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hod’s expression was one of silent worry for the woman in front of her.
of course it was. it was no secret that her kind and self-sacrificing natures extended to everyone that she could get them to. helping, even remotely, made hod feel whole. that was why she went out of her way to do whatever she could. the smiles and elation she would observe after her attempts were more than enough to make her happy.
that was why she was here with gebura, gently cleaning her extensive wounds in her room. it’d be awful to leave her all alone in that state. if she needed help, she'd try her best to provide it.
she had come to see chesed originally for work related reasons, but… she would be lying if she didn’t want to see gebura, too. she was so distracted now. perhaps this was luckier than she thought.
this definitely wasn’t the way she would have spent her time with her if she had the choice, though. it hurt to hear her hiss through her teeth involuntarily when hod reached any area that was still particularly sensitive, and... she seemed so, so tired. their bodies were perfectly synthetic, but her body language said more than enough.
all hod could do was delicately bandage each and every gash and cut on her body, endlessly careful. so many spanned across the length of her body that hod wondered how she even got the motivation to continue.
if only this were a different time. gebura had the kind of strength that became even more apparent with a touch, and hod would have loved to admire it if she could. she wasn’t sure when it began, but gebura stood for something much more than just violence to her now. she appreciated the protective feeling she always felt when standing next to her.
it was as if gebura could simply hold her and make the entire world disappear. it was a nice feeling. one she could get used to.
“are you okay?” hod asked, breaking the silence. in her grasp was gebura's forearm. hod's fingers were hesitant, but what she was doing was working nonetheless. the bandages held.
she had settled into a slow, methodical rhythm, now. over and under, over and under.
she paused at the lack of response, meeting gebura's gaze. gebura quickly averted her eyes as if she hadn't been watching.
gebura, with a curt nod, simply answered “i am.”
the two words would have been comforting if hod weren’t so worried. it was a little irrational. gebura could take care of herself easily if she wanted to.
after shyly asking permission, hod put her hands on gebura’s shoulders and lowered her gently into bed. she had already fixed everything needed. admittedly, it was not much, but hod was glad to go out of her way for others. especially for those she cared about. especially for her.
“hod, i…” gebura paused, wincing from her slight movement. maybe there was something else, though. “thank you.”
hod smiled faintly from the chair she had placed (purposefully) near the edge of the bed, resting her head in one of her hands. after everything that had happened, she was slowly beginning to grow in confidence. “happy to help!” she said, some of her usual joy beginning to reenter her tone.
"hod." gebura was trying to sit up a bit.
"need something?" hod didn't stop her. maybe she needed some water. gebura didn't like relying on others too much, so pushing her down would be a little ru--
"can i kiss you?"
hod blinks. it takes a long moment to register.
"huh?"
gebura seemed.. uncharacteristically embarrassed. at least, for someone of her temperament.. her mouth is drawn into a thin line and her face is.. quite red. maybe it was a dare?
hod snapped out of her trance immediately when she noticed a tiny shift in her outward emotions. it would so easily missable if she hadnt been staring right at gebura's face in shock.
perhaps her silence was seen as rejection, or she was having second thoughts. hod was never one to take charge, but now was a good as time as any. before the moment was lost. love made her rash, but this was something she knew she wouldn't regret.
she reached forward and took gebura's hand, guiding it until it cupped her own cheek. it's rough. covered in scars. she didn't care. it was the hand of someone who worked hard. someone who was capable of standing up for herself. someone who could endure whatever thrown at her. to hod, it was perfect.
"please," hod murmurs, her voice soft.
she can feel herself smiling. she probably looked silly, but gebura didn't seem to even mind. her eyes slowly closed. she was so happy.
it wasn't like the stereotypes hod had come to expect from reading. no fireworks went off, and, thankfully, nothing exploded. all she heard was her own heart beating loudly in her throat. maybe she heard gebura's, too, but she wasn't sure. being kissed was really distracting.
it was nice, though. gebura gently pulled her just a bit closer with her other hand.
it was really nice.
she loved her.
---
Chesed sat, polishing his cup. He was looking directly at Gebura and he was smirking. Smirking. The blue motherfucker had so much audacity. Whatever.
"Well? How'd it go?~" he asked, faking a sultry tone. It was almost sarcastic. He clearly knew what she was going to say, but it seemed he wanted to hear it for himself regardless.
It was strangely hard to speak about it. Gebura was used to love, and she had loved before. But Hod was a little different. It was new to have even her physical flaws appreciated, though she was sure Hod wouldn't call them that. She had tenderly caressed the scars as if they were special to her, running soft fingers over the rugged skin many times. It was… How would she even say it? The words eluded her every attempt she made to grasp at them.
Gebura tried her hardest not to let her emotions show, but a faint smile remained on her lips no matter how hard she tried to quell it.
"Hod likes me back."