Shaw rolled onto her side and opened bleary eyes. Root was still asleep, passed out in the same position Shaw had left her in. She couldn't quite muster the energy to rise up and see what time it was.

Neither of them had called anything, safe words or mercy or otherwise. Shaw had dug in with both feet, but Root met her evenly, pound for pound. She'd underestimated her.

She looked up at the ceiling and waited for it, but it never came. There wasn't an ounce of regret to be found in her. But beyond that, she wasn't even angry. She had every right to be. The difference between their first time and their second time was that Shaw asked for it. Root didn't. She took. She got away with it because Shaw had been in a similar state and Root had poked at all the right buttons. But Shaw still got to be mad.

Only, she wasn't. She might be, if Root tried to hold it over her head, if she acted like this was a victory. But for now, achy and tired in the early hours of the morning, not so much.

The bite marks on her body throbbed in time with her heartbeat, and she was pretty sure there was a welt on the back of her head from something Root had done, or perhaps thrown her against. Not to mention the pressure bruises on the backs of her knees or the impact mark on the small of her back that was likely turning purple by now. They felt good, though, all of them, like sore muscles after a really intense workout. She might have to fight to walk up a set of stairs afterward, but she never regretted pushing her body to the limits. This felt a lot like that.

She couldn't decide what she would do when Root woke up. This was the hard part about dealing with people. Should she pretend to be angry, simply because Root deserved it? She hardly dared reveal how satisfied she was. She could at least be put out. Did she return to her original stance of 'never again'? It would be fitting to do so, if pointless, considering where she was currently lying. Because Root knew she could get to her now.

The other option was to ride it out. Have fun while she could, give in to whatever whims struck her. Root would be on board with that, no question. And eventually, Shaw would stop wanting her, which made saying no and meaning it possible. That was probably her most logical choice. And, admittedly, the most satisfying sounding one.

But when she was done, what if Root wasn't? And what if it did affect their ability to live together? Shaw didn't care too much; if she had her way, she'd live alone. Except, she still couldn't afford to do that. And if she had to live with someone, she wanted it to be Root. Even before this, she'd been fun. Sassy, smart, with a dark sense of humor. Even if she didn't mind hunting for roommates, Shaw still wouldn't want another one. She liked what they had going.

This was starting to be way too much thinking, especially before coffee. If she weren't so sore, she'd go for a run. Shaw finally moved to get up, having to climb over Root to do it. She was still stiff from sleep and excess exertion, and it left her feeling clumsy. She tried to get off the bed without touching the woman underneath her, but Root woke up anyway. Maybe she would have regardless. She was sensitive like that.

A vice-like grip surrounded her waist. "Stay."

The word was so muffled, it was clear she was hardly awake. Shaw braced herself above her, sighing. "Why?"

"Sleepy."

"So?"

"Long night. Stay."

"And whose fault is that?"

Root chuckled, a throaty sound thick with fatigue. "Mm, me." She sounded proud of herself. Of course she did.

And then she ducked her head and found one of Shaw's bare breasts. She suckled, rough for someone still half-asleep, and Shaw had to hide the groan building in her throat. How did she manage to have this effect on her when she couldn't even open her eyes?

"Coffee," she managed to force out.

Root held on and kept sucking, even harder, now with teeth grazing her skin. Shaw hissed a warning. Her mouth finally opened, but her arms did not. She looked up at Shaw with drooping eyes, but she detected the awareness in them. "Will you come back?"

"Maybe."

"Promise or I'm not letting you go."

Shaw rolled her eyes. "I could promise and still not come back."

Root pouted.

"Fine, and I'll even bring you back a cup. Can I go now?"

Finally, the grip on her eased, allowing her off the bed. Root rolled to face her, watching her throw on some underwear. Shaw pretended not to be interested in the way her hip curved, the long line of her leg drawing up to her arms and accentuating the shape of her. She still looked to be half asleep, making Shaw wonder if she would even be awake when she got back.

Actually, she still kind of wanted to go back to sleep, too. She leaned heavily against the counter as the machine brewed, feeling the weariness inside her body. Her bed practically called to her. On the plus side, she could, if she wanted to, do just that. She only had a single, evening class. Or...she could go back to the bed she'd slept in, and neither of them could sleep. That was an option, and just the idea of it had her perking up without the caffeine.

The choice was taken away from her. But she didn't startle when warm around surrounded her middle.

"Root."

"Sam." Lips brushed over her shoulder.

"I said I was coming back."

"I know, but it was taking so long. I got cold." She pressed closer, demonstrating to Shaw that Root hadn't bothered to get dressed.

Shaw thought about pushing her away. She thought about snapping at her that she was needy. Instead, she turned to face her. She kept her hands to herself. For now.

"You're so impatient."

Root's eyes rolled toward the ceiling, her head tilting to one side. "Not really..." Her head dropped to meet her eyes again. "Just figure it's a better use of time to be making out."

Shaw's first instinct was to protest, but Root's tongue in her mouth quickly quelled that. Her hands met Root's naked ribcage, couldn't quite resist traveling upward. Root's appreciative gasp prompted her hands to clench, narrowing her grip until she was tugging on Root's already-hard nipples. She pressed her into the counter, kissing her deeper. When Root shifted to press her thigh between Shaw's, she allowed a groan to escape.

The machine beeping behind them gave her an excuse to pull away. Not that Root stopped simply because she turned back around to pour the coffee. No, her mouth just moved to the back of Shaw's neck, her possessive hands sliding down to clutch her ass. Shaw had to work to keep her hands steady, but she managed. Just as those hands started to get really cheeky, she turned with a mug to occupy Root's hands with something else.

"Thank you," she said sweetly. Shaw just rolled her eyes. Root blew on the hot beverage, still close enough to share Shaw's air. "Might be nice to have some solid food to go along with this."

"I suppose."

When Shaw didn't give her anything else, she added, "My treat."

"Only if we have it delivered."

One eyebrow rose. "Why's that?"

"Well, if we go somewhere, we'd have to put on clothes." The other eyebrow rose. "But if we stay here...we could go back to bed." The eyebrows dropped and a smile broke free.

"Bed. Definitely bed."

Shaw pointedly picked up her mug and moved away from her. She knew Root would be close behind.

She barely made it to her night class on time. Root did everything she could to distract her, not that it was difficult. Even after spending the whole day together, drifting in and of sleep, and all over each other when they were awake, she was still this close to being coerced into skipping. But she finally made it to the door, dressed just enough to be presentable in public. Root, on the other hand, was still buck naked, and Shaw guessed she would be in the same state upon her return.

She sat gingerly, feeling every bruise and aching muscle. Her ass throbbed, too; Root had a fetish and a tight grip. She couldn't say she minded.

"Aren't you always the early one?"

Shaw glanced to her left, surprised to be spoken to. She wasn't known as the social one in this class or any other.

The blonde surfer dude was vaguely familiar, but they'd never spoken before. Now he was leaned over in the space between their seats, grinning in what she thought was meant to be a friendly way. Flirtatious, in the way straight guys just couldn't help doing when looking at a woman they found attractive. When she didn't answer, he added, "I'm pretty sure I've never entered this classroom and not seen you already in it."

"Which means you're the late one." He just grinned. "Whatever."

"So...late night? Or busy day?"

She raised an eyebrow at him, unwilling to engage. But sadly, he didn't appear to be going away anytime soon. She glanced toward the front of the room, found the professor fumbling the stack of tests. She sighed. "Both."

He smirked like he knew what she'd been doing. Lucky guess. Smug asshole.

She sunk down into her seat, leaning her head on her hand so he was left with a view of the top of her scalp. Ignoring people usually worked pretty well to ward off conversation. This guy could be friendly or flirtatious or whatever he wanted, but if she didn't respond to him, he'd give up.

He got the hint quicker than she expected and moved back into his own space. She took a deep breath. The only thing she hated about school was the people. On the plus side, she was almost done. And then she could focus on the important things. On medicine, and on changing the world with it.

The professor finally got himself together and started passing out the tests. When hers came to her desk, she wasn't surprised by the letter at the top. She worked hard for her grades and knew when she'd done well.

But right after a test, class life was boring. It was this weird sort of transitory state where they weren't learning anything for the next testing phase, but it wasn't all textbook review, either. It was kind of annoying, and normally, Shaw hated it. But today, it allowed her mind to wander.

Naturally, Root came to mind first. Shaw wondered if she'd still be naked in bed when she got back. Thought about what she might do if she found her like that...

But she thought of John, too. It wasn't a huge leap to jump to her former roommate, the only real friend she'd ever had. They'd seen some shit together, and while she wasn't capable of missing him, life sure was different without him around. Emptier, somehow. Root was fun, interesting, larger than life, but she didn't fill John's spot. More like she'd just knocked down a wall and made herself at home. Shaw considered being the one to write him first, this time. Was it technically first, though, if John wrote the first letter after leaving, and then they just kept going back and forth? She wasn't sure. But it definitely had been too long, and it didn't hurt for her to initiate. He would probably appreciate it.

She just didn't usually think of it. It wasn't that she didn't care what was going on his life, but he didn't have much to tell her, nor she him. And she wasn't worried about his safety over there. She was listed as his next of kin, so she would be the one notified if he died. But if he did, if he gave his life in this chase for a purpose he didn't even understand, she'd bring him back just to kill him herself. And make him clean up the mess.

Men.

Class finally ended, with the promise of a pop quiz coming. Half the class groaned aloud, making her roll her eyes. Pussies. Pop quizzes only bothered the unprepared. And the suddenness of them was kind of fun for her. What better way to prove you knew your stuff? These idiots didn't seem to understand that in real life, there would be no all-nighters to study when things got tough.

She hurried through the snails blocking her exit, ignoring surfer dude's attempt to get her attention. No thanks, not interested. She managed to break free into the hallway, and from there, it was only a few long strides to the door to the outside. Night had fallen, leaving the air crisp and cool on her face. She loved walking home when it was dark. It was the only time she felt comfortable being out in public. Like the shadows hid her differences from the normal people.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she got to her doorstep. There was only one person beyond this door. An exhausting, irritating person, who knew how to drive Shaw up a wall with seemingly little effort. But the one person she somehow still wanted to be around.

She heard the TV before she'd even stepped in. She came around the door to find Root spread out on her stomach on the couch. She was technically dressed, but only barely. The loose-fitting t-shirt she wore had slid up around her hips, revealing bare legs and a shapely ass.

Shaw dropped her bag onto the floor with a thump. Root looked over, smiling happily and offering a tiny wave. Shaw closed the door behind her and went to the fridge for a beer.

"How was the real world?"

"Boring."

"Seems to be a trend as of late."

Shaw was confused for a moment, until she remembered Root's friend at the party. She was boring. That was what Root had called her. She tossed aside the cap and took a long drink.

When she sat down on the couch, Root immediately rolled to her back, stretching her long legs over her lap. Shaw pushed her away out of habit. "I see you found a way to entertain yourself."

"It's boring, too." But her eyes stayed on the TV, despite the declaration.

Shaw snorted and took another drink. The show on TV was boring, but Shaw wasn't sure she would care if it wasn't. She was much more interested in all the expanses of skin next to her. Root hadn't been bothered by being pushed away, she was too used to it, and now her legs were between them, half-curled toward her on a couch cushion. Shaw wanted to run her hands up the length of them. And then her tongue. She thought about how her smell would hit her, as Root became aroused under her touch. Her mouth watered. And there was no way she bothered to put a bra on under that t-shirt. Shaw's hands would find her small breasts easily, squeezing tightly, just the way she liked, while Shaw ate her out.

She drank a little more, letting her thoughts roll along as they wanted while she finished her beer. Root laughed at something on the screen, gathering more of her attention. What was it about her that drew Shaw in like this? She didn't understand it. She was a magnet, an irresistible force that Shaw could barely look away from.

And she kind of didn't want to. Why put in so much effort when there was no reward for it? Not a tangible one, anyway. So what if they lived together? Root swore she was fine with it. Shaw could be, too. Maybe it went bad, but maybe not. And the possibility of that, the intangible, far away possibility, didn't seem worth it. Not over the fun they could have together.

Shaw drained her bottle and rose to dispose of it. Root's eyes stayed on the TV. Either she didn't find this as boring as she'd said, or she was working hard for casual and unassuming, because Shaw had become used to eyes on her ass whenever her back was turned to Root. But she didn't feel them now.

Did she think if she played it cool, Shaw wouldn't retaliate? She was fooling herself. If she wanted revenge for that stunt, for the clear violation of her boundaries, she'd get it. Eventually. Root might not realize it, but for now, she was about to be the luckiest bitch on the planet.

Shaw turned back to the couch. Root was still pretending to watch TV, but she was sure now that she was faking. She was waiting. For the blowback, for the reaction, whatever it was going to be.

She watched Root's leg rise, her bare foot dragging over her own thigh. The move was casual, not calculated for once, but it still drew her gaze. Everything she did was so...graceful. Sensual. Shaw thought again about touching her. Imagined the slide of that thigh over her skin. And those eyes on hers. The way Root looked at her, that gaze heavy with lust and glued to her in appreciation. The look she got as she came. Shaw was aching for it. And her imagination wasn't going to cut it a moment longer.

Shaw marched over to the couch, stole the remote, and turned off the TV in one fell swoop. Root's mouth had just opened to spill out a protest when Shaw leaned down and grabbed her by the hips, bracing her shoulder against her stomach. When she stood, Root draped over her shoulder, the protest she'd formed was lost in a whoop of surprise.

"Bedtime," Shaw said simply.

Root didn't complain. In fact, she laughed, right before two hands grabbed her ass. "God, I love this view!"

Dumb-ass. Shaw threw her onto the bed. "You're ridiculous."

Root wiggled out of her t-shirt and her panties in one second flat. "And now I'm naked." She raised a challenging eyebrow.

Shaw snarled. "I wanted to do that." She didn't wait for a response, jumping onto the bed and straddling her captive.

Root wasted no time in reaching for her pants, unzipping them and opening the button in a single motion. Her hand wiggled inside, found unfettered access. "And I want this." She slid a finger inside Shaw, uncaring that her pants were still on and mostly blocking what she wanted so badly.

Shaw cared. She shoved Root's hand away, falling on top of her to keep her in place while she wiggled her jeans off. If she didn't hold her, Root would probably try to flip her and take over. But she wasn't giving up control tonight. If Root minded, she didn't say as much. She was too busy tearing Shaw's shirt off. Shaw had the brief thought that she was glad she'd been in such a hurry to leave and had foregone underwear.

Finally, she was naked, Root equally bare and warm underneath her. Shaw sighed, luxuriating in the sensation she'd been craving for the last hour. Root's thighs came up around her hips, forming a cage, as if flipping Shaw was the last thing on her mind. She lifted her head to whisper into Shaw's ear, "Fuck me. Please. I want you to fuck me just like this." She tilted her hips upward, and moist heat met Shaw's abdomen.

Shaw groaned. "Like this?" She thrust down into Root, seeking more of her heat. "I'll fuck you like this. And then ten other ways before I let you fall asleep." She took a fistful of Root's hair and yanked her head back, scraping teeth over her neck. Root gasped. "Hope you rested up while I was gone."