?"
"Well… I might have decided I wanted to be the hero and rescue everyone," he started sheepishly.
"No, you? Never," she teased.
"Yup. Decided to grab one of the shovels we'd brought inside and jumped out the second floor window that overlooked the front of the house. Landed hard on the overhang to the front porch and broke my arm. My parents were less than thrilled. They were even less happy with the way my sister reacted though, so in a way we both caught hell." He laughed at the memory.
TJ looked curious. "Do I dare ask?"
"Keely and Sam were being the responsible older siblings by making sure the doctor was called and taking care of the hospital information. Callie was taking pictures from the window while she laughed, claiming she would save them for future blackmail. Speaking of which-"
"If she shows them tomorrow, I'll act surprised and laugh as is appropriately expected," TJ finished with a grin.
"Very funny," he said, but laughed.
"Are you looking forward to seeing them tomorrow?" she asked.
He hesitated for a moment before answering, "Mixed." Her head cocked to side curiously, asking him to explain. "I want them to like you so badly. I want them to understand why I love you as much as I do and to see how happy I am with you. It's not even my brother and sisters or even Mom I worry about though. It's Dad."
"You want him to approve of me," she surmised.
He nodded.
"I didn't expect this from you."
"Dad can be… tough," he started by way of explanation. "I remember feeling like I was never good enough when I was a kid. Like I was never right. And now I have you and everything with you feels so right-"
"And you're afraid he won't see it the same way," she finished. Another nod. She mulled his confession over for a moment before answering with her own question. "Will his opinion of me change how you feel?"
"What? No," he said quickly. "It's not what I meant."
"Good. So we have nothing to worry about. For the record though, I am perfectly lovable and quite persuasive. By the end of the night I'm sure they'll love me more than you," she added cheekily.
"Someone's quite confident," he said with a half-laugh.
"As I should be. Also for the record, I have no problem letting them know where they can shove their opinions if they decide to make any sort of derisive comments regarding you or us." She crossed her arms and firmly stood her ground, her expression stubborn and formidable.
"I pity whomever decides to cross you," he said solemnly. He reached up to brush the snow from the top of her head which had been accumulating on her head. "I hope they're willing to take Frosty the Snowman seriously," he added jokingly. With that, he leaned down, grabbed a fistful of snow, and playfully tossed it at her.
Her eyes darkened, the competitive side of her appearing. With a wicked grin, she armed herself and threw snow back. In the ensuing chaos, the pair of them ran through the grassy field at nearly 0500 tossing snowballs like unruly teenagers. It was TJ's underestimating the iciness of her footing that ended their escapade, when she slid out, knocking into Seth and causing them both to fall. They were hysterical laughing.
"Seth, I am soaking wet," she declared through fits of giggles.
"Good to know," he said huskily, sneaking a kiss.
"Not what I meant," she answered, her voice lowering to match. "But now that you mention it, I am feeling quite cold and could use some warming up. Any ideas?"
"I can think of a few-" Wham! TJ caught him off guard, using her free hand to whack a fistful of snow into the back of his head.
TJ used his shock to scramble away. "You'll have to catch me first!"
"I did not expect this from you!" he called to her as he laughed and chased after her.