Work Text:
“Root I’m fine. I can walk to the living room by myself.”
Root has not left Shaw alone since they found her. While Shaw was confined to her bed Root slept on the chair next to her each night. When Shaw was finally able to take a shower by herself Root sat on the toilet staring at Shaw’s shadow, watching for any sign of weakness. When Shaw sneezes Root has a tissues ready.
It was starting to get a little out of hand.
Like right now- Shaw wants to read in the living room, by herself, but Root doesn’t want to leave her alone.
Smiling Root starts, “Sweetie-
“No! Don’t sweetie me. I need space. Give me space.” Shaw growls before turning around and heading towards the living room.
Root, following Shaw, frowns, “No.”
“Excuse me?”
Root repeats herself, “No.”
Shaw turns to her, “I don’t think you understand. I wil-
“You’ll what Sameen ? Run out of an elevator to certain death, leaving me to watch. Is that what you’ll do?” Root shouts as she looks down, knowing that the tears in her eyes were about to fall, just the thought of Shaw’s near death incident made her fall apart. Now wanting Shaw to see her crack Root turns to go back to the bedroom.
“Hey!” Sameen barks when she sees Root walk away from her, “Don’t throw that back in my face. I was trying to save you guys. To save you Root.” Shaw punches the wall, “Damnit.” Holding her now sore hand in her other hand Shaw looks at Root’s back. “Root?”
Root just shakes her head that was still bent and sniffs loudly.
“Shit.” Shaw whispers softly, “Root come on. Don’t- don’t cry.” She moves closer to Root, “Hey, hey look I’m fine.”
Not even trying to hide her crying now Root lets out a small whimper and walks farther away from Shaw. “Just go Sameen. Take your space.”
“Root. I-” Shaw takes another step towards the crying woman, “I’m sorry.”
Root turns and stumbles forward, launching her hands around the shorter woman’s waist. She puts her face in Shaw’s hair and begins to cry loudly, “The last time you put space between us you almost died Sameen. You pushed me away and almost died.”
Shaw doesn’t say anything, she lets Root cry for as long as she needs knowing that this was probably what Root needed right now. She had only seen Root with a smile the entire time she was injured, but now Shaw can see the damage that it caused; Root hadn’t had time to deal with what she was feeling because she was busy dealing with Shaw. And now Shaw felt like a piece of shit.
Slowly Shaw begins to guide the crying woman towards the bed in the room. When Root’s legs hit the edge she instinctively sits down on the bed. Shaw lowers herself with Root, making it so she was sitting in her lap. She raises her not injured hand and wipes away the tears running down Root’s face.
“I’m alright. See?” She picks ups Root’s hand and places it above her heart, “My heart’s still beating because of you.” Shaw kisses her hand and hesitantly says, “Just for you.”
The tears begin to slow until they completely stop; Root places her hand above Shaw’s heart again whispering in childish awe, “For me?”
Nodding her head Shaw kisses Root’s cheek, “For you.”
“Then why-” Root turns her head away from Shaw as she feels the tears coming back, “Then why leave me? Why leave me like that?”
Shaw sighs, “Because.” She stops not able to string the words the way she wants. Every time the words run through her mind they never come out the way she’s okay with. Each time she re words what’s running through her mind the words become even more personal. Not knowing what to say Shaw places her head in the nook of Root’s neck and breathes in the scent that is Root.
Root’s free hand wraps itself around Shaw’s waist pulling her in closer, “Sameen…”
“If you’re going to die, die for someone you love. Okay?” Shaw mumbles into Root’s neck.
Root stops breathing.
Love?
“Sameen, you don’t ...” Root stops herself not knowing if she was ready to hear the answer.
“Yeah Roo-,” Shaw frowns, “I can’t call you by your hacker name the first time I tell you how I feel.” She says more to herself. Shaw straightens herself out on Root’s lap and places her hands on the woman’s cheeks.
“Samantha,” Root winces and Shaw rolls her eyes, “I was willing to die for you because I loved you. I love you.” She leans in and places a soft kiss, very different from the one in the elevator, on Root’s lips.
Root’s hands make away into Shaw’s hair, gently pulling on the thick, black strands of hair. She pulls aways from the kiss to whisper, “I love you too Sameen.” The two women are quiet for a long while, both thinking about the other. Shaw: the one who never thought she was going to love. And Root: the one who thought no one would ever love her.
Carefully Root lays on the bed, slowly inching to the middle of the bed and moving a little higher so that she could rest her head on Shaw’s pillow. She wraps her arms around Shaw making sure that one hand is near Shaw’s heart, “Mine.”
“Yours.” Shaw repeats while laying her head over Root’s heart.
“Yours.” Root says.
Shaw nods her head, “Mine.”
“Don’t think this means you can call me Samantha now Sameen.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it sweetie.” Shaw grins as she feels Roots hands tighten around her.
“And no stealing my pet names.”
Shaw hushes her, “You’re disrupting the moment…. Dollface.”
Root smiles at the pet name, she could live with that one. “But I have one more question.”
Rolling her eyes Shaw looks up at Root, “What?”
Root smiles, “Do you think Harold will let us have Bear once we get married?”