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]

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Liam said, reaching out to pat her gently on the top of her head. A dangerous maneuver, but he was willing to take the risk.

[arboreal_priestess]

Verity was limited in her responses because most of the tactics she'd use were meant to hurt and debilitate the other person. Instead she just glowered and bared her teeth. "I'm replacing all your tea leaves with coffee grounds," she threatened.

[firstofitskind]

“Now that’s just cruel and unusual,” Liam said with an exaggerated pout.

[arboreal_priestess]

"And yet completely warranted," Verity sniffed. "Mr. I-Am-So-Special-Because-I-Can-Reach-The-Top-Shelves."

[firstofitskind]

“Maybe that’s where I’ll start putting my tea, if you’re going to threaten to mess with it,” Liam retorted.

[arboreal_priestess]

"You think I'm too proud to climb up onto the counters to mess with you?" Verity asked, hands on her hips.

[firstofitskind]

“No,” Liam had to admit grudgingly. “I suppose you wouldn’t be.” And then, without missing a beat: “One egg or two?” as he headed for the fridge.

[arboreal_priestess]

"Two," Verity said immediately, hopping up onto the counter to watch him cook. "Plotting against the Covenant is hungry work."

[firstofitskind]

Bacon, eggs, and toast: nothing fancy, but plenty of protein and carbohydrates. Bacon went into the pan first, and he sighed as he prodded it with the spatula. “Someone needs to talk to them about their sense of timing,” he griped, mostly because pointless griping was about all they could do now, at least until that other show dropped.

[arboreal_priestess]

"Right? We should be making plans about where we're gonna put your stuff, not how we're going to evacuate half of Baltimore," Verity said. "...Not worrying whether or not Dominic is a traitor."

[firstofitskind]

Liam’s face fell visibly at the mention of Dominic. “I was so sure I was getting through to him,” he said. Sure, Dominic had been willing to help those cryptids he knew personally by offering them advance warning of what was coming, but only time would tell if he would go any further than that.

[arboreal_priestess]

"We were," Verity said, feeling guilty for bringing him up when it made Liam look like that. "And then they tugged his leash. And it's...hard. Turning your back a lifetime of indoctrination."

As he well knew.

[firstofitskind]

The topic would’ve come up eventually, unfortunately there was no avoiding it. “I know,” he admitted. “And I know what it’s like, being pulled in two directions at once. It’s not easy.” Sliding the bacon out of the pan, he eyed the butter on the counter speculatively, before adding... well, enough to poach rather than fry the eggs in the combination of butter and leftover bacon grease.

[arboreal_priestess]

Awww, he knew just how she liked them.

"What do we do, if he jumps the wrong way?" Verity asked.

It was an interesting question. She knew what she'd do. What she might have to do. Dominic knew too much about her. About them.

But was it going to cause a problem with her and Liam?

[firstofitskind]

“Whatever it takes,” Liam said, pressing a thumb into his palm. Yes, he cared about Dominic, but Verity would come first, always. And then the rest was simple math; one life versus the entire cryptid population of Baltimore. He didn’t like it, but that was just the way things were.

[arboreal_priestess]

"Here's hoping it doesn't come to that," Verity said quietly, with the understanding that it absolutely might. "...You don't have to worry about it. If it does. I'll take care of it."

[firstofitskind]

Liam wouldn’t have trouble pulling the trigger, figurative or otherwise, if he needed to. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate the spirit in which she’d made the offer. “Thanks,” he murmured.

Oh, look. Eggs? Done. Toast? Also done. Breakfast-for-lunch was ready.

[arboreal_priestess]

"I think this is a good arrangement," Verity said, sliding her eggs onto her toast and topping it with bacon. Instant breakfast sandwich! "You cook, I eat? I like it."

She was quiet for a second and then murmured, "I like looking forward to having breakfast with you every day."

[firstofitskind]

“Me too,” Liam said, a small smile lighting his face as he assembled his own plate. “I might have to expand my repertoire a little bit, though. Maybe figure out waffles.”

[arboreal_priestess]

"I can make pancakes!" Verity offered. "...From a box, I mean. Not from scratch."

Because who did that?

"And French toast is easy, too."

[firstofitskind]

... Well, Liam, probably.

"Never tried it," he admitted.

[arboreal_priestess]

Definitely Liam. Over-achiever.

"Well, someday, I'll walk you through it," Verity said. "Maybe if you're really good, I'll even demonstrate for you and bring you some in bed."

[firstofitskind]

"In our bed," Liam said, with a grin that was just this side of giddy over that whole officially-moving-in-together decision, still. "I'd like that."

[arboreal_priestess]

Verity gave Liam a look that was somewhere between euphoric and nervous. "So then we're doing this?" she asked.

[firstofitskind]

"We really are," Liam confirmed.