[the 'ships i want' meme]

[newschool]

from here:

► spies. they're undercover (either having to pose as a married couple or siblings) and things spark.
► something unhealthy. the two partners genuinely love each other but they're just really bad for each other.
► dealing with workahol. most of my characters love their jobs (to the point where if the option was available, they would marry them) and need to be dragged away.
► one-sided love. one's in love, the other's faking it.
► vampires.

Comments

[instead]

"Thank you." Lily will deny forever that there might be a catch in her voice, just for a moment there. This means more to her than she can say - the feelings of abandonment had sunk deeper and held on more tightly than even she realized. It wasn't until she had solid proof that she wasn't being left that she realized that she'd even been so scared. A moment later, she flings her arms around the brunette in a tight hug.

[thislastrequest]

There's no need to mention it, even though Abbie hears it, and her heart beats just a little bit faster when she does. Oh, she's got a lot of missing time to make up for, but she'll gladly do it just to see that smile, and to know that Lily will still be waiting for her when she comes home from work every night. Her breath gets knocked out of her with the force of the hug, but she doesn't hesitate to wrap her arms around Lily in return, if only just to hold her just as tightly. "I'm gonna make it all up to you, I swear."

[instead]

"This was a nice way to start." She doesn't let herself pull back until she's sure she's not going to cry, because she's not going to be the Crying Girl on the Park Bench. Again. Lily leans back, but not all the way away, just keeping Abbie close. "But it's just a start. I expect to be coddled, d'you hear? Chocolates and breakfast in bed and ... oh, massages. I love a good massage." She's smiling, because she's probably joking, but there's just enough seriousness in her voice that might undercut it.

[thislastrequest]

Oh, no. Again? That knowledge would only make Abbie feel all the guiltier, especially since she knows damn well that it's all her fault. She might chuckle at the demands, but there's a catch in her voice that betrays the fact that she's barely holding back tears. "I'll do all of that and more. I'll spend a week cooking your favorite dinners every night. I won't hog the remote. I'll even put socks on in bed so that my cold feet don't make you yelp."

[instead]

And that is precisely why Lily isn't saying anything along those lines, because she just got Abbie back, and she doesn't want to push her away again. (Not that she believes, really, that it was anything she did that made Abbie vanish - of course it was her job, and her drive to succeed, and all those things that make Lily admire her, but also sometimes want to punch her.) She doesn't miss those tears in the brunette's voice, and she goes right back in for the hug, because she has to remember she's not the only wounded party here.

"Your feet are bloody cold at night." She settles her head in the crook of Abbie's neck and shoulder. "Dinners sound fine. You can have the remote, though, since we're just going to be DVRing stuff for the next two months anyway." She laughs a little. "You know I always forget to fast-forward through the commercials."

[thislastrequest]

But she'd deserve every word, and it would hurt to hear it all, but she'd take it. Still, she's grateful for the tightening of the hug, and she holds on to Lily for all she's worth, afraid to let go, even though she knows, logically, she's going to have to at some piont.

"I know, bad circulation, I bought new socks - thicker socks. I like being as close as I can, even when we're sleeping." This time when she laughs, it's a much more amused sound. "Or you go to turn the channel, 'cause you've forgotten that we're watching a recording. That'll never not be funny."

[instead]

Lily laughs, her voice muffled a little by Abbie's skin. "Oh, shut up! It's like proper television; of course I'm going to look for something else to watch during the commercials!" And then be momentarily confused and worried as to why it's not working, even going so far as to dump the batteries out of the remote before Abbie came back into the room and wanting to know what she was doing.

"But see? That's why you get the remote. You're much more sensible with it."

[thislastrequest]

Such a tickling sensation, and it's hard to keep from huffing out a chuckle in return, even though Abbie doesn't take a step away, and although it makes her want to shiver, she stays right where she is, amused, and pleased, and finally content, all at once.

"I'm glad that you can recognize that."

[instead]

"Yes, well." Lily thinks that she would be happy to recognize anything that Abbie put in front of her, as long as it meant that Abbie was home. There hadn't been many times in her life in which Lily was jealous of small children, but this had been one of those few. She settles against the other woman, comfortable and happy. After a moment or two, she asks, quietly,

"How long is your lunch break?"

[thislastrequest]

Starting today, Abbie will make it a point to be home more often than at school. She's incredibly lucky to have been given this second chance, and she knows it. She enjoys the quiet, and the comfort that sharing this sort of easy intimacy brings her, and she'll certainly answer the question, but only after she brushes some long, stray hair out of Lily's eyes.

"An hour, usually. But, um ... I took the rest of the afternoon off today."

[instead]

"What?" Lily sits up, her eyes wide in surprise tinged with disbelief and happiness she can't quite hold back. "Really? I mean - " The smile starts coming out, broader, brighter. "Really? You can do that?" Wait, stupid question, of course she could - she just, well, hadn't. And Lily gets it, respects it, all of that, but this is wonderful. "I just need to close up Lark for the afternoon, then."

[thislastrequest]

That is an expression that Abbie will absolutely remember and relish for the rest of her life. Finally, she's thought of someone other than herself. Finally, she's done something right. Finally, she's made the most important person in her life happy, and if that's not a reason to celebrate (however internally), Abbie doesn't know what would be. "I can and I am - for us."

It's not much, but she hopes that it's a step in the right direction.

[instead]

"That's wonderful." Beaming, Lily leans over and kisses Abbie's cheek. "I'm really glad to hear it." There's a lot in those words that's not being said, like whispers of I thought you'd leave me and I wondered if you loved me. "Let's head back to Lark so I can close up, and then home. I'm so looking forward to it."

[thislastrequest]

If there was ever a more loaded statement, she's never heard it, but she feels the same way - if she wants to save her relationship, and she does, it's up to her to make an effort. And so, here she is, making an effort. "Me too. Nothing sounds better than you, me, and a date with the couch." Never, ever, she thinks, you are my world, and she hopes that by some miracle, Lily knows.

[instead]

Lily smiles back at her, and maybe there's a slight quirk to her mouth as she reaches down to take her hand that says she does know. "It'll feel better to have two people on it." She lifts Abbie's hand to her mouth and presses a kiss to the knuckles. "Come on, then, no time to waste."

[thislastrequest]

It's that hint of amusement that Abbie sort of really loves, and being able to hold hands again, knowing that even if she had to let go, it wouldn't be long before she returned for more. "And more comfortable, too,", she laughs, sighing and content for the first time in what seems like far, far too long. "Nothing could sound better."

[instead]

"It's got to be loads better than those little plastic chairs they make you sit in when you're visiting the guidance counselor," Lily teases. She winks, twining her hand more firmly into Abbie's, and turns to home.

[thislastrequest]

Abbie huffs out a mock offended little breath, and as they walk, lifts their entwined hands so that she can press a kiss to the back of Lily's hand. "Oh, you know that I can't do anything about the state of the chairs! I guess that's why I keep trying to make the office as homey as possible. But tonight, I want to enjoy my actual home, and a night in with my girlfriend."

[instead]

"Things were drooping over the side," Lily informed her in as haughty a voice as she could manage, considering she was trying very hard not to smile. "I hope you've at least put cushions on them in case anyone has to sit on them for an extended period of time."

[thislastrequest]

"Yes, well - ", Abbie starts, attempting to sound as mock-offended as possible, "That's what happens when you're gifted with hand-me-down supplies. But, yes, so you know, I've tried to make them as comfortable as possible - bright colors and cushions and all."

[instead]

"That's a start," Lily huffs, though she's smiling, green eyes dancing. "Next if we can get them at grown-up height, perhaps - I know you're taller than me, but there's no need to rub it in with tiny chairs."

[thislastrequest]

"All the better for me," Abbie grins, offering a mostly amused but also slightly sarcastic lift of her eyebrows, "Because you know how much I like it when you have to stand on your tiptoes to kiss me. Why do you think I own so many pairs of heels?"

[instead]

"I knew it!" Lily says, laughing, pushing Abbie gently in the arm before hooking their arms together. "At first I thought you got them because of how they made your legs look, but then I began to suspect the truth when I saw that grin one time after we kissed and I practically fell over, I had to stretch so much."

[thislastrequest]

And with that, most of Abbie's remaining worries seem to melt away, and she's happy to keep as tight a grip as possible on Lily's arm, as if to make sure that they continue to keep as close as possible - not only today, but for a long, long time to come, as well. "I do like the way they make my legs look. But mostly, you're right, I do think you're incredibly cute when you have to reach for me."