Okay, this is going to be a collection of drabbles over Cornica. Just sweet moments, maybe action sometimes. Anything to just take my mind off. It's pretty much an exercice of auto writing too. I'm still leaving the complete tag on it, because there won't be any two-shots in here, the length will simply change every now and then. I hope you'll like this one.
…
Needing someone
Keeping up a relationship with a coworker was never an easy thing. Usually, it was hard, because two people in love still needed time on their own and might end up driving each other mad in a bad way, what with being stuck together all the time. Monica had been through one of those before, only to forbid herself to ever cross the professional line again. Heartbreak wasn't the only of her worry. She was no noble, but working among them and maneuvering businessman to keep an overpopulated city working had meant sacrificing a lot of things from her life.
Now, she had thrown caution to the wind, and despite the fact they hadn't talked about their relationship, the woman found time to question what they meant for each other. They shared food and bed whenever possible, which wasn't that often. They still talked in codes and as gentle as her lover could get when they were face to face, he never sweet talked her on the phone or in the few texts that went between them. Apart, they were simply co-workers. And it seemed there was a precise hour after which he accepted to let his emotions out, although there had been no love words whispered, not even in the throes of passion. Sincerely, Monica didn't mind. She was mature enough to content herself with what little happiness she could have. Words and actions were two separated things and his easy smiles meant as much as any confession.
At the very least, she knew he counted on her far more than anyone else in the ordeals they faced. She only wished they didn't have to spend that much time separated.
Cor was moving all over Lucis, gathering the little military they had left, securing refugee's camps while she organized hunter's outposts one after the other. She supervised and helped in solidifying buildings, she made connections between people and groups, sewing a safety net for her country. But at some nights, the task seemed impossible. It was one of those nights, where Monica tossed and turned on her small bed, trying not to think of the fact she hadn't showered once in the last four days, trying not to miss her old flat and the cozy futon where she'd fallen asleep a thousand time, working late into the night until she'd drop on her laptop.
No one felt like sharing the memories from those days. Because Insomnia had fallen, because everywhere they looked, they saw ruins and somehow, pulling the past into the present might ruin it too.
The light knock on her door made her gasp, considering it was two in the morning and that no one had disturbed her this late unless something awful had happened. Her feet were still cold, she couldn't seem to get warm, and she put a jacket on her nightdress, not bothering to turn on her lantern. She hated how rustic her life had turned, but she'd grown accustomed to save everything as much as possible. Electricity, her phone's battery, oil and matches.
She cracked the door open, finding Cor on the other side, clearly tired and in dire need of a razor considering his beard had grown almost an inch longer.
"Anything wrong?" she asked, looking for people standing behind him.
The outpost was quiet and the man silently asked for permission to enter. Hunters shared a shack, but no matter where she found herself, Monica always managed to get her own separate room. Leonis might have pulled a few strings for it, even more so since they'd gotten closer, but he was pretty sure that if he hadn't done anything, things might have gone the same way. The woman earned respect everywhere she went.
Taking a step back, she let him in, closing the door behind him and giving him a questioning glance, still waiting for an answer. Much to her surprise, the Immortal wrapped his arms around her first. One second, she'd been alone, tossing around too many questions in her head, and suddenly he was there, embracing her, as though the same questions had been on his mind. She pushed the idea away, taking in his musky scent. Dried blood stained his coat and she instinctively knew it wasn't his.
"Cor…"
"I should have warned you I was coming, but… There's unrest in the ranks. We might have a mole among us…"
He sounded tired, awfully tired and she shivered in his arms. Couldn't they have a break?
"You think it's one of the men here?!"
"No. You would have found it already."
His confidence in her eased some of her worries. She had found traitors before and always got through them.
"So you just wanted to tell it to me in person?"
Gently parting from him, she helped him taking off his coat. He seemed to be at war with himself over the answer he should give her. Monica didn't push him, storing his coat on her desk and sitting back on her bed, tapping the mattress to invite him to sit. He took off his boots, made sure the door was locked and sat next to her, his hand almost instantly reaching for her thigh.
"To be frank, I wanted to make sure you were safe."
She put her hand over his, unable to hold back the smile on her face.
"Is it so hard to admit you were missing me?"
"I was." He sighed, inching closer to her.
"Or maybe you're missing the sex…"
"Well, saying I miss both almost equally sounds like a good way to get myself kicked out…"
His breath ghosted her neck and she could tell where things would go if she let him. She turned her face toward his, crossing her arms over her chest. The look in her eyes was enough to douse any amorous intention.
"That didn't came out as intended."
"You've got the worst one-liner I ever heard. But it's not that. I need to get up early in the morning."
He sighed, before to give her a questioning look. She already got up early without any peculiar reason, more than often around a half and 6.
"Why?" he asked, sounding like a whiny kid for an instant.
"You said there's a mole in our ranks. I have to plan things up. And you look like you could use some sleep. Strip off every dirty clothes and keep me warm."
"You're always giving me orders." Cor complained, getting up to shrug off his pants.
"You like it." She retorted.
As long as the orders were of that kind. Her single bed was so small, Monica was almost crushed between him and the wall as he slid under the covers, before gathering her close and finding just the right way to hold her for the night. Chest to chest, her breathing sending shivers down his neck. She toyed with the hairs on his chest absent-mindedly, a gentle caress he'd grown to like more than he'd expected. The intimacy was sweeter than in most of his previous relationships. It came without questions, gestures that felt natural, almost familiar.
He liked the feel of her hair sticking to the stubble on his chin. The way her legs always wrapped around one of his, as if to make sure he'd stay close. He could have drifted right off to sleep, but his partner couldn't find rest just yet.
"Do you think we'd work out? If the wall was still up. If we'd gotten closer earlier?"
He didn't like to wonder about what ifs, because they made for bad plans and preceded most of his nightmares. What if he'd been in Insomnia when the treaty had been signed. What if he'd known how bad the situation was? What if…
But the idea of taking her out to some flashy restaurants and maybe even dancing with her at some rare and pompous ball. Sneaking her away from her organization duty for some mad kissing in a library, acting like the teenager he'd never gotten the chance to be. Sharing scalding showers with her. Damn, could he picture it.
"You ever went out with soldiers?"
"Once. He did what I hope you won't ever do to me."
The idea someone might have hurt her in the past managed to make him angry, despite the fact he couldn't have done nothing to prevent it. And the words that followed made him realize how fragile she could be, despite being a realist at heart.
"He died."
Her voice didn't sound too sad, which had to mean this was old enough for the scar to be mostly healed.
"That's a really bad tendency." He admitted, stroking her hair.
She squirmed a bit, before to sigh.
"Ever dated an administrator's daughter? Or high class pretenders without blue blood?"
"I don't think I ever did before. But I wasn't that good at relationships. My work brought me to all sort of places and people… There was never anything stable."
He could have mentioned his friendships, which had been stable and long-lasting, but it hurt too much to think of either Regis or Clarus. He'd worked for them and would have laid down his life, but before to be his king and mentor, they were his friends. Maybe the closest thing to family he'd ever had…
"Maybe you don't like stable." She suggested.
"Hey, don't say that. I want this to work."
"You mean, you want us to work?"
She sounded almost surprised and he wondered how bad a lover he was if she hadn't understood him yet. He kissed the top of her hair, holding her closer, her arms wrapping tight around him.
"Us. I think we can last. Maybe not before… but as we are now. And even after we've settled all the madness…"
He didn't dare to say they could see their country rebuild in their own life time. It was wishful thinking and despite nurturing some hope now and again, the man was a realist before anything else.
"You're always planning ahead." She observed, one of her hand reaching for his hair. "How about enjoying the present sometimes?"
"I thought we were going to sleep."
"We are. But I need some entertainment. You're lucky I wasn't fast asleep when you knocked on my door."
Her sleep was light these days, maybe even lighter than his and they both knew it, but he didn't protest. It was really hard to protest with her.
"Which sort of entertainment?"
"I don't know. Talking of normal stuff. What you'd like to do if we had time off?"
Time off had always been an abstract concept for Cor. And he had quickly deduced was just the same sort of workaholic as him.
"You know I'm not good with words, Mon. And the ifs and…"
"I don't mean to make it hurt. I miss my cats, but I won't linger on it. Just give it a try. A scenario that could happen in our present and wouldn't involve working… I haven't dreamed in a long time."
And maybe dreaming out loud was all they had left for the moment. After a deep sigh and some thinking despite his weariness, Cor found inspiration.
And his voice lulled her to sleep, as he depicted a field next to some cottage, where he'd take her if she was ready to give up some comfort to experience what people lived outside of cities. Away from outposts and hunters. Brown earth and a fresh harvest in the field. And the warm fireplace in front of which they'd talk and read and rest, not caring about the upstairs room or the fact they had a bed. It was almost too vivid and Monica would have asked where those memories came from, but the sound of his voice, the feel of his arms made her feel safe enough to close her eyes and hope for once, she wouldn't have nightmares.
As early as it was in the morning, she dreamed of the place he'd described, not realizing it was his parent's house. He'd stayed until hunting made him want more actions than just chasing out the few beasts that came too close to the farm. He missed the liberty of it, the fact they depended only on themselves. The point in his life where he wasn't afraid, because he hadn't lost anyone yet.
It was over and done. And as she relaxed in his arms, he wondered how many more people he could survive.
He woke her up two hours later, fresh out of a nightmare, needing to make sure she was breathing and it wasn't his imagination playing tricks on him, needing to hear her voice. He looked so vulnerable, so lost as he took her pulse and almost immediately apologized. It seemed clear why he'd shown up on her doorstep. Why he wanted to make sure she was safe. He'd grown attached. He'd made that mistake and couldn't bear to lose her too.
"Cor, look at me. I'm not going anywhere yet."
"Don't say yet, Mon."
"I'll always say yet. That's why I told you to enjoy the present. It's why I miss you and couldn't fall asleep before you showed up."
He kissed her silent, rough and desperate. He hated feeling like this. They'd name him the immortal and it felt too heavy a title every time he survived another person that mattered to him. He wondered if he could break in her arms, almost wanted to run. When he parted from her, breathless, his emotions too close to the surface, he warned her:
"I need to stay strong."
It sounded like a plea and she smiled to him.
"Then let me make you strong. You've already helped me more than you could imagine."
She tried telling him that what they shared would help, alive or dead. And he tried his best to listen and believe, until the pictures flashed back in his mind. He'd seen enough battlefields, enough broken bodies to know he wouldn't hold up if he ever saw her like that. His only consolation was the fact Monica never fought and was brilliant enough to know when her life was at risk.
"It's okay if you need me." She told him.
His laugh was bitter and his hands on her felt beyond possessive. As if he wanted to grasp her very essence, maybe in order to make sure she'd never leave this realm.
"Do you need me, Mon? Now?"
His eyes had to see down to her soul, because his stare felt too intense. She shivered and managed a single word.
"Always."
They might never use the usual words, but love was behind every gesture, every glance.
In the morning, past 9, they both walked out Monica's shack, not looking much rested, but both ready to attack a new business day. A few hunters saw the pair, but nobody commented on it. Commander, soldier or head of the hunters' league of Lucis, every human needed love. And those two worked well and never let their love in the way of results. Oh, that might have delayed a few meetings planned that particular day. And surely it would happen again. But if that helped them get through it in the long run, it had to be worth it.
…..
Here's another one. Less short than the previous one, because I wanted to give them more time together. Monica really likes to put Cor on the grill, doesn't she? Anyway, I'm thinking of doing another one that would depict their first meeting after the fall of Insomnia. And maybe one where they met while both going on with their lives before that the war got so out of control, when they were younger. And one where they learned of what happened with Luna. And eventually with their king. I love those two. Review if you liked it. ;)
