Cafuné

(Brazilian Portuguese)

(n.) The act of tenderly running your fingers through someone's hair


He smiled as he inhaled her scent.

The intoxicating aroma of her honey and jasmine shampoo tickled his nose, as he slowly and oh-so-tenderly ran his fingers through her thick, tangled, curly mass of hair. It was splayed across his chest and shoulder, while its owner lay curled up with a warm, fuzzy blanket in a small ball against his side.

|•|

She had just showed up at his apartment that night, a six-pack of beer in one hand, a large pepperoni pizza in the other.

"May I come in? I do not want to be...alone, tonight," she had said, as she stood sheepishly in his doorway. Her eyes pleaded for him to allow her to cross the threshold, to allow her to invade his precious sanctuary. Something about her voice and the way she looked at him with those beautiful, dark eyes of hers told him it was important. He slowly nodded and moved to allow her in. She let out a grateful sigh and stepped into his apartment, stopping to glance at Kate, then moved on to the kitchen, where she laid her offerings down.

They stared at one another for a while, until he moved towards the cabinet to get dishes.

"What do you want to watch tonigh?" he asked as he plopped a slice of pizza on his plate.

She shrugged, "It does not matter."

"Well, it kind-of does. You can't have pizza and beer without a movie!"

She sighed heavily, then said, "Whatever you wish to watch is fine. It does not matter to me."

Something in her voice made him stop for a moment, but he brushed it off, knowing that until she was ready, he would get nothing out of her.

"Okay, well, we have Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, and The Avengers. It feels like superheroes kind-of night, don't you think?"

She shrugged, as she listlessly picked at her piece of pizza. "I do not care. Just pick one."

"Hey."

Her head shot up, and their eyes met. "Yes?" was her reply.

"Come on, what's wrong?"

She started to deny it, shaking her head and painting on a small smile.

"Oh for God's sake! That's not going to fool me! There's obviously something going on. Besides, you ALWAYS pick Captain America to watch!"

"I am just...tired, and I did not want to be alone in my apartment. I would actually like to watch The Avengers tonight, if you do not mind."

"Your wish is my command, Sweetcheeks!" he replied.

|•|

They settled on the couch, each with a beer, and as the opening scene to The Avengers came on, she spoke up.

"Do you ever wish you had done things differently?"

The question took him by surprise. He hit the pause button and contemplated her query for a moment. Finally, he shook his head and said resolutely, "No, I really don't. What about you? Do you wish you had done things differently?"

She shrugged. "I have always wondered what would have happened if I had followed my heart and not my father's plans. If I had done that, I would most likely be tucking my children in bed and kissing them goodnight right now. Then, I would go prepare their lunches and figure out my lessons for my first-grade class for the next day." She smiled, and shook her head. "But wishing such as that is foolishness. What is done is done. There is no going back, no undoing, only going forward."

As he was left to chew on her words, she reached across him and grabbed the remote and pushed "Play."

|•|

As the end credits rolled, he fought to keep his eyes open. It had been a long day. The dead weight against his side told him that his partner had already succumbed to the alluring temptation of sleep. As her soft curls slipped through his fingers, he whispered softly, "Things can change, if you want them to, Sweetcheeks. The future is up to you, and I'll be with you every step of the way."

Then, he fell asleep, his best friend, partner, and hopefully, some day, his significant other by side, his hands still softly stroking her hair.


A/N: Hey guys! Please let me know how I did!

This is the first in my #wordporn series I am thinking on starting. They will most likely all be one-shots and totally unrelated with one another. They will also focus on either one pairing or one specific character!

Thanks so much for reading! Please leave a review!

XOXOXO :)