In the morning Myka was the one who woke up sprawled across a familiar body, a soft hand resting on her back as the alarm went off. HG woke slowly, stretching beneath Myka and Myka turned her face away from HG, aware of her blush. It hadn't even been a week but her body had already forgotten how nice HG's body felt against her own. How nice it was to wake up in a sleepy embrace with no expectations, no conversations, just sleepy physical contact between two women.
Two women who were... fond of each other.
"I'll get the coffee," HG said mildly, not moving until Myka finally had the energy to roll onto her side, off of HG.
The next time HG knocked and Myka called out for her to come in and HG relaxed as she curled around the woman facing away from her, resting a tentative hand on her hip. Eventually she slung her whole arm over, pressed herself against Myka's back, and Myka pressed back into her so they were in contact almost everywhere. HG's hand was grasped and HG was pulled tighter behind Myka, closer to her than she'd thought possible. HG could hear a sigh of contentment leave Myka's mouth and HG finally realised that Myka wanted HG in her bed as badly as HG wanted to be there. But still, physical comfort was one thing, and Myka wasn't a woman who dated women. HG had seduced a lot of women in her day, but she couldn't bring herself to seduce Myka, so she held her instead.
They didn't talk about it, the way their bodies fit together. The way they fit together.
Then Artie had to send someone out of town, and Jinks was working with Claudia, and sending Myka with Pete wasn't a good idea, not at the moment anyway, and HG was still a sore point with Artie.
So he sent HG with Pete, unaware the Myka was lonesome with them both gone. As much as she was still upset with what happened with Pete, he was still her partner and her best friend. And as for HG, Myka found herself wondering why her door stayed closed at night now instead of swinging open unaided, and wondering why her bed felt so cold and empty.
HG came back with a bruised face and Myka started hitting Pete, seeing the bandage over HG's eyebrow soaked with blood. He put his hands up to protect his face, but he knew how strong Myka was and he could tell she was pissed, not furious.
"Darling it wasn't his fault," HG intervened as Claudia hustled her off to the kitchen where they kept the first aid kit, and Myka laid into Pete once more for good measure.
Artie pulled them apart and sent them to the den to sort it out.
"You know how I feel about her, Pete," Myka said finally, embarassed at showing that much emotion.
"Yeah, but does she know?" Pete asked, and Myka looked away.
"Sorry for hitting you," Myka said finally. "She said it wasn't your fault."
"She said you were going to kill me when you saw her face," Pete said. "I didn't think she was that right about it."
Claudia was lost in a babble of sentences as she gathered the first aid kit and laid it out on the table, grabbing the antiseptic and hesitating before soaking a cotton ball and trying to hold it to HG's face. Myka came in.
"I can, if you'd like," Myka said, and Claudia stepped away, trying not to look relieved.
"Pete did patch me up," HG said in his defence. "I must have started bleeding again."
Myka bathed HG's face and kissed her on the forehead, just above the bruise, just enough pressure that it hurt a little but HG didn't mind.
HG tilted her head back and Myka's mouth pressed against HG's mouth for a moment before HG turned her face away. Myka wasn't aware of how it had happened, but it had happened and her fingers shook as she starting preparing a plaster for the wound.
"I'm fine, Myka," HG said, the way she said Myka's name like it was a precious stone. "No need to fuss." Myka hesitated, wondering if she should acknowledge that she'd kissed HG, wondering if she'd made HG uncomfortable.
HG didn't look at her, but her hand reached out and took Myka's left hand, thumb rubbing softly across her knuckles. Myka brushed HG's silken hair out of her face, taking her other hand back to apply the bandage. She smoothed it over the wound carefully, noting HG's closed eyes. Myka took her time, made sure she used this opportunity to memorise how HG's face felt under her fingers. When she was finished, HG stood suddenly, bringing them face to face, very close. Myka didn't back away, just watched HG breathlessly.
"Thank you, darling," HG said, and she pressed her lips firmly against Myka's, cupping her face with one hand that then trailed down Myka's neck to trace her clavicle, then across to her shoulder, down past her elbow to her hand, which HG held as she pulled away from Myka's mouth.
Myka left her hand in HG's for a moment, stunned, mouth open and breathing quickly. HG let go and began to clean up the first aid kit as Myka composed herself.
"You kissed me," Myka said in wonder, raising one hand to her mouth.
"You started it," HG chided Myka.
"I saw the blood on your face and I thought 'you could have died' and Helena, you can't die, you can't leave me again."
"I'll do my best, Myka," HG said honestly, stepping towards Myka, letting her hand be taken again. "With this job there are no guarantees."
"Then why have we wasted so much time?" Myka breathed, tightening her hold on HG.
"I never thought... I didn't know that you would be willing to overlook my sex."
"I'll look it over later," Myka said huskily. "And sure, this is new, but it's been this way since you yoinked me up into the sky in your arms. It's been you all this time, but you were... You were a bad guy, then a good guy, then a bad guy by the time I thought about letting you know, then you were gone, then you were a hologram, then you were real and then, Helena, then you left me, so excuse me if I don't know how to tell you that..."
"Every time I look at you the world seems a little less awful," HG interrupted quietly, looking up at Myka with shy trepidation, a longing Myka saw when HG was a hologram and unable to touch her. "It's bearable now, because of you. I would die a million times over rather than let anything happen to you."
"I know," Myka said. Because she does know, because HG has followed through with that more than once. "And you were always my swashbuckling hero... I owe you a new grappling gun, by the way." HG's eyebrow quirked but she allowed Myka to continue. Myka sighed. "I told you to make yourself a home with someone else because I couldn't tell you... I couldn't give you an Adelaide. But I know you, Helena. I know who you were, who you are and every... every atom of me is drawn to you." HG inhaled, pleased.
"Of all of the endless wonders of this world, you are by far the most marvellous," HG told Myka, who finally leaned in across the short distance between then to kiss HG, to kiss her properly, revelling in how much better it was than she'd imagined it.
Claudia coughed discreetly from the doorway and they didn't move, didn't pull away.
"I don't mean to interrupt, because I mean, rock on ladies, it's about time, but does anyone else smell apples?" Claudia asked, sniffing around the kitchen. "I thought I could smell them from the hall." HG laughed in delight as Myka looked at her in wonder, the scent of apples surrounding them. HG wrapped her arms around Myka's waist and rested her head on Myka's shoulder, feeling Myka's arms coming up to hold her, and she knew that after centuries she was finally home.