[This is definitely a new thing. He takes off his clothes and crawls into bed, considering how strange this was. He'd collapsed in a heap after fucking before, but this was different.
It feels good, though.
He settles next to her, stretching an arm across her]
( he settles in next to her, arm over her middle, and sara wriggles herself until she's even closer, until the tip of her nose could nearly brush against his in the darkness.
it's now that she realizes that — another first for the two of them — len's got his clothes off, too. she hasn't even stopped to think about why, attributing it to the heat of the moment, but even on the waverider, she hasn't seen him in anything but full gear.
very gingerly, she places a hand against his ribs, hand smoothing up and over his chest, up along his beck and over his jaw so she can close the distance between them, press a relatively chaste kiss to his lips through the darkness, whisper, ) Hey, you.
[Yes, this is nice. This is what he wanted. Sara might feel the scars under her fingers - from beer bottles, knives, drunken fists, most of them ancient and warped by age. She might see with her fingertips, rather than her eyes, what it is that she's signed up to be with, and he won't have to see the horror or pity on her face.
He doesn't think she'll balk, decide he's not attractive to her because of it, but he just didn't want to see that moment of realization. And if he's wrong, if she isn't interested in someone so damaged after all, then at least they can just go their separate ways without talking about it.
He closes his eyes as she presses close and kisses him] ...Hey yourself.
( sara can immediately identify just about every scar that her fingers trace against, over his ribcage, over his abdomen, unflinching and unfazed. glass leaves traces like knives do, except more jagged, no clean lines to them. knives are more precise in the lines that they leave — sara's got a few of those scars herself, ones left by swords, staffs, even, lining her abdomen, crisscrossing over her back. her hand grazes, wanders, wanting to learn them and know them.
she presses a kiss to the tip of his nose, nearly misses considering she can't quite see him, no matter how much she tries to squint; it makes her laugh softly, peck him on the lips again. )
[He tries not to get tense or anything when she brushes her fingers over the scars in what is clearly a deliberate, exploratory way. He's seen and touched her own scars, though to him her scars are entirely different from his. Her police officer dad probably didn't abuse her. The scars she's picked up were in battle, and she's the strongest woman he's ever known.
She should be proud of her scars. His are a reminder of weakness.
But she's laughing and kissing him, and something warm swells inside his chest. He draws a breath and ducks his head, pressing his cheek against hers and drawing her close against him]
( if there's one thing that sara knows deep down to her very core, it's that len is anything but weak; it's one of the things that had made sara's head first turn when she'd hear him speak on the waverider at the beginning of their mission. as her fingers continue to do their fair share of exploring, she can't help but realize that the scars that she traces are what made leonard the man that he is today, the man that she —
... cares about so unbelievably much.
len pulls her closer and all she can do is put an arm around him and hold him tightly as though it may combat the warmth, the joy that seems to flood over her, her chest pressed against his, their legs all tangled together in a ridiculous mess. )
Babe, huh? ( she nuzzles her cheek against his lightly, a pleased little smile on her face that's kept to herself. ) I think I like the sound of that, coming from you.
[Len's a fan of the cold, but this sort of warmth isn't bad at all.
He doesn't really know what the feeling means, but he likes it. He wants to feel more, and it's become an imperative, somehow, that he make sure Sara keep on saying and doing the things that'll make him feel that way again.
Clearly he'll just have to do whatever he can to make her happy.
He grins softly and kisses her on the cheek]
You'd better. [He shifts, and rolls them, so he's flopped on top of her with his torso propped up on his elbows] You know what this means?
( sara's definitely felt like this before and it's scared the hell out of her each and every time, but the scariest part about it this time is how quickly it's blossomed inside of her. maybe it's because she's had to lose him already, had to understand what it feels like to be without him. there's something about it that makes her want to wrap her arms around him tightly and quite possibly never let him go.
her arms loop around his neck when he settles on top of her, tipping her head curiously. )
[He's never lost her, but he does remember that moment of ache when she kissed him and left, and he knew he was going to die and never get to see what it could have been.
He kisses her, a quick peck on the lips this time]
( sara could go on one of her whole "i belong to me" shpiels, but honestly? it feels nice to let her walls down for a little bit without shutting him down, because nothing quite beats feeling a certain way for someone and having them feel the same way in return. it's been a while — she's nearly forgotten that light and airy feeling in her chest that makes her feel like she could simply float away with contentment were he not laying on top of her.
that doesn't mean that she won't tease, though, hands sliding up to cup his cheeks, murmuring, ) Actually, I think you're mine now, ( before guiding his face closer to hers so she can kiss him again, sweet and warm. )
[He doesn't mean it the way it sounds, like that she's a possession with all the negative connotations. He means it in the way he thinks of it - that she's precious, important, and that he'd do anything to keep her in his life and happy to the best that he's capable of.
The "L" word isn't one he knows how to say, but this is as close as he can get.
So as she lobs the ball back into his court, he thinks about that for a moment, shifts to the side and settles onto the mattress, legs tangled with hers]
( the pit changed sara, that much is for sure. she'd lost a piece of herself — her soul — and even after it was returned to her, she was never quite the same. she had to push herself to do as little as kiss someone again, let alone be intimate with them. it's certainly taken its toll, and it's certainly not over just yet.
it's a relief to know that she's capable of feeling this way about someone again, that she's not too far gone, too messed up in her mind and in her heart.
she thinks she loves him.
but she can't quite say it, weary of whatever unforeseen consequences may come to pass if she does. so sara just holds him tightly, leaning in to capture his lips with hers in a long kiss that she doesn't want to end. )
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It feels good, though.
He settles next to her, stretching an arm across her]
I guess it is.
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it's now that she realizes that — another first for the two of them — len's got his clothes off, too. she hasn't even stopped to think about why, attributing it to the heat of the moment, but even on the waverider, she hasn't seen him in anything but full gear.
very gingerly, she places a hand against his ribs, hand smoothing up and over his chest, up along his beck and over his jaw so she can close the distance between them, press a relatively chaste kiss to his lips through the darkness, whisper, ) Hey, you.
no subject
He doesn't think she'll balk, decide he's not attractive to her because of it, but he just didn't want to see that moment of realization. And if he's wrong, if she isn't interested in someone so damaged after all, then at least they can just go their separate ways without talking about it.
He closes his eyes as she presses close and kisses him] ...Hey yourself.
no subject
she presses a kiss to the tip of his nose, nearly misses considering she can't quite see him, no matter how much she tries to squint; it makes her laugh softly, peck him on the lips again. )
Thanks for the early Christmas present.
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She should be proud of her scars. His are a reminder of weakness.
But she's laughing and kissing him, and something warm swells inside his chest. He draws a breath and ducks his head, pressing his cheek against hers and drawing her close against him]
My pleasure, babe.
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... cares about so unbelievably much.
len pulls her closer and all she can do is put an arm around him and hold him tightly as though it may combat the warmth, the joy that seems to flood over her, her chest pressed against his, their legs all tangled together in a ridiculous mess. )
Babe, huh? ( she nuzzles her cheek against his lightly, a pleased little smile on her face that's kept to herself. ) I think I like the sound of that, coming from you.
no subject
He doesn't really know what the feeling means, but he likes it. He wants to feel more, and it's become an imperative, somehow, that he make sure Sara keep on saying and doing the things that'll make him feel that way again.
Clearly he'll just have to do whatever he can to make her happy.
He grins softly and kisses her on the cheek]
You'd better. [He shifts, and rolls them, so he's flopped on top of her with his torso propped up on his elbows] You know what this means?
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her arms loop around his neck when he settles on top of her, tipping her head curiously. )
Tell me.
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He kisses her, a quick peck on the lips this time]
You're mine, now.
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that doesn't mean that she won't tease, though, hands sliding up to cup his cheeks, murmuring, ) Actually, I think you're mine now, ( before guiding his face closer to hers so she can kiss him again, sweet and warm. )
no subject
The "L" word isn't one he knows how to say, but this is as close as he can get.
So as she lobs the ball back into his court, he thinks about that for a moment, shifts to the side and settles onto the mattress, legs tangled with hers]
Yeah, I can work with that.
no subject
it's a relief to know that she's capable of feeling this way about someone again, that she's not too far gone, too messed up in her mind and in her heart.
she thinks she loves him.
but she can't quite say it, weary of whatever unforeseen consequences may come to pass if she does. so sara just holds him tightly, leaning in to capture his lips with hers in a long kiss that she doesn't want to end. )