Jane woke to the smell of coffee, came out to the kitchen to see Maura using the French press Jane had shoved in the back of a cupboard when she'd moved in and hadn't touched since. Her breath caught as Maura turned, hearing Jane come in, a sweet smile on her face. She offered a mug of coffee in Jane's 'Detective Sexy McBadass' mug that came with the second edition of Maura's first book, sipping from a 'Doctor Sexypants' mug. Jane drank deeply from the mug before turning back to Maura, putting her coffee down and wrapping her arms around Maura again.
"I don't think I said it last night, but I missed you."
"I didn't either, and I did too," Maura said, muffled by Jane's shoulder.
"I could get used to this," she said quietly, feeling Maura tense, wanting to take the words back immediately.
"I wanted to come back, but it was too hard."
"And I wanted to go, but you said you needed space." Jane sighed, hands soft on Maura's back.
"Not from you," Maura clarified, her hands grasping Jane helplessly, digging in to that muscular back. "But you're part of Boston, and I needed to leave."
"I know," Jane sighed. "I should have..."
"There was nothing you could have done," Maura said simply, pulling away suddenly. "I needed to find out who I was, out in the real world."
"Boston is real," Jane scoffed.
"It's also full of... Everything that scares me."
"Most people are unhappy after moving because their problem comes from within," Jane said philosophically.
"Not being kidnapped makes me happy," Maura said. "Not being restrained by a serial killer makes me happy." Maura paused, turned back to Jane. "Being with you makes me happy, but it seems as though all of those factors are mutually exclusive."
Jane coughed and drank her coffee, heading back to the bedroom and coming out with the manuscript full of edits for Maura, who took them to the coffee table.
Jane's nose screwed up as she read the new pages again.
"Maybe we could block it out?" Maura suggested. "Since I don't know..."
"With me?" Jane asked, shrugging as Maura nodded. "Ok." She stood and leaned back against the wall.
"No, Laura has to push her back," Maura stood too, pulled Jane forward, then pushed her back against the wall by her hips, more forceful than Jane had expected. "And then they kiss, and then Lane pulls Laura's head back to expose her throat."
"I'm not sure about this. I know they're both upset, but not with each other," Jane said, pulling back, leaning more comfortably against the wall. "I think... You've built it up so long, but they're gentle with each other. It was too aggressive. It has to be gentle but passionate. No... Manhandling."
"There's no man handling anything around here," Maura pointed out, hands still on Jane's hips.
"You know what I mean. If it was us, it'd probably work ok, but it's not right for them." Maura's eyes narrowed, but she focused on the task at hand. The noble art of writing.
"So how would they..."
"Well, you're right. About Laura starting it. Lane is way too oblivious. And Laura would be frustrated, but she's still scared of being rejected, and she respects consent because she's so poor with social cues so she'd..." Jane swapped their positions, hands gentle on Maura's waist. "If I'm being Laura, it would be like..." Jane pushed Maura against the wall, but gently, one hand on Maura's lower ribs, another on her hip before readjusting to put her hands either side of Maura's face, leaning forward so her forearms pressed against the wall. Maura had room to duck out beneath Jane's arms if she wanted to, and Jane dropped her head, nuzzling her nose against Maura's cheek before pulling back to check in with her, her breath hot on Maura's flushed cheeks as Maura stared at Jane's lips. "Like that, maybe?"
"Can I try it?" Maura asked, aware that this whole situation was really, really gay. And really, really hot. She could feel the heat from the flush on her chest, could feel the telltale signs of arousal at the mere touch of Jane's nose against her own, the expectation ramping her hormones along with the illusion that Jane was trapping her against the wall. Jane nodded and stepped back. Maura pressed Jane against the wall by her sternum before planting her arms on the wall, nose dragging against Jane's cheek, breathing heavy, noting how Jane's lips opened in anticipation, how Jane's eyes followed Maura's mouth as it stopped short of her own. "You're right, that is better," Maura said, pulling back reluctantly. "Much more in character." She could feel her heart beat; she'd spent barely an hour awake with Jane and now they were acting out what Maura thought was one of the better parts of her latest book, wondering if it was too soon, wondering if Jane was going to give in, wondering if Jane was even affected by their proximity the way Maura was.
"So, they kiss, obviously," Jane said quickly. "And Lane..." Instead of tugging Maura's hair like she'd suggested, she cradled the back of Maura's head to tilt it to the side, lips nuzzling at Maura's jaw, under her ear. Jane's thumb moved softly over the small scar where Maura's neck met her skull, a part of herself that she hadn't written about, so this touch was between Jane and Maura. But Jane's warm, damp lips on Maura's exposed throat wasn't; it was between Laura and Lane, but Maura was enjoying it as well, the flash of Jane's teeth against her skin for a moment, unable to meet Jane's eyes when she pulled back to check in again. "So she asserts control there, and again when she pushes Laura against the wall." Jane maneuvered Maura against the wall again with only the pressure of Jane's body to move her, to keep her there, face still close to Maura's neck, torsos pressed together, Maura's hands resting uselessly on Jane's hips. "I think Lane substituting her thigh for her hand is a good call, and Laura tearing off Lane's button down is better to show how enthusiastic she is about this, rather than sliding her hands up Lane's shirt. I think the rest is fine," Jane said, stepping back finally. "It fades out past the nipple stuff before it gets too explicit but it's very clear what's happening is something they both wanted."
"Mm-hmm," Maura squeaked, high-pitched. "I'll go rewrite it now. The editor wants my updates today."
"Ok, I'll be watching the game," Jane said, stepping away again, not seeming to notice Maura's weak knees, and Maura hadn't even realised there was a game on today. "I can go round to Frankie and Nina's if you need to be alone to write," Jane said anxiously, and part of Maura wanted to tell Jane to go so she could take care of some pressing business, and part of her wanted Jane to stay, to keep her close. Maura shook her head. "You didn't catch anything on the plane did you?" Jane asked, pressing the back of her hand to Maura's forehead. "You look like you have a bit of a temperature. You need to go see my GP?"
"When I'm done writing, perhaps." Jane nodded, still looking concerned, and a few minutes later there was a knock on the spare room door where Maura had set up her laptop, and Jane came in with a bowl of soup with toast, a variety of pills and a glass of water.
"Just tinned," Jane said shrugging, feeling Maura's forehead again, and Maura wanted to scream. Surely she wasn't the only one who'd been affected by that little display in the hallway. The casual touch of Jane's hand, the oblivious smile she gave Maura - both were infuriating.
Notes:
Accidentally got poisoned because that's how things are