sketchycharacter

And people actually respect that privacy.

[He sounds totally skeptical now.]

From my experience, yeah. Yeah they did.

[ Don't be so skeptical! It's a thing. ]

I can't believe that, in all the years you were out with Sully, you two never had a system in place.

[Okay. That sounds fake, but okay. She's the one who actually has experience with college living, after all.]

Never needed one. He got marginally more discreet when I started living with him—mostly he started going to the lucky lady's place instead of bringing her home, though. And the window of time where I was old enough to bring anyone home myself but hadn't gotten my own place yet wasn't that wide.

Besides, we had separate bedrooms. The weird part would have been breakfast the morning after.

Edited 2016-06-13 16:07 (UTC)

[ Maybe if they keep talking about Sully and his lady luck adventures that she'll feel less likely to get her husband pinned into the wall like at the hotel in Panama their first time. ]

That's always the worst.

At least you didn't have to worry about some jackass making a sound clip and having it sent out around campus.

[Maybe she won't be the one pinned this time, the way he still feels.]

Okay, if that's an actual danger of college, I'm glad I never went. There are enough ways to make fun of me without my youthful sexual prowess [such as it was] coming into the picture.

[ That gets a snort out of her. ]

Youthful? [ Hah. ] That sexual prowess is going to go down with the ship.

[ Meaning, from her experience, he's never stopped having issues with it. Or maybe it was just their chemistry, the attraction, how they'd never stopped jumping each other since the start. Even when they were well into their marriage, the intimacy and sex had never slowed or stopped.

Only when he began to pull away and focus on other things... ]

This may shock you, but I was not a sexual dynamo right out of the gate. Actually, I was kind of a late bloomer.

[Other things had always seemed more important, even after he'd started noticing girls. Of course, by the time he'd met Elena, things had been very different.]

It would have been a short, awkward recording, is what I'm getting at.

I was early. Right from the get go.

[ But that was all he needed to know. She's a little surprised at herself for saying it so openly, now of all times. ]

Right. Gotcha.

[Really. Now that's interesting to know.]

Oh, you wouldn't have given me a second look, then. Skinny kid with his nose stuck in a book? It took time to cultivate the roguish charm that worked its magic on you.

[Try to deny it.]

You're still pretty skinny. And right, working the charm on all the other wonderful ladies, testing it out before you put it to play for the one and only true love of your life. Uh-huh.

What if I told you it needed work right now?

Hey, I work out now.

[He'd flex, but that's probably a little overdefensive.]

It has been a while since I practiced. Wouldn't be that surprising if it's gotten rusty.

Oh yeah? Okay then, Big shot, show me your guns. Let's see 'em.

[ She has noticed that he's changed a bit since she'd last seen him. He'd filled out a little more, it had been good to see it when he had first appeared off the plane in Yemen. All that climbing around kept him in shape, and then some. ]

And unless you got someone on the side I don't know about...who knows.

[ Not that she would believe it. Or think it. Well, maybe a tiny slip of thought but nothing permanently ingrained in the back of her mind. ]

Edited 2016-06-13 17:00 (UTC)

[Working out had been a welcome distraction for him when he'd hit a wall tracking Drake's path and been left with nothing but his thoughts and the regrets about leaving Elena that he hadn't wanted to acknowledge. The results speak for themselves.

She doesn't get a display of the goods now, though. His expression slips into something less teasing and more serious, dismayed that he could ever have made her doubt him. Even jokingly, even for a moment.]

No. Not ever.

[ She goes silent as she watches him, studies the look on his face. Some part of her feels stupid for even bringing it up, for even jokingly questioning him. They'd been apart for so long that she could've never known; no phone calls had been made to keep in touch, no texts, no emails. And what were the chances that he would've told her if it had happened?

Elena leans away from the wall and goes to him, gaze searching his. ]

I'm sorry. [ Her hands lift to smooth along his jaw before cupping it. ] I shouldn't have said anything.

If it's what you were thinking, then yeah. You should have.

[He's not mad at her. How could he be? He's the one who left, who'd apparently been done with their marriage. Even if she'd known how miserable he was without her, it wouldn't be such a stretch to think he might take solace in someone else's arms, someone else's bed. It's his fault for not making it absolutely clear that it didn't happen.

He takes her in his arms, wanting to pull her close but needing her to be able to see his face and how serious he is.]

There was never anyone else for me, Elena. There's never going to be.

Edited 2016-06-13 17:27 (UTC)

[ He's that serious that he says her name, and it makes her chest tighten. ]

Good, because there's no one else for me either but you.

[ And because it's an opportune moment, Elena leans up as she pulls him down, her mouth pressing firmly to his. It's a needy embrace but only in the sense of needing to make him understand that he really is all she's ever needed or wanted. That she's sorry for ever doubting, and that she loves him. So much.

Here's hoping no one comes in to interrupt them because all she wants to do is share in a good, long kiss with her husband. Put one worry behind them, look forward to fixing the rest. ]

[Something in Nate's chest twists when she says that—partly because she shouldn't be in the position of needing to but mostly because it's really good to hear—and she finds no resistance at all when she pulls him down to her mouth.

It's not the first time they've kissed since ending up in space, but as fraught and hesitant as this whole marriage-fixing venture has been at times, each one feels important. And it's a really good kiss, full of emotion and without any proedural difficulties like teeth clacking together.

Hopefully she won't mind when he follows it up with a second kiss.]

[ She needs to work on being able to trust him again— a few kisses, they don't interfere with that or hinder her judgment in any way. Knowing what she needs of him versus what she wants, she's got them separated, and as much as she's wanted to kiss him (or goes through moments whenever they're together of just wanting to slip back into old habits of cuddling and kissing and little touches), they both need the extra reassurances.

Being close to reaffirm that they still got this. She trusts him enough in this regard to never overstep or hurt her.

Whether the second kiss is a part of that or just for his own pleasure, she doesn't mind it one bit. Her arms slide over his shoulders as she fits herself against his front, pushed up onto her toes as she parts her lips to silently take a little more for herself. Not too silently with the low moan of approval from in her throat. ]

[The temperature in the room seems to rise with the second kiss, and part of Nate knows this isn't something they should be getting into when the room isn't just his, especially when one of the residents who could interrupt them is fast as shit.

The rest of him doesn't care. It's been a long, long time since since they've gotten to be this close, and every part of him is remembering how very, very good they can be together. She presses against him and his arms tighten around her to keep her there.

He loses himself for a little while, losing counts of the kisses, and it's only through supreme force of will that he's able to pull back instead of escalating. Not far, though—when he opens his eyes to look at her, he can still feel her breath against his lips.]

[ As much as she'd like to protest when the warmth and comfort of his lips lift away, she doesn't. She knows they can only get so far, should only go so far. Breaking right now, it wouldn't be right (but, god, it feels so...), doesn't matter how much she wants this, him.

A dragging silence, her breath panting softly against his mouth. Elena keeps her eyes closed, hands moving up over the back of his neck and into his hair. Mapping muscles and tendons along the way.

Just let them stand like this for a little while longer— she's missed him so much. ]

Hi there...

[ His gaze keeps her warm; she doesn't need to see it to know it's fixed on her, skin pricking with heat from the kiss that she can still feel.

Her next words come out then as a whisper, lashes lifting finally: ]

I've missed you.

[It's not really that surprising to hear. Nate knows she hadn't instantly gotten over him when he walked out, or they wouldn't be here now, trying to fix what he broke. But the admission is still damn nice to hear. It gives him hope.]

Me, too.

[Even when he'd insisted to himself that he'd done the right thing, because he had to, because who was he if he wasn't carrying on Drake's legacy? Her absence had still been a painfully empty place in his life. Now that she's here with him again, he doesn't want to let her go.]

Every day.

You know what they say, right, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

[ As much as it hurts. Every day. Elena never would've imagined it hurting worse seeing him again after so long.

Her hands come back around to frame his jaw, thumb sweeping his left cheek, her gaze fond as she looks at him. And then her lips spread into a wide smile. ]

So. How was it?

[Maybe that's true. Or maybe it had just reminded him of what he already felt and was too stubborn to acknowledge.]

Oh, it was pretty good. [He grins back at her as he leans into her touch.] Just don't tell my wife I was making out with a teenager.

[ It was like he had partly read her mind, knew what she was referring to with the question.

She makes a face, smile twisting into a scowl. ]

Don't say it like that. [ Her thumb does another pass along roughened skin. ] Sounds bad that way.

I'm still an adult. A grown adult, thank you.

[He likes it when she does that. She should keep doing that.]

But you look like someone way too young for me. You're still beautiful, though.

[He skims his fingertips up and down her back.]

Any idea how long this'll last?

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