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It was inevitable that at some point, at least one of them, one a reformed thief and the other a former mercenary, both with a penchant for mischief and mayhem, would end up in exactly this position: relegated to a couch; grade-3 high ankle sprain taped and wrapped; hairline fractured metatarsals iced; and said leg elevated on the coffee table.
In a word, Chloe Frazer, as a patient, was needy. And pouty. And cuddly. Her mood swings were adorable in one breath and lascivious in the next. Nadine Ross was a strategist, a solider, and a paramilitary force of nature. What she was not, was somebody's nursemaid. Yet, despite her less than perfect bedside manner, she easily set aside some of her clinical precision to give into the other woman's whims and needs. Partnering with Chloe had indeed been a lesson in learning to relax. Four months in and she was still learning, but she was doing her best to get her 'jump first and ask questions later' partner to at least start to look before she jumped. Based on Chloe's prone position on the couch, it was clear that they still had work to do in that arena.
Nadine returned from the bathroom with a small white pill, which she was seriously considering just keeping for herself, but admittedly, she would miss Chloe's loopy filter-less commentary- not that she had one in the first place. She caught sight of the tumbler of amber liquid in Chloe's hand and tsked. She moved towards the couch on quick steps and held out her hand. "Sorry, Frazer. No scotch with this." Nadine's tone was firm and left no room for dissent. She held the tiny pill between her thumb and forefinger.
Moon-like gray eyes looked up at the warm brown-skinned woman standing in front of her, and Chloe pursed her lips into a pout that was worthy of a 2nd grade trophy. She batted long lashes at Nadine and looked at her with all the sadness she could muster. "What do you mean I can't have scotch with my meds?!"
Nadine cracked a tiny smile despite herself and deftly snatched the glass before Chloe could bring it to her lips for another sip. "Doctor's orders, Frazer." A slim dark eyebrow rose in challenge and Chloe just moaned in defeat before holding out her hand.
Nadine placed the pill in her outstretched hand, and Chloe responded with a lip curl that lacked the proper heat to be anywhere near menacing. The lip curl quickly became a smirk. “I figured since you were my doctor and all that you would cut me some slack." She wiggled her eyebrows before tossing the tiny pill into her mouth. She quickly chased it with a sip of water from the glass of water Nadine handed her.
Coppery brown eyes looked to the ceiling in a silent reprieve, before she placed the glass back on the table and then returned to her spot on the broken-in cushions of the couch next to Chloe. Nadine's flip-flops had barely hit the floor before Chloe was burrowed once more into her side.
Her human pillow let out a soft chuckle and lifted her arms to allow for the other woman to settle against her. Chloe kept her foot elevated and on the edge of the coffee table, as she reclined and settled her head in Nadine's lap. She hooked her uninjured leg over the side of the arm rest, and she hit the pause button on the tv.
"All good now." Chloe smiled triumphantly and Nadine dropped her arms, laying her right across the back of the couch and her left resting against the other arm rest. Nadine managed to not let out a cranky sigh as she glanced at the tv screen and saw the familiar opening credits. She let her head fall back against the couch.
Chloe felt the woman above her shift. She hit the mute button. "We don't have to watch this again. I mean we can watch that crazy weapon show you like." From her position, she couldn't tell if Nadine was grinning or scowling.
Nadine barely shrugged her shoulder. "It's fine, Frazer. Besides, you'll be in dreamland in no time. I'll just check it out when you're asleep." She lifted her head and looked down, meeting the other woman's eyes. She winked in the hopes of dispelling the faint whisper of worry in Chloe's words.
Chloe squinted and pressed her lips together in a tight twist to show her skepticism. "You're gonna’ watch GBBO without me, aren't you?" She pointed a slender finger at Nadine.
Nadine scoffed. "You're ridiculous." She pushed the offending finger away and grabbed the remote to unmute the tv. "Watch your movie."
Gray eyes stayed affixed to the woman's face, taking a moment to regard the smattering of darker brown and sometimes cedar brown freckles that ran across defined sepia colored cheek bones. She lingered on the dark mole that sat atop the left side of her upper lip before she grinned and turned her attention toward the tv.
Brown-gold eyes stayed focused on the screen as she felt Chloe's eyes linger on her face for longer than necessary. She was almost tempted to ask what she was thinking, but as usual, she decided against broaching the unspoken topic that lay between them like a gnat that had fallen into a glass of wine -- they both knew it was there and while it was easy to pluck it out, it was also just as easy to drink around. Once Chloe was again focused on the screen, Nadine allowed herself to just relax and remind herself that they were both mostly in one piece and back on solid ground - at least for a few weeks. While she might not always outwardly show it, Nadine was just happy that Chloe wasn't concussed again and that the grade three sprain didn't break her ankle send her plummeting into the canyon.
A slightly guilty sensation tugged at her sides while Chloe was lost in the screen, so she just watched Chloe. Long obsidian colored hair was knitted together in a loose braid that hung over her shoulder, and blended in with the soft cotton black v-neck she was wearing. The thin cotton of her lounge pants would at least keep her from complaining about the chill in the air on this night. Although, the two women had both been pent up for the last three days, Nadine was happy to fuss over the other woman and let her watch The Princess Bride for the 5th time, simply because it meant they were both alive to do it.
They sat in a comfortable silence in Chloe's London flat and watched the film. They made it all the way to the shrieking eels before the meds started to take effect. The small artifact hunts of the last few months had helped Nadine to become so attuned to the other woman's body that she could feel the slack in her limbs, and she could hear the heaviness seep into her tongue, even as she followed along with the dialog on screen. Nadine would've teased the other woman, but by the 4th play-through of the film over the past few days, even she could recite Vizzini's speech.
Nadine watched with careful eyes as Chloe blinked long and slow. Her giggles, on the other hand, lasted longer than the joke on the screen. The change was nearly instant, as Chloe began to stretch her arms out to her sides, just as the haze of painkillers started to creep up her spine and spread out to her limbs. Nadine just smirked as she felt the tension leave Chloe's body.
Chloe could feel it too, as she began to shift her body against Nadine like she was her personal body pillow. While that particular action wasn't new for her partner, the roaming hands were a different story. Nadine felt Chloe turn a bit and then suddenly long fingers were skittering up under the edges of her tank top and across the toned plane of her abs. Nadine sucked in a quick breath when Chloe hit a ticklish spot. Ever the pragmatist, she realized it was probably just the consequences of the pain killers and not the subconscious yearnings of something else. She smoothly removed the wandering digits.
It was clear that Chloe was fighting sleep when she didn't even make a joke about tickling Nadine or yell out, "As you wish", like she had the two nights before. Nadine kept her eyes on Chloe and waited. Finally, Chloe appeared to drift off, but not before a spasm of wakefulness made her sit up. In the next moment, Chloe was staring at Nadine, eyes wide and on alert, before her eyelids began to droop with the weight of inevitable sleep. And then, just as quickly, she was grinning; it was a lopsided grin.
Nadine couldn't help her amusement, as she openly gazed at her friend. She almost laughed as Chloe seemed to be closing her eyes only to look like she was winking at a glacial pace. Either way, Nadine thought it sweet and silly. Glassy gray eyes managed to meet Nadine's very still brown eyes, and all Chloe could do was smile like a goof- and a high one at that. Nadine finally allowed herself to smile.
Chloe laid back down and pawed at her face in an attempt to rub her eyes. The percocet had sent her into a loopy daze and her words were tumbling out of her mouth before she could catch them. She opened and closed her eyes slowly before looking up at the other woman and marveling once more at the freckles on her face, the curve of her jaw, and the smooth lines of her brow. "My God, you're gorgeous!", she declared in a loud stage whisper. "Like, just fuck all, beautiful." Her sometimes subtle Aussie accent made the consonants pop.
The lopsided grin was back and then Chloe closed her eyes tight in response to realizing she was talking aloud and not thinking. "I'm soooo not going to remember this in the morning, but you should know that I think you're fancy." She scratched at her forehead and frowned, because even her topsy turvy brain knew that had not come out right. "No, wait, I mean, fancy, I-" She opened her eyes wide again as she paused, and swallowed before speaking again. She lifted her head up in an attempt to get closer to Nadine. "I fancy you. You fascinate me." She groaned and dropped her head to Nadine's stomach. She let out a resigned, "fuck."
Chloe managed to focus for a moment, when she met Nadine's wide-open gold-flecked brown eyes. Nadine hadn't said a word, only stuck her tongue in the corner of her cheek and focused hard on keeping a straight face. Nadine has seen a tipsy Chloe and a drunk Chloe. Tipsy Chloe was extra cheeky, and drunk Chloe was freakishly alert, masterful at puns, and a belter of showtunes. But 'high on pills' Chloe was unpredictable. On the first day it was straight to sleep, and the day before that it was a little sullen and in need of blankets and Nadine. Nadine was sure that the scotch had added to the rather garrulous and confessional outburst.
Normally, the two women marched just right on the edge of flirtation, with Chloe acting as the flamboyant drum major. Nadine, more often than not, played coy and chose self-deprecation or silent chagrin, rather than play a game with Chloe that she knew she wasn't going to win. With the men she had encountered, it was easy to play dress-up and demure if needed, or growl, if preferred, but with Chloe - a person she trusted and cared for - with Chloe, the soldier was often left bewildered and besotted.
Chloe giggled a bit while her eyes danced between the two Nadines in her line of sight. "Just fucking gorgeous. Like statue gorgeous. Like work of art in the British museum, classically beautiful, fucking magnificent gorgeous." She let out a hum of satisfaction before letting loose a toothy grin.
Her words made Nadine snort with laughter as she snagged Chloe's hand out of the air when it flailed towards her face. Nadine kept her focus on Chloe as her senses and limbs began to betray her. It was evident that Chloe had no depth perception at all, and from the way her eyes were dilated and darting, it was clear that she couldn't focus on only one Nadine.
Eventually, in a show of mercy, Nadine tangled their fingers together before ruffling sable bangs that had fallen into Chloe's eyes. With soft fingertips, she brushed back the wisps of hair. "You really should sleep. You'll feel better I promise." She kept her fingertips light, as she smoothed the hair away from Chloe's forehead.
"Sleep, Sleep. Beep." Chloe squeaked. "I only want to sleep with you, you know." The words fell easily from her lips and in a delayed response, Chloe gasped and looked up. Even high as a kite, she realized her lips were loose. "Fuck, I said that out loud." Once again, her attempt at sotto voce commentary failed. "Shit, that was out loud too." She moaned and covered her face with her free hand. "Don't be mad, china. Usually, much smoother than this. Just be my friend in the morning, okay." Her voice was sad and her eyes were watery.
Nadine grooved her fingers through jet black tresses in a calming manner. The left corner of her mouth curved up into a small grin that still made her dimple form. "Of course, I'll be your friend in the morning. You're my partner. I'm not going anywhere.” She caressed Chloe's cheek, hoping to coax her towards sleep. Chloe's eyelids were heavy. but she was still attempting to stave off the inevitable.
The feel of Nadine's fingers forging deep channels through her hair should have been enough to lull her to sleep, but somewhere on the edges of her sober brain she knew she wanted to tell the other woman what she had been thinking for months. "Oh Christ, how are you so good to me? I drag you around the world for lost treasure and you keep coming back, even when we don’t get to keep it." Chloe paused and seemed to mull over own words. She looked like she wanted to cry again, but instead she grabbed Nadine's free hand that was on her cheek and pulled so she could place the same hand over her heart.
Nadine didn't fight Chloe's direction as she kept hold of her left hand and allowed Chloe to place her hand over heart. She watched her friend close her eyes, and let out a deep sigh. Nadine just smiled in silent agreement, because that was a sigh that she knew all too well. It was a sigh that she herself had emitted when thinking about the other woman or in a quiet moment together. It was a sigh that telegraphed how safe she felt, how grounded she felt, and how secure she felt. That sigh was the unvoiced thoughts of both women.
Nomadic as she was, Chloe had seemingly found a home in Nadine, whereas, Nadine had found acceptance and trust, and therefore something safe and solid with the other woman; in a word, she too, was home. Nadine let out an easy sigh of her own as she felt Chloe's steady, if not a little quick, heartbeat. She finally seemed to be calming. Nadine only eased her hand away when she thought Chloe was finally succumbing to sleep, but the woman let out a small whimper, and Nadine furrowed her brow with worry.
"Don't go."' The words were mumbled and quiet. "Please," Chloe said in a breath.
Nadine quieted her with a hand through her hair once more. "I'm right here, liefie."
The endearment bubbled up effortlessly and softly, before she leaned over and dropped a kiss on Chloe's forehead. The corner of Chloe's mouth twitched in an attempt at a smile. She was asleep.
The tension she hadn't been cognizant of holding left her body, as Nadine finally relaxed her shoulders, and allowed herself to gaze openly at the woman whose head still rested in her lap. Chloe’s head was turned so that her forehead rested against Nadine’s stomach, which allowed her breath to come in short puffs of air against the cotton of her white tank top. She still held loosely to Nadine's hand that wasn't buried in her hair.
Nadine stopped the soft scratching of Chloe's scalp and reached for the remote to turn off the t.v., which sent Chloe's London flat into a peaceable silence. The white noise of the appliances running was the only thing audible other than Chloe's soft snores. Nadine sat perfectly still for another 15 minutes, satisfied to watch over the woman stretched out on the couch. And when she was sure Chloe was asleep, she let go of Chloe's warm, slightly calloused hand and pressed up gently from the couch. Without much of an effort, she put one arm beneath Chloe’s knees and the other under her back and proceeded to scoop the other woman in her arms in order to walk to the back bedroom and set the taller woman down on the bed.
Once she was beneath the sheet, Chloe rolled over instinctively at the feel of the pillow underneath her head. Nadine pulled the covers up so that the deep purple of the synthetic down comforter rested beneath her armpits. The other woman tended to kick out of the covers at some point during the night, so Nadine was conscious of not wrapping the cover too tight. With watchful brown eyes, she hovered over the sleeping woman for a heartbeat. Wearing a small smile, she whispered out, "lekker slaap, my skat", before pressing a soft kiss to Chloe's warm cheek.
Nadine stood up and folded her arms across her chest, while her eyes roamed over the other woman. It wasn't an act of objectification, but rather an act of veneration. She knew she would lay prostrate at Chloe's feet, if she but asked. It was the same feeling she had, when so many months ago she watched the other woman realize that she had indeed followed in her father's footsteps; to see her realize what her father had given up. Nadine, too, understood what it meant to come to terms with a father's legacy and sacrifice. She understood the weight of being as angry as you were sometimes proud of the man that raised you in the best way he could. She loved her father and she worshiped her father, but yes, sometimes she hated her father; and appropriately enough, it was for the same reason that Chloe felt about her own father -- they had both loved their daughters too much, not to sacrifice everything. And so, Nadine stood there for a few deep breaths, and just watched her partner, her friend, her Chloe. What wouldn't she sacrifice to keep her safe, to make her happy, to be her love?
Nadine let out a soft gasp as the thought trampled through her brain and nearly spilled off her lips before lodging in her chest. Her heart beat a staccato rhythm against her rib cage, and she let her hands fall to her sides. Christ almighty, she was in love with Chloe. She was in love something awful, and it was the worst, best thing ever. Nadine found herself nibbling on her thumb nail in consternation and contemplation -- an action she had picked up from the woman in the bed. It had been more than four months since they had laid eyes on the wonders of Halebidu and Belur. And for more than four months, she had lived with the rippling in her stomach, (at one point she thought she had an ulcer), the throbbing in her chest, and the way her lips would curve into a soft smile the moment she heard Chloe's voice.
Ever logical and often taciturn, Nadine had shoved her feelings down into a corner of her mind and buried them beneath rolling eyes, shoulder shrugs, and exasperated sighs. However, her feelings were no match for a shoddy rope bridge in the ancient ruins of a Myanmar city. Nadine had done the impossible and leapt the span and caught Chloe by the wrist before the shattered bridge broke free. With a surge of desperate strength, Nadine held her tight as the remnants of the bridge collapsed to the 100-foot chasm below. She pulled Chloe to safety and they just rested on the dusty ledge, sucking in deep breaths until each was sure that the other was still there and whole. She had felt the words on the tip of her tongue then, but a witty retort, and smirk from the cocksure thief, effectively tabled that conversation.
The feeling was successfully put away once more as they made it back to London safe and sound, and en route to a buyer ready for the small trinkets they didn't give away to the Ministry of culture. After all, the photo shoots and commendations were nice, but those keys to the city didn't keep the lights on. Nadine just chuckled and smiled as she watched Chloe roll over onto her stomach and stretch out an arm, with the expectation that Nadine would be there. In a surprise to herself, Nadine realized that for the past few months she had been there. Brown eyes drifted towards the satin pillowcase and her mouth quirked up in a small grin. She gathered thick curls into a messy bun, while she thought about how proud Chloe had been when she presented Nadine with the pillowcase. They had exchanged smiles and laughter. Apparently, Chloe had listened when she mentioned that the cotton was hell on her hair. In hindsight, Nadine admitted that it was just another way that her partner had gone out of her way to let Nadine know how she needed her and wanted her there.
A few loose curly strands that she had missed, bounced as she shook the memory from her head. Nadine had already started kicking off her shoes and socks, along with stripping off her dark blue track pants, before Chloe's frustrated huff and whimper rose up from the bed. Even in her sleep she was bratty. Nadine quickly crawled into the other side of the bed before Chloe woke herself up.
A long questing arm connected with the smooth plane of Nadine's stomach as soon as she had gotten under the covers. "Stay here," came Chloe's dreamy mumble. She patted Chloe’s hand and then surmised that it was going to be too much to roll the other woman completely over. Instead, she lifted Chloe's extended arm and turned into Chloe, making her the big spoon for once. The past two days of elevated foot rest and pain killers had given Chloe the excuse to pout until Nadine acquiesced to wrapping her arms around her, with the request to stay until she fell asleep.
Nadine glanced down at the contrast of their entwined hands and smiled once more before resting their clasped hands snug against her chest. She heard and felt Chloe's soft breath against her neck. Nadine was pretty sure that she heard Chloe whisper the word, "mine" against the back of her neck, but perhaps the days had finally caught up to her. She tucked the word away, but not too far away. She put it to the side with all the rest of the clues that suggested that she and Chloe needed to have a talk. A real talk. Not a drug induced confession or a drunken kiss, but a real talk. She felt Chloe nuzzle in close to her neck before molding herself against Nadine's back. The former mercenary simply smiled, and kissed the tanned knuckles of Chloe's hand that were caught against her chest.
Nadine's confession could indeed keep until the morning. For now, she was happy to follow the doctor's orders and get some sleep.
Fade out...