MHA #6, Wednesday Afternoon

[arboreal_priestess]

They hadn't gotten home until almost dawn yesterday morning, trying to plan for the Covenant and what they could do to keep Baltimore safe from them. And Verity, more dispirited than she was willing to let on, had just fallen facefirst into their--her bed the moment they'd gotten into the bedroom, barely taking the time to kick off her shoes and remove her holster.

Even now, it was afternoon and she was struggling against waking up. Liam was a warm presence beside her, offering comfort just by being there. What would she be doing now if she didn't have him, she wondered? Trying to bring people together all by herself? No one to hold her when it all got to be a bit too much? It was bad enough those rare nights he went back to his place and she didn't follow along; imagining not having him at all was...awful.

Without saying anything, she rolled over on her side and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his side.

[For the modded one, please!]

Comments

[firstofitskind]

"That's because I actually measure instead of just chucking a bunch of spoonfuls of coffee grounds into the filter," Liam pointed out.

[arboreal_priestess]

"Coffee, good," Verity explained. "Ergo, more coffee, better!"

That was...not how it worked.

[firstofitskind]

"I don't even like the stuff and I know that's not how it works," Liam retorted.

[arboreal_priestess]

"Well, if you're so smart, why don't you go make me some coffee to show me how it's done, I guess," Verity said.

...With no ulterior motives at all.

[firstofitskind]

"I'll consider it, if you ask nicely." Ignoring the fact that he'd offered in the first place.

[arboreal_priestess]

"Pretty please with sugar on top?" Verity asked.

Which, coincidentally, was also how she liked her coffee!

[firstofitskind]

"Hmmm, fine," Liam said, moving to divest himself of the blankets. "You coming with or am I also providing bedside delivery?"

[arboreal_priestess]

"Oh fine," Verity huffed, for once not needing to feel around the floor for a shirt to pull on. "I suppose I can go with you."

Which was entirely for his benefit and not at all because she didn't want to be far away from him this morning, thank you.

[firstofitskind]

"How very big of you," Liam laughed, his tone wry.

Truth be told, he was feeling much the same. Maybe it was the Sight, maybe it was just a touch of good old human intuition, but something was telling him that with the Covenant threat looming on the horizon, this might well be the last bit of (relative) peace they were going to get for a while.

[arboreal_priestess]

"I'm a pretty big person all told," Verity agreed, from her lofty height of five foot two inches tall.

...Why didn't slippers come in high heels?

[firstofitskind]

"I can see that," Liam observed, grinning down at her. He slung an arm around her waist and tugged her towards the door. "Let's see about getting some caffeine in our systems."

[arboreal_priestess]

"One of us in the distinctly inferior way than the other," Verity sniffed, like she wasn't going to put together his cuppa at the same time he brewed her mug.

[firstofitskind]

"Tsk," Liam clicked his tongue at her. "You shouldn't talk about your coffee like that."

[arboreal_priestess]

"Don't worry, sweetie-pie," which was absolutely a name she called him regularly, yup. "I wasn't."

[firstofitskind]

Oh yeah, that name was getting some solid side-eye on Liam's part. "Keep telling yourself that," he said, tone placating.

[arboreal_priestess]

The kitchen was on the neater end of the house, considering how seldom Verity used it for its intended purpose. She filled up the kettle and fetched cups for them both while Liam started preparations for the coffeemaker, with his precious 'measuring' and 'ratios.'

It wasn't until she had her first mug in hand that she asked, "You sure you wanna do this?"

It was funny. She didn't have cold feet. She just wanted to make sure that he didn't, either.

[firstofitskind]

Liam's own cup was halfway to his lips- funny how Verity couldn't make decent coffee to save her life, and yet had figured out exactly how long he liked his tea steeped- when she asked that question. He briefly considered making some quip about how it was too late to back out on the coffee, since he'd already made it and all, but discarded that notion. A joke wasn't what was needed right now.

"I'm sure," he promised her. "Waking up with you, every day? I can't think of anything better than that."

[arboreal_priestess]

"I mean, we're about to wake up to a fucking purge," Verity pointed out. "Any day now. Getting further entangled with me might not be your smartest move."

[firstofitskind]

"Yeah, because I'm the kind of person who runs away at the first sign of real trouble," Liam said with a snort.

[arboreal_priestess]

"I know," Verity said, resting her head on his arm. "I just...wanted to make sure you know you have a choice, I guess."

[firstofitskind]

"I know I do. And I'm not worried," he assured her. "Not about this, anyway." He was absolutely worried about the imminent purge, as anyone sane would be.

[arboreal_priestess]

"Because it feels like it just makes sense?" Verity asked. "That we just make sense?"

[firstofitskind]

"I never thought..." Liam started to say. "I mean, I had always just assumed that I was meant to be alone. Turns out I'd just been looking in the wrong universe."

[arboreal_priestess]

"It takes a special kind of universe to make a person who can live up to what you deserve, Liam Kincaid," Verity said, leaning against his chest.

[firstofitskind]

"I guess I must be doing something right, to deserve someone as amazing as you," Liam said, wrapping his arms around her.