Subject: "Mm."
Author:
Posted on: 2009-04-29 00:45:00 UTC
"I don't know a lot of things," he murmured back, idly running his fingers through her hair and resting his chin on her head. "Enlighten me?"
Subject: "Mm."
Author:
Posted on: 2009-04-29 00:45:00 UTC
"I don't know a lot of things," he murmured back, idly running his fingers through her hair and resting his chin on her head. "Enlighten me?"
Zach winced, but gently led Nat to a secluded corner of the room and just held her.
"I know, I'm so, so sorry. It's okay, it'll be okay, don't worry."
He had never been good at comforting people, but he did his best.
"It's okay, it's okay to cry. I won't let anything happen if you don't want it to."
She broke down and just cried, holding onto him as though she'd never let go. Incoherent attempts at sentences were choked out every so often as she tried to explain herself, but in the end she just allowed herself to cry it all out.
When she'd managed to calm down to the point where every word wasn't broken up by sobs, she tried the explanation again. "S-sorry, this... none o' this is your fault, I swear. It's me... I just... I 'ave... oh, bloody 'ell, I'm just talkin' rubbish, I c-can't even talk properly." She stared down at the floor, knowing he must think of her as a complete idiot and not wanting to see that expression on his face.
Any minute now he'd decide she was a weak litle girl who couldn't control herself, make some excuse and walk off.
Zach smiled down at her, wiping the tears away from her cheeks with his thumb.
"I thought I was the only one who was completely incoherent. C'mon, can I see that smile again? Makes the room brighter."
Was he just trying to be polite, or did he really mean it? Taking a deep breath, she wiped her eyes with her hand and looked at him again, though she couldn't make herself smile, even for him.
"Zach... I'm s-sorry. I just..." She looked around the room, wondering if it would be a good idea to explain why she'd started bawling her head off, but this just didn't feel like the time or place. Instead, she tentatively reached out and took his hand, giving it a little squeeze. Every so often a little sob escaped her and she had to look away, feeling ashamed. She wasn't supposed to cry.
Zach slipped into the crowd and returned a few seconds later with a steaming mug, which he gently wrapped Nat's hands around.
"Hot cocoa," he explained earnestly. "Always makes Sara feel better, so...um...yeah..." He ran his hand through his hair anxiously, making it stand every which way.
"Look, don't be sorry, okay? Don't be sorry for being a human being. I'd worry if you never cried," he told her and hugged her, being careful not to upset the mug.
and nodded gratefully. It did help... at least, it was difficult to keep crying when drinking. "Thanks," she murmured, leaning against him and letting him hug her.
"I'd worry if you never cried," he said, and she looked up at him with a slightly surprised expression. Her father had expressed the same sentiment on occasion, but her mother had always told her that big girls didn't cry.
For a moment she considered this, examining him to see if he meant it, before finally giving him a small smile and reaching up to try to smooth his hair down a bit. "Ya really are somethin' else, Zach."
Running her hand down from his hair to his cheek, she paused speculatively for a moment before giving him a tentative kiss.
Inwardly, Zach breathed a sigh of relief. He figured that everything probably wasn't okay again, but she was smiling again and she wasn't crying and she was...kissing him?
He did a double-take, then realized exactly what that meant and deepened the kiss. Something in the back of his mind hoped that maybe with the skin-to-skin contact he could pour whatever happiness he had into her, and for the second time he beat down the scientific portion of his brain as it told him that this was impossible.
I'm an assassin that walks in stories. I don't think much of anything's impossible at this point.
'e kissed me back. 'e doesn't care if I'm an idiot. If this's insane, I want ta move inta the nut'ouse an' stay there.
From the way he was holding her, he didn't particularly want to let go any time soon, but she was very much aware of the hot drink she was holding and thus responded to him carefully. The last thing she wanted was to accidentally hurt him.
Eventually, Nat slowly broke the kiss, but only so that she could put the drink down and wrap her arms around Zach properly, one arm around his waist and the other hand resting on his shoulder. Leaning her head on the other shoulder and pulling him as close as she could, she closed her eyes and heaved a sigh, almost unable to contain her happiness.
"Ya know somethin'?" she murmured, but then paused, unsure how to say what she was feeling. Maybe he'd think she was insane if she said that. Uncertain, she just bit her lip again and tightened her embrace a little. No point in spoiling this moment.
"I don't know a lot of things," he murmured back, idly running his fingers through her hair and resting his chin on her head. "Enlighten me?"
she hesitated for a moment, then said quietly, "Zach... I think I've fallen in love with ya."
...Oh, nice one. Really smart.
Despite that, voicing it made it all the more real, and she snuggled into him, enjoying the comfortable warmth of his closeness.
"I think so, too. I mean, that I love you, not--oh, bugger," he groaned, blushing furiously.
Mouth, meet brain. Brain, meet mouth. Now connect and communicate.
Zach leaned against the wall to his back and savored the woman in his arms, enjoying the fact that she seemed to fit there nicely.
"It's fine," she smiled up at him, "Ya could talk in Klingon an' I wouldn't give a damn right now." Then the irony of the situation struck her, and she couldn't hold back a wry laugh. They were at a celebration to remember the dead, and she was feeling so alive...
"Wonder what Sara an' Cass'd say if they could see us," she commented, running her hand through his hair and trying to smooth it back into some semblance of order.
Meanwhile, Kelvin finally caught sight of them again, having lost them in the crowd of dancers before. He watched them quietly, a fond smile on his face. At least they looked happy enough.