Emily's head jumped up from her book as a knock at the door broke her concentration, turning her legs off the couch and riding to her feet, never quite as wary of opening the door to just anybody as Lena probably would have wanted to. The pilot had always likened herself to a secret agent, with Emily being her dame which she had to hide her identity in order to keep safe, though truthfully, as Emily found out, even after Reaper's invasion of their Watchpoint in Gibraltar, their data was so strewn out across so many servers, nothing about any agent could possibly have been ascertained.

To that, Emily was rather comfortable opening the door to anybody, and especially to her neighbors, an older couple whose company they mutually enjoyed. She grabbed the handle as she leaned into the peephole, a wide grin appearing at her face as she rapid swung the door open, bringing in a burst of cool night air as Lena stood there with a blank expression that Emily was far too excited to notice. She hopped down the topmost step and embraced her lover, Lena only faintly reciprocating in kind as her arms only softly held Emily's waist.

At that, Emily immediately noticed her downtrodden attitude, quickly pulling her head away with worry, "What's wrong?"

Lena did her best to wear an ultimately faint smile, "Oh, nothing… How are you doing?"

Emily returned to a sincerely smile as she gently pulled Lena into the house, closing the door behind them, "I'm doing swimmingly now, dear. I wish you would have told me you were so close, I'd have started dinner and had it ready and all. Dear me, Lena, you look positively exhausted."

"I'm fine," Lena shrugged indifferently, earning a curious glance from her lover as she turned back toward the door, "You wanna just go get something? I'd hate to put you out so suddenly 'n all."

Emily nodded, "Yeah, I suppose. Let me just get my sweater; it's a bit chilly out."

She made her way to the closet, her face crinkled in worry, knowing very well that it took an awful lot to put Lena in such a mood. More than worried, she was curious as to its cause, though Lena rarely 'brought work home with her', as it were. Still, in these sorts of funks, Emily couldn't help but equate it to the same thing in her mind. All Lena needed her to be, however, was her escape from whatever ailed her, and a stroll and a bite to eat in London would have to do wonders, she figured.

She pulled her woolen sweater on to cover herself before peering around the corner, finding Lena leaning against the entryway wall, fists stuffed in her jean pockets as her head fell low in regretful meditation. Emily frowned as she pulled her hair through the neck of her sweater, making her way toward the door and grabbing Lena's arm, weaving the two together as she pressed closer still.

"It's always nice having you home," Emily mused quietly, "It's so quiet without you. and you come back with that rough look like you've come back from war. Plus, it means you're safe. I know the world's perfect and we're safe when you're in my arms."

Lena's lips curled distastefully, "I'm always in your arms."

Emily's eyes turned pithy as she challenged, "That's such rubbish; every chance you get, you're off bursting through walls and junk. I can barely keep your hand in mine without you dashing off to some ice cream stand or making a mad run across town because there was some report of a sea lion lounging around the docks."

At this, Lena wore a contemplative face as she ruminated in her words, ultimately grabbing ahold of Emily's hand tighter, her voice a cool seriousness, "Alright. Tonight we'll go out; you, and only you, have me this evening."

Emily grinned at the thought, "You've said that before, you-"

Her eyes grew in surprise as Lena pulled away, her hands pulling up her thick shirt before crawling up her torso, a gentle *click* breaking the quiet air as Lena pulled her chronal accelerator out from beneath her clothing, handing it off to Emily, who watched with surprise.

"There is no getting away from you without that," Lena spoke with a smarmy sort of grin.

Emily grabbed the rather hefty piece of equipment, pulling it close to examine its sleek edges. It was the only thing keeping Lena tied to this world, and to her; yet it was also the vehicle with which she ran off to save the world, countless times. She eyed Lena with a confused look, though Lena only shrugged in assurance.

"I mean, you need to keep it with you. If I get far enough away, poof, so, ya know," Lena smiled, turning to reach for a nearby purse to carry the mechanism, "Here. You always looked pretty with green."

Emily frowned, "I look like Christmas."

"I know," Lena smiled, reaching her face down to give her a kiss before dropping the accelerator into the purse and draping overtop Emily's head, "Where to?"

Adjusting the strap across her chest, Emily shrugged, "I don't know. There's a new place near King's Row that opened up; some posh little burger place or something. Y'know, with those little finger-burgers that are all the rage."

"Well, after you, love," Lena smiled slightly as she pulled the door open, allowing Emily her exit before following along and locking up while Emily made her way down the steps toward the street, turning to watch Lena follow along.

She giggled, "I can't remember the last time I saw you come down the stairs like a normal person."

Lena cooly grabbed the ends of her jacket and pulled them out with boyish zeal, cocking a grin, "I can't help that I make it look good both ways."

Her eyes rolling, Emily turned toward the sidewalk as Lena wrapped her arm around her's, the two's hands joining together as they made their way down the London street. Emily always enjoyed simply sightseeing, and lost in a whimsy from Lena's return, and without errands, she took the chance to watch the city around them as it crawled by, their pace having been slow from the start. She could tell from Lena's silence that there was still something up with her, though she knew it was something better left unspoken by her. Whenever Lena was upset, or just generally in a bad mood, she would often pull inward and keep to herself; Emily knew to leave her be for the most part, assured that Lena would open up and return to her in due time.

Her attention so fixed on the landscape surrounding her, Emily didn't notice Lena's gentle smile at the warmth at her side. It was a warmth meant only for her, she knew, and for nothing in exchange save for her own warmth which belonged only to Emily as well. As currently introspective as she was, Lena had fixed so greatly on the feeling, realizing that, normally, her mind might be off on fifteen different things. The thought of losing this crept up in the back of her head once again, however, returning her lips to something of a frown.

"I believe it's called 'Medallion'," Emily suddenly spoke up, pulling out her phone and thumbing across the screen, "Let's see… Across the north end of Wayneau Park, just along- Oh look! They've got those pan-baked chocolate chip cookies you love with the ice cream on top!"

She threw her hand in front of Lena's face, the pilot's body recoiling out of instinct as she stared at the phone screen, gingerly poking at it and scrolling down the webpage, a regretful voice leaving her, "I think those are only available during the holidays. See?"

"What?! No way!" Emily whined, yanking the phone back toward her with a frown, "Well that's just straight tosh, now isn't it? Sorry about that. They have milkshakes too, I suppose."

Her lips curled dissatisfactorily as she run her thumb along the screen, "It's got great reviews and all; it's really become the toast of the town. Oh, here's a picture I took of that project-… Remember that schematic I was working on? Voila!"

The phone traded hands as Emily swung her paired arm in a large, blissful arc as Lena examined the photo of a small-scale building, the result of Emily's weeks-long ordeal to properly render her architectural firm's blueprints in a virtual setting to be 3D printed into a model. She mouthed silently in wonderment as she pulled the phone closer to examine its details further, leaving Emily to press on with enthusiasm.

"We're in the bidding for a new building in Numbani!" she explained, "It's gonna be the first outside of Utopaea to be constructed with hard-light; I may help to design an actual building!"

Lena nodded with a quieted voice, "Wow, that's incredible. You've certainly worked hard enough, I know."

Emily grinned brightly, "This has consumed me for weeks, and weeks, and weeks; ugh! It's finally coming up roses! How about your work? How's that big ol' gorilla doing?"

"Oh, about that…" Lena murmured to herself, reaching into her jacket pocket and pulling out a worn Polaroid photograph, handing it to Emily, "He said you'd asked about him as a gorilla infant and he found this rummaging through his physical files at headquarters."

Her expectant smile bright, Emily snagged the photograph and excitedly brought it close, "Aww, look at him! Who's that with him?"

Lena leaned over to peer along her shoulder, "Oh, he called him Specimen Eight. It was a hamster that underwent the same stuff Winston did."

As her eyes coiled in focus, Emily quietly spoke up with curiosity, "Is that a drip-bottle nozzle that's been fashioned into a screwdriver..?"

"He said not to ask," Lena frowned, "But look, you can see his cowlick."

Emily nodded gleefully, "Aww, look at 'im! Little bugger. Tell him I said thanks next you talk to him. I'll even make up some cookies for him. When's your little furlough up, anyway?"

Expecting a reply, Emily slid her phone back into her pocket, staring at her tiny boots as they crossed the lines of the sidewalk for a moment before her eyes fell in skepticism, turning up toward Lena with a serious look on her face. She stopped in her tracks, Lena so lost in thought that she continued along until her hand tugged her back a step, her head slowly whipping around with a confused look on her face.

"Lena, what's wrong?" Emily asked, now more serious as her mind began to wonder, "This is just a furlough, right? You didn't…quit, did you?"

Quickly, Lena answered with a halfhearted, "No, just-."

She took a deep breath, pulling her hands from her pockets as she nervously fiddled with her fingers, eyes shifting away as her shoulders fell, "I did something stupid."

Emily crossed her arms, her brow furrowing in slight worry, "What, like teriyaki sauce on your ice cream stupid, or-"

Her lover's eyes falling even lower, Emily quietly found the rest of her sentence, "-or hairspray in your warp space stupid..?"

Lena's fingers crawled up to cling at either wrist, pulling her arms into her as she shut her eyes, her voice emerging with a regretful timbre, "I did my job. at your risk. I put my job over you and I can't help but feel so torn up inside about it."

Her lips curling sadly, Emily took a few steps forward to wrap her arms around her lover, "C'mon, Lena. Going into this wild ride, I understood what you do and all that; I mean, I worry, but it's not like it's a-"

"I nearly lost you," Lena interrupted, her voice breaking past a scratchy throat, "I was so stupid, I nearly lost you forever."

Still not fully comprehending her words, Emily nonetheless tried her best to comfort her lover, her arm running up and down her back as Lena quivered in her arms, her hands suddenly grasping Emily's sides and quickly running up to the back of her shoulders, as though she were trying to pull her even closer than she currently was.

"I never, ever wanted anything to keep me from you," Lena spoke with a strained voice, her voice perfectly still in Emily's arms, "Now I'm afraid my work… I don't think I want to do this if it means losing you."

Emily's head lowered to watch Lena's body covering her own, her chin running through her dark hair as she spoke quietly, "Lena, I know-"

"I could've died," Lena clarified, weakly, almost in a whisper.

A silence fell on the two of them as they stood there on the sidewalk, a chilling breeze crossing them and sending their hair fluttering in the wind. Lena's eyes stared weakly into Emily's sweater, having had her head buried against her shoulder, a pang of guilt welling up from with her, ever more so than before, now realizing how warm she was, realizing just how much she'd nearly lost.

Emily's lips curled in confusion, "Okay, first of all, is this news?"

Lena's face fell in her own mystified expression, pulling her head away far enough to peer up at her lover, "What?"

"I feel the need to remind you, Lena Oxton, that when we met you were in the middle of an assignment, and when we met you were putting your life in the line. How is this any- You literally sent me an April Fool's text the other year telling me you were being tortured before waiting ten minutes, just at 11:55, to send me a photo of you drowning in a landslide of stuffed animals."

Lena frowned, "Hey, I'm having legitimate feelings here, okay?"

"Why now of all times?" Emily sincerely wondered with an exasperated tone.

Her lover's head falling once again, Lena sighed, "I guess I always thought that you were so much more vastly important to me than anything, I just feel guilty that, on the spot, I could have died without a second thought."

Emily's eyes narrowed with realization, though Lena's current troubles weren't entirely foreign to her by now. She pulled Lena's head back into her, leaning down to give a gentle kiss on her scalp, finding nothing but softness there as she caught the scent of rosemary mint, knowing she'd inevitably planned out her return home. Without relinquishing her hold on Lena's hand, Emily pulled away, tugging her along down the sidewalk, much to the pilot's surprise.

"C'mon," she smiled, "Let's go eat."

Lena's brow curled in sorrowful confusion, "Em, I'm having a real-"

"Shh," she replied, taking her turn to interrupt, "Let me show you something."

Sighing, Lena acquiesced, her feet patting alongside Emily's hurried gait. Living just hardly outside the city, it took no time for them to enter the metropolitan area, the increasing foot-traffic making their bond along their fingers all the more tight as Emily pressed on, leaving Lena rather perturbed by her insistence despite her lingering emotions. They entered into Wayneau Park, an omnic-inclusive area that had sprung up just years ago, more so in symbolism than for much anything related to actually greenery in the middle of London's scenery.

There was grass, and something resembling a tree, but for the most part it was embellished with metallic structures resembling crude statues, most of them created by local omnics and maintained by the state. There were play areas and benches, though Emily drove on without a second glance, leaving Lena in further confusion as she nearly tripped on one such statue after Emily took a narrow turn, her purse nearly jostling to the point of hitting Lena's face.

"E-Em! I-!"

"Shh!" she persisted once more, stopping and turning around, watching Lena's exhausted face, for once being the recipient of the other's endless energy, "What do you see here?"

Lena's shoulders fell defeatedly as she spun around slowly, trying to ascertain Emily's purpose for bringing her here, "I don't know; that place we were going is around here somewhere, ain't it?"

Emily crossed her arms, almost amused by Lena's imperceptibility whenever she was flustered, her red hair billowing in the wind as she turned to see the particular reason why the park had been placed here, earning her a stare as Lena followed her gaze without conclusion.

"Kings Row, dummy," Emily grinned with amusement.

Lena sighed, "Maybe for you Lewisham girls; us Islington gals know Kings Row doesn't start until the fork hits the Thames."

Emily's eyes rolled humorously as she sighed deeply, "Just hush, okay? Why would I bring you here?"

Growing slightly frustrated, Lena simply shrugged, "I don't know. Why?"

"Look, Lena, I've always known where your heart lies. It's the reason you became a pilot in the first place; your heart is always too flighty for own good," she shrugged with a sincere smile, her head tilting to the side at Lena's surprised expression, "All your body can do is try and keep up. I knew the moment I met you; it's one of the reasons I fell for you. I'm just a London hick; I don't know anything else, but you're always off on adventures."

She stepped forward, taking hold of Lena's hand and running her fingers across her palm lazily as she went on, "Your heart will always be with Overwatch. That's always been your escape from the doldrums of this city, and even from me."

"Th-That's just not true!" Lena retorted, though Emily quieted her with a knowing stare.

"Come on; we both know you'd go stir crazy in my flat, admit it. I know you couldn't handle being here 24/7…but you're here when it matters. when it counts. I just send a text, and you're here," Emily smiled, "Even if your heart lies with Overwatch, you still managed to bring me, and my city, to peace down down that abbey. If your goal is a world that has no danger in it, then everything you do for Overwatch, you do for me. Every time I come down this way, I remember how you're off being a hero, and not just my hero."

She closed Lena's fingers into a fist, placing her hand atop hers with a smile, "So quit all this guilty stuff, okay? I know what I signed on to when I returned that kiss you gave me."

Lena's lips curled unsurely, her eyes raising up to inadvertently give Emily a puppy-dog gaze, "You sure?"

"Yes!" Emily exclaimed with a smile.

After a ruminating sigh, Lena shrugged, "Okay. If you say so."

She reached out for the purse around Emily's torso, grabbing a handful of air as Emily recoiled just in the nick of time, the red head teasing as he held up two fists two feign defense, "Nuh uh! I've got you tonight, remember? I sorta like the idea of watching you sitting there all jumpy."

Lena bit her lip, already feeling the molecules charging and expelling energy within her, almost regretting Emily having cheered her up somewhat. It was much more bearable when she was depressed, but now, an electric rumble shook her core, particularly as Emily began to bound away with a giggle. Lena reached out, dashing after her with a panicked look on her face.

"H-Hey! I don't know how far I can get from that thing!"

Emily giggled as she slowed her speed, "Then I guess you'll just have to catch me!"

Lena broke through the crowd with a leap, hitting the ground just at Emily's side and wrapping her arms around her, tight, spinning her in a circle as momentum caught up to her, watching her red-haired angel's face amidst a backdrop on endlessly spinning lights and silhouettes; a world where, for the briefest of moments, all there was were these two lovers. Emily's laughter came to an abrupt halt during her hold, only peering into Lena's eyes as they slowed to a stop, with her lover failing to release her.

"You can't get rid of me that easy," Lena spoke quietly with a reckless sort of grin.

Emily stuck out her tongue in teasing, "Guess I'll just have to put up with you forever then."

Lost in one another's oft-trembling lips as their eyes fell within one another, they barely noticed the nearby crowd breaking, leaving a pair of bewildered patrons of the park in Lena's sight as she turned toward them, Emily following along with a blush.

"Yea', this's my beau'ifow creature; what's it to ya, then?!" Lena goaded with something of a lioness' roar, her cockney finding its way into her voice as the pair of sightseers jostled along, leaving the women be.

Her scowl subsided as she returned her attention to her lover, Emily's blush covering her smile at being taken aback. Lena eyed the crowd around them suspiciously, now simply playing the part, as she pulled her lady along, Emily more than happy to be escorted by this bold individual.

"Okay, okay, you can cut it out," Emily muttered in between giggles as Lena shoved a furious gaze in a passerby's face.

Lena shrugged, her arms still firmly around Emily's shoulders as she guided her along, "Just showing them all what's good. Uh…and you'll probably want me to continue along with it if you want a table any time tonight…"

"Oh no…" Emily spoke, sadly, the two of them across from the storefront of 'Medallions', the line of visitors wrapping clear around the building, "It's, what, nine o'clock? How long have they all been waiting?"

Lena shrugged with a sigh, "Well if this ain't a two 'n eight."

With a quick glare, Emily muttered, "Okay, enough of the cockney, dear. What do we do now? Just get a bite somewhere on the way home? There was a fast food place back a'ways."

Her lips folding in thought, Lena pushed herself up onto her tiptoes, gradually turning her head around the mass of people surrounding them, crossing her arms as she descended once again, tapping her chin before pointing at Emily's purse.

"I've got an idea, but I'm gonna need that."

Emily frowned, "…you sure?"

"I'm not going anywhere, love," Lena assured with a smile, reaching into the purse undeterred, whipping out her chronal accelerator and strapping it overtop her clothes, "Well, I will for a few moments."

A skeptical glare appeared at Emily's face, though Lena was quick to explain, rather nervously at that, "I'm serious! Look, just head over to that food truck over there, alright? The Italian food one, see it?"

"Well where are you going?"

Lena only gave a grin before suddenly evaporating out of existence, leaving nothing but a trail of blue bubbles in her place. Quite familiar with such things by this point, Emily only sighed as she pushed her way through the crowd, wondering what it was Lena possibly could have up her sleeve. She didn't even know the food truck people, she already figured. Still, she made her way out from the collection of people working their way through the crowded cosmopolis of Kings Row, taking a relieved breath as she stepped up to the truck, the chef staring at her as he tapped a mallet against the white sleeve of his chef's coat.

"You the read-head?" he asked mutely with a high, grumbly sort of voice.

Emily reached up in self-awareness, pulling a tuft of hair before her eyes before returning to him, "Uh, I hope so."

The chef frowned, "A eh, voice told meh to prepare ah dish fer the red-head. I don' go 'round challengin' voices, yah see- bad juju, ya get that?"

Desperately trying to play along, Emily answered with a nod, "I understand, yeah."

Trailing with a shrug, the chef turned around to check his food, "Give it, eh, two minutes, okeh? Tortellini so good, *smooch*, you'd've thought yah died 'n gone ta heav'n!"

Emily smiled at his words, nodding and giving a thanks before turning to try and locate Lena, though she was nowhere to be found. After a moment of waiting, she reached into her pocket for her phone case, opening it and pulling out enough bills to pay, though in that instant, a sudden gust of wind broke past her, sending her hair flying as she reached up to control her wavy locks, the chef yanking his body around and shoving his bulbous head out the window.

"Ay! Minchiaaaa! Cut tha crap, eh?!" he shouted out as he turned from one direction to the other, sliding back into his truck, "Fools! That's theh second time! Don't they know it messes with theh non so che, eh!"

Emily had recoiled from the chef's boisterous attack, though as she recovered herself, she noticed a stack of dollar bills having appeared from nowhere sitting in front of her on the truck's metal serving bar, her eyes squinting as she took it to mean, in her own odd way, Lena was paying. She took the stack and sat it up near the window as the chef spun back around with two thick cone-shaped paper bowls, handing them out to Emily with a crooked grin.

"Ay, see? No sauce, as th' voice said!" he spoke, nearly reverently, before returning his hands through the window, accepting the bills on the way, "Wow! Thank ya kindly, ma'am!"

"Grazie!" Emily offered herself with a polite bow of her head, turning to stroll down the pathway that wound around the perimeter of the park, keeping her eyes out for Lena as she went along, "Okay Lena, I got our dinner. What else have you got up your-"

"Hiyah!"

"GAH!" Emily gasped as she nearly jumped in the air with fright, Lena's voice having appeared right in front of her face.

She managed to keep the two coney bowls somewhat secure as she collected herself, bending low as her breathes quickened, "That wasn't funny, y'know."

Lena's teasing giggle was heard, though she wasn't seen, leaving Emily to turn her head, curiously, though she quickly came to the conclusion that Lena was, somehow, invisible; something not too foreign to her, especially given Lena's propensity to pop through walls whenever it suited her, a particular Halloween night coming to Emily's mind where she would jump through the door and out onto the sidewalk to scare passersby while wearing a hobbit costume, which Lena always proposed were frightening little creatures.

"Okay, okay," Emily nodded, "Do we need to get drinks or any-"

"Over by that bench," Lena answered, still unseen, though leading Emily along anyway, "Why don't you try some of that tortellini though? That guy said it was the best in London, y'know?"

Emily frowned as she lifted her hands to examine them sarcastically, "I mean, as much as I'd like to believe every businessperson's word, I still don't exactly have the faculties to do that."

"Hmm," she heard Lena gently muse, "Maaaybe this is just a game. As usual, I got two different kinds of tortellini for us to share; one's herbed chicken, and the other's spicy something. Which one are you going for?"

Emily concentrated on the two paper cups with careful zeal, finally raising her her right hand in offering, "I guess this one."

Even with no visual cue, Emily could nearly feel Lena's smirk through the air as a tiny bit of pasta suddenly levitated into the air, leaving Emily slightly bemused by the act as Lena spoke up playfully, "Open up."

Doing as she was told, Emily's lips widened, though it didn't stop her from protesting, "'ena, I don't t'ink dis is-"

Before she could figure out what was going, she suddenly felt two pillow-soft masses covering her bottom lip, an undeniable warmth rushing over her as she brought her lips together, allowing Lena to regroup and return to her, taking in both her lips as she sucked at them, bringing her lover's mind into a realm without thought. Lena's hands maneuvered around Emily's arms, which were still held up in front of her, gently clasping her sides as she pulled her waist in close while simultaneously forcing Emily's head backward, wanting more and more of her tasteful lips.

As Emily's arms weakened, Lena finally pulled away, leaving Emily contorted in an odd pose, seemingly by herself to any passersby. Her face had already run a redness that nearly matched her hair, her voice quivering softly as she spoke up mutely, "That wasn't pasta."

Lena giggled as she returned to Emily's sight, sure enough wearing a childish grin as she slid her hands away from her waist, "I guess any stupid stuff I do with my equipment, it's fine if I also use you with you."

"Sure, but you could've just not played it out like that," Emily suggested, though a smile appeared crossing her face, "Still, it was nice. I can't complain."

Lena stuck out her tongue as she fell into the bench, taking a cup from Emily to allow her a seat beside her, pointing out the drinks before having at her meal. Emily wasn't far behind, the two of them enjoying the warmth of the other in the midst of the curling breeze surrounding them. They picked at their noodles, often exchanging with one another, as was their tradition- no matter where they ate, they would get two different dishes in order to share, tonight being no different.

"Mmm; he wasn't lying," Emily mused, licking her thumb, "It is pretty good. It reminds me of that one place we went to, on your birthday, remember?"

Lena nodded, "Yeah, I suppose it does. Nothing beats your cooking though; you make everything so perfectly!"

"If you say so. I've never made tortellini in my life, from scratch anyway. I know they say working stuff with your hands is supposed to add pheromones or a particular taste to everything, but I don't know how true that is," Emily concluded thoughtfully.

"Well, maybe if you didn't use sauces with everything," Lena noted with a grin.

Emily turned to her curiously, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Grabbing ahold of one of her bits of pasta, Lena grinned, "You can't handle food with sauce on it. Then you can't-"

She tossed the tortellini in the air, her head turning up and yanking I'm one direction to another as the pasta fell, Lena successfully catching it in her mouth, sending a thumbs up in the air, "Ta-da! See? They're so fun!"

Emily's lips turned with curiosity as her eyes averted while in thought, "I suppose so. Isn't it worth it for the taste, though? I mean, I go online and pair the food, the sauce, the wine, everything; wouldn't you rather have-"

"I'd rather not have my girl troubling herself, personally," Lena smiled, "It just so happens that less is more, fun!"

Emily grinned, charmed by her lovers' immense youthfulness when it came to such things, "Alright, when you're here, simplicity is key, okay? You want stuff that's small enough to toss, no sauce, and-"

"-and that you use your hands for. I wanna test that out," Lena nodded to herself affirmatively, returning to her cup of tortellini with a determined look, figuring whether or not to try another high-flying catch.

"Why don't you try it?" Lena asked with an expectant look.

Emily gave a nervous twitch of the nose, "Uh, no; you vastly overestimate my dexterity."

Rising to her feet, Lena goaded her on with a lively voice, "C'mon! Just once! You've got me here with you, so you can do anything, right? I'm not even telling you to jump off a bridge."

Frowning, Emily stared into the last few bites of pasta, mulling over the idea in her head until she finally acquiesced, reaching two fingers into the cone and pulled out a piece, holding it in her hand as she turned her eyes up toward Lena, her head nodding in anticipation. With a sudden jerk of her arm, Emily sent the tortellini skyward, immediately throwing her head around as she preemptively attempted to follow its movements. As it reached its apex, floating still for but a moment, Emily's eyes went wide as it suddenly descended toward her, flashes of blue light careening before her eyes as Lena leapt back and forth over her in warp space, poking the tortellini as it fell, doing her best to direct its descent, though with Emily's overcorrections, she had to dash back and forth, her dance showing like blue tracks of a comet beneath the starry sky.

Before she knew it, Emily felt the pasta fall into her mouth, her head instinctively jerking downward to avoid choking, though she gave a relieved sigh before chewing, not noticing Lena's grinning just a pace away. The pilot shoved her hands into her pockets with an accomplished smirk as she watched Emily collect herself.

"Told ya," she teased.

Emily sighed once again, looked at Lena with a wry sort of glance, "You think you're hot stuff, huh?"

"I'm quite certain I am," Lena replied with a wink, stepping toward her with her legs on either side of Emily's knees as she sat there, leaning low so that their faces were level, "And I'm all yours."

She reached over and gingerly pushed Emily's red hair out from before her face, tucking its tufts behind her ear before holding her cheek, Lena's lips closing the gap as their eyes fell closed, losing one another into their lover's touch until the crowded street across the park fell silent, rendered speechless by their binding adoration of one another.

Pulling away, albeit reluctantly, Emily shivered at the chilling feeling at her lips with Lena displaced, "There's dessert back home. I made sure to bake some of your favorites after your text. Maybe some champagne, too, to celebrate."

"Mmm," Lena mused as she pulled her partner to her feet, "Sounds like a plan. Just put some movie on and get together on the couch with some cookies. You sure know how to work your magic and make a girl feel loved, y'know."

Emily cocked a grin, "It's easy with you. The only other girls I've been with, nothing just ever clicked the way they do with you, you know?"

"Tell me about it," Lena groaned, "My parents were pretty strict, so I kinda toyed with the idea of getting with boys just to appease 'em. Talk about not clicking, right?!"

She giggled, almost pleased with herself about how funny it all sounded, shaking her head with a satisfied sigh as Emily asked, curiously, "Did you know you were into girls even then?"

"Eh," Lena shrugged with indifference, "It was kind of a last ditch thing for my parent's sake; I don't talk to them anymore, right? so it didn't take. Some randy named Gregory, he was the last straw. He leaned in and howled, literally howled, in my ear and said he could finally to be a werewolf in London or some junk like-"

She turned to see Emily's hand covering her mouth, trying as hard as she could to hide her laughter, even turning away as tears appeared at her closed eyes while straining from her refraining. Lena smiled at her attitude, shrugging as she allowed a laugh to leave her.

"Okay, it's pretty funny, I guess," Lena concluded, shaking her head in disbelief as her acceptance prompted Emily to reveal her amusement, breaking loose with a massive laugh, sending her body falling forward as she held her side, her laughter like a melodic chorus underneath a silent moon. Lena watched with pulled lips as Emily composed herself, still ejecting random bursts of laughter as pulled her hair back.

"Sorry, that was just hysterical!" she admitted, "I don't know; it just seems like something that would only happen to you."

Lena shrugged at the insinuation, reaching her hand up toward Emily's face as she grew still, allowing her lover's finger to wipe the laughing tears from her face, "Well, in the end, I tasted heaven's nectar and found it sweet. I found my own and only; I think I did pretty good for myself, thank you very much!"

"You did wonderful," Emily agreed, grabbing her arm and pulling her close enough to rest her head on her shoulder as they walked along the lonely cement at their feet, together, "I couldn't be happier."


A/N: This is the most British thing I've ever written.

The chef said, "non so che", which is sort of the Italian equivalent of the French 'je nais se quoi', according to legitimate Italian-speakers on an online forum ;D