cactusy | IC contact for lastvoyages

[Shaw mumbles something under her breath, her mouth still full. Then, swallowing, she adds:]

My comas are on a schedule. The next one is next month.

[This will absolutely not be happening, but to be fair, her comas have been shockingly regular so far; she can probably be forgiven for assuming that will continue.]

[ Sweetie, please, Root wants to hear every little thing you say. ]

So we only get a few weeks before then. [ Hmm. ] I can't claim all your free time, but I do want most of it.

Yeah? You wanna come on patrol with me?

That's not free time, Sameen.

Then what counts as free time? I'm on duty here 24/7; it's not like I get days off.

[ Root pouts. ]

Did the Admiral say you have to do regular patrols? You can take an hour or two now and then, can't you?

[Shaw frowns, sliding down further onto her back so that she can reach Root with her feet, worming them under her thighs. ]

He said I'm on duty as a warden all the time. And I do relax; I'm relaxing now.

And you look like you're enjoying it.

[ Well, if Shaw is going to tuck her feet under Root's thighs, then Root is going to place a hand on Shaw's knee, striking idly with her thumb. ]

You're such a good warden, Sameen. You take the job seriously. You look out for Will. You're dependable. [ Root sighs, smiling. ] This place is lucky to have you. And so am I.

[Shaw's expression shifts, turning more solemn. She knows that by the standards that are prized on the Barge, she isn't a good warden; as good as she is at her job at home, she doesn't have any of the skills that the majority of people here value the most. She's made peace with that. She plays to her strengths and does her best to compensate for her weaknesses. But all the same, this is the first job she's ever held (... okay, the second, if she's forced to count the perfume counter gig) that she knows herself to be objectively bad at.]

I do take it seriously. I am dependable-- usually.

[She hasn't forgotten the flood that sent her to Zero for a week, panicking and trying to cut a probably-nonexistent chip out of her neck.

She pauses, then scoots a little closer.]

I'm lucky to have you, too. And I, uh-- you know how much I like having you around, right? Even when we're not together, I know you're here.

[Here and not missing; here and not dead.]

[ Warmth floods through Root's entire body, and she smiles. This is how Shaw says I love you without saying it. As long as they're both here, they're safe. No Samaritan, no numbers. No constant danger, not the way it exists in the city. ]

Of course I know. It's the thing I'm most sure of. Don't ever doubt that.

Good. Because I was off-center without you, too - before you got here, and during that coma. But when you're awake and alert and we're just doing different stuff, it doesn't feel like you're absent.

[Her brow furrows faintly.]

I don't want you to think I don't care about spending time with you, or that I'm ignoring you. And if you want more time with me in our freetime, I want to give you that. But I-- even if I don't see you all day, I don't miss you, because I know you're here. It isn't that I don't care about not being around you, it's that it doesn't feel like I'm not around you. Does that make sense?

It does. [ She gives Shaw's knee a gentle squeeze. ] For me, this place is so small compared to New York that it feels like you're always around.

I don't need... constant attention. I came off too strong about wanting to make up for lost time. It's just, after you escaped and came home, we had so little time together. So, even though we have as long as we need here, every second is precious to me. I love cooking for you and talking with you and not talking with you. [ wink-wonk. She does not wink, though. ]

Honestly, Sameen, as long as I get to fall asleep holding you, I'm happy.

[Mindful of both their plates - they can't exactly set them aside with the dogs lurking around - Shaw scoots closer still, shifting over to the cushion next to Root's.]

You didn't come off too strong. I don't want to come off not strong enough.

Baby, you're always strong.

[ Literally. She means it literally. Shaw is really, really strong. It's so hot. ]

Hey. You, too.

[She runs a finger along Root's bicep - much less defined than hers.]

Even with your twiggy arms.

[But physical strength isn't the only kind of strength that matters.]

[ God, she loves this compact cutie. Every now and then, Root becomes aware of just how lucky she is and just... smiles like a dope.

Careful to keep their plates from falling, she leans over for a quick little kiss. ]

[Shaw sees her coming... and with a grin that's bordering on mischievous, she dodges. Not because she doesn't want to kiss Root, of course - but because she's going to lick a drop of syrup off the corner of Root's lip first.]

[ Root gasps and laughs, mock offended, genuinely delighted. Before Shaw can get much farther, she puts a hand on Shaw's neck and tries again to kiss her. ]

[And now she gets her kiss.]

You taste good.

[Shaw mumbles against her mouth, her plate tilting ominously on her lap as she scoots closer.]

You would know.

[ Call it instinct, or call it extreme caution because there's chocolate in their pancakes, but Root reaches for Shaw's plate to steady it. Can the healers on board heal animals? Not a question she wants to ask if the dogs partake in these pancakes! ]

There's a lot more where that came from.

Don't worry.

[Shaw murmurs as she runs a hand over Root's midriff, nipping at her earlobe. ]

If I spill stuff on you, I'll eat it off you, too.

[ Oh? Well then. Root tips Shaw's plate toward herself. There's not a lot of spillage-- they're pancakes, they're pretty stable-- but some pieces fall onto her thigh. ]

Oops.

[Okay, look Shaw may have been the one to say it.

But also, eating pancakes off of Root's thighs is objectively funny, and her first instinct is to crack the fuck up. You ridiculous woman; she loves you.]

[ Wow! Babe!!! ...okay, but it is funny. Root laughs right with her. Moments like this are so precious, and Sameen's laugh is one of the most beautiful things Root has ever heard.

She touches her forehead to Shaw's as her laughter quiets. ]

Hmm. Maybe... body shots sometime.

Gonna kick your ass if you tell anybody about this.

[Shaw mumbles, still grinning, as she ducks her head down low to snatch up a piece of pancake in her teeth.

You know, I tried sleeping up in the loft with you, but it was too weird. You were really still.

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