Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Amir wondered why it took so long for him to register the situation he was in. 

Something about the Drifter seemed to shut off the part of his brain that quadruple-checked every decision he made. Maybe his brain was just tired after playing GM for the weekly F&F game. Maybe it was a combination of that and the absolute chaos that was the week up until this point. He didn’t know. 

It didn’t help that the alcohol flowed a bit too freely tonight (thanks, Arthur) and now the Hex were all varying levels of drunk. Including himself. Including the Drifter, who he didn’t realize could drink circles around King Alcoholism himself (her words, not his).
He felt something gently thud itself on his shoulder and loop their arm in his, drawing him out of his bubble. He didn’t need to look to see who it was. He could tell based off her absolutely freezing hands.

“I don’t think that last shot was a very good idea,” the Drifter said, with a new inflection in her voice he’s never heard before.

If he didn’t know any better, he’d say it almost sounded like… an accent? Almost like Arthur and Eleanor’s. That couldn’t be it though, right? He’d know if she had an accent. They talk too much for him to have never picked up on it. “The last shot was what tipped you off? Not Arthur crumpling to the floor trying to keep up with you? Not Eleanor and Frey and Aoi carrying him out to his room while Quincy laughed so hard he cried?? Lettie is not gonna appreciate the hangover cure she’s gonna have to concoct for you, you know.”

“Well it’s not my fault Arthur challenged me to a test of skill and it came back to bite him in the ass. He’s a big boy, he can handle his own,” She rubbed her cheek on what used to be the bones in his shoulder, the ends of her hair lightly touching what used to be the skin of his back. It was then he noticed her hair had fallen out of the braid she usually kept it in and wondered why she hadn’t tied it back in some way until she could fix it later like she normally did. “Besides, we all drank pretty hard. I think we’re all gonna need that ‘magic hangover cure’.” 

“I don’t know, I feel pretty fine,” he mumbled as he brushed his hair back. He knew he wasn’t fine, but he wasn’t as drunk as she was. “But I wasn’t the one doing shots of straight liquor, I just had a few beers.”

“Well you are very fine, but I don’t think you’re as sober as you think you are. Just like I’m not as think as I drunk I am.” 

He barely managed to stifle his laugh. “Oh, you aren’t, are you?”

In an instant, she lifted off his shoulder and unhooked her arm from his to stare him directly in the face. He begged his neck muscles not to turn his head, even if he did want to melt right into that silver and golden gaze and never leave unless he really really had to, because he knew how much she liked it when she “won” their power struggles.

“I’m not looking at you, Drifter.”

“You’re going to.” She whispered against his ear.

“Mmm, nope.” 

She lightly shoved his arm. “You like looking at me.”

He definitely could not deny that, even jokingly, because he would be lying. “I’m still not going to look at you, Drifter."

She giggled a little bit, reaching a finger up to poke him in the cheek. “Because you know if you did, you’d crack like an egg .” 

His lips twitched as he tried to stop his muscles from moving against his will. Yes, it was the perfect time to smile because he was just so happy and that was funny, but he couldn’t smile now! He needed to prove that his resolve was stronger than this!!

Unfortunately, he knew that the Drifter was an expert at seeing the minute details when it came to him. He watched her gaze flick down to the side of his mouth, her own lips slowly forming into a smirk.

Oh no, he realized as he watched her. That’s her idea face.

Giving him almost no time to react, Amir watched as the Drifter threw her leg over the arm of his chair and slid herself onto his lap, both arms coming to wrap around his neck.

His entire body stiffened up as he turned his head away. Not because he didn’t enjoy it, but because he probably enjoyed it a little too much. And also because he had a game to win. 

The Drifter was known to be bold. She wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, do what she wanted, and go with what she thought was best. But even that had limits, and those limits usually included respecting personal space unless the person told her otherwise, which is honestly why he was so shocked. Sure, he and the Drifter had a “casual” flirting thing going on. Lots of their conversations on the KIM network were full of jokingly romantic nicknames and interjections. He didn’t realize that that opened the door to her sitting on his lap trying to get him to look her in the eye. 

Was he complaining? Gods no. Absolutely not . Sol and Lua know he’s been crushing hard on the Drifter basically since she saved them from the reactor. When he begged them for a chance to actually be with her, this is not at all what he meant.

He felt her hands slide from around his neck, down his chest, and rest lightly on his thighs. They were warmer than they normally are, thank Sol, but something about knowing they were her hands made his body heat up and shiver.

“Still not gonna look at me, huh? That’s fine,” She noted as she looked down at her hands on his thighs. “That just means I’m gonna have to bring out the big guns."

Oh, boy. He simultaneously liked and disliked what that could possibly mean. Two could play at this game. “If by big guns, you mean your muscles, I think I’ve seen quite a bit of those.”

She huffed a laugh and smiled, taking a second to hit some poses with her arms. Thank Sol and Lua for tank tops. “These muscles were hard earned, okay? Forgive me for wanting to show them off. Don’t act like you don’t enjoy it.”

“Oh, so that was what you were gonna do. Gotta break it to you, D, you’re getting predictable.” 

No response.

That. Might have been a mistake.

Against his better judgment, Amir turned his head a single degree to the left to try and get a better look at her. 

From what he could tell, she wasn’t mad or offended. Her hands were still resting on his chest from after she was done flexing and she didn’t immediately try to get away from him like she had before. In fact, she seemed to be… thinking? She was still watching him, or at least facing him, but she hadn’t tried to brush her hair out of her face yet which meant she hadn’t noticed it was in her face to begin with. 

Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he began to question when he became so knowledgeable in her minute details. 

Almost as if she knew his mind was someplace else, he felt two rough (but not too rough) hands cover his cheeks and turn his head to face her. He absentmindedly closed his eyes but thanked himself for it because it meant he was still in the game, and being in the game still meant they could stay like this for just a little bit longer. 

Her thumbs rubbed tiny circles into the meat of his cheek, both hands cradling his head with a firm but gentle hold. Her fingers slowly inched their way into his hair, nails gently scratching at the scalp. It took everything he had not to melt into a puddle of goo and sparks. 

“How’s that for predictable, Amir Beckett?”

He felt her breath brush against his skin and eyelashes. It smelled like alcohol, obviously, but he didn’t care. Even without his eyes open he knew just how close she was and how easy it would be for him to tilt his head and lean in until their noses were brushing and--

Whoa, Amir. If you actually want that to happen, you have to focus on what’s actually going on.

Right. Right. Okay. “It’s definitely something new for you, that’s for sure.”

He made sure to match the soft tone of her voice when she spoke to him, trying not to ruin the “vibe” of the moment and make it obvious he had to remind himself to stay focused. If only he had something to keep his head in the game. Like his game. He could almost feel the memory of pressing buttons and twisting a joystick in his hands and fingers. 

“Yes, please remind me that I was alone for millennia and have basically no idea what I’m doing when it comes to people,” she said with a very audible pout, “Big talk for someone who has been feeling around my hips this whole time.”

He was what. 

He opened one of his eyes to look down at his hands, and she was right. His hands were indeed rubbing and squeezing the meat of her hips, feeling the warmth of her skin radiating through her pants. 

“Sorry!” He exclaimed, slapping his hands down to his sides. He tilted his head back to make sure he didn’t look at her enough for her to declare a victory and closed his eye. “My brain focuses better when my hands are doing something, you know that.” 

He felt her hands wrap around his and put them back where they were. “I do. Which is why I’m going to specify that I wasn’t complaining when I was pointing that out.” 

Sol and Lua and all the gods that came before, she was going to kill him. Not a Scaldra bullet or Techrot flesh, but the Savior of the Origin System herself, the Drifter.

A different part of his brain wanted him to ask if she still remembered her name, because calling her Drifter as she’s basically embodying a dream he’s had since he was young seemed impersonal and wrong. 

But that was a thought for another day. He had a game to win. Stop forgetting that. 

When he came back to his body, he felt her hands return back to his cheeks as she pulled his head upright again. 

His eyes wanted to open to see if her eyes looked any different this closely, but he stopped them. 

“Can I offer you something in return for opening your eyes?”

“You want me to open them that badly, huh?”

A small pause. “...Would you do it if I said yes?”

Well, he definitely wouldn’t complain if she did, and he could argue that he won because she had to do something for him to open his eyes…

Choices, choices. 

“Maybe. If what you were going to give me wasn’t cooler than that admission.”

“What if I said you could have both, then?” 

Now that’s a deal if he’s ever seen one. Or heard one, rather. “I’m listening.” 

“Yes, Amir, I would really really appreciate it if you would open your eyes so I can win and give you the thing I took all this ‘liquid courage’ for.”

Ah, winning. Something he could definitely have more often, but he’d rather people actually want to compete against him.

He opened his eyes with the widest smile he could muster, ready to bask in the glorious glow of victory…

Which was quickly overshadowed by how in his space the Drifter really was. 

She wasn’t just on his lap, letting his hands wander to make sure his brain stayed on this plane. She wasn’t just holding his head, letting her fingers play with the black locks of his hair. 

She was slightly arched over him, faces only a foot away, looking down at something with a lip bite and then back up to his eyes. He watched as her bit lip gave way to a radiant smile, a rare one with full teeth, as they made eye contact.

“Hi,” she whispered to him.

“Hi,” he replied.

“Now that I think about it, it’s kind of dumb to make you open your eyes only to close them again.”

He beamed up at her, mind running wild at what she could possibly be hinting at. “If it makes you feel any better, you were right earlier. I do really enjoy looking at you.”

She smiled even brighter and he could’ve sworn he felt a brush of void energy against his neck. Not even a second later, she began to lean in, taking a deep breath for courage as she slowly came closer and closer. He slid his hands up from her hips to her sides, gently massaging her muscles as a way to get her out of her head a little bit.

And get her out of her own head it did as she leaned down a little faster now, almost lined perfectly up with him as he tilted his head and leaned up to meet her--

He felt something gently thud itself on his shoulder and loop their arms around him, drawing him out of his mind bubble. He didn’t need to look to know what it was.

The Drifter had fallen asleep. Amir cried a little on the inside.

Stupid alcohol. Stupid feelings. Stupid Sol and stupid Lua.

How was he supposed to know if they were really going to kiss or if she was about to play the cruelest prank on him and turn her head away at the last second with a “You really thought I was going to kiss you, Amir? Me, the Drifter, who doesn’t need or want anybody else??” 

The Drifter in question rubbed her cheek on his shoulder like she had earlier, squeezing him closer to her as she softly exhaled through her nose.

Right. Get her to bed, spend all night overthinking later.

As gently, calmly, and masterfully as he could, Amir spent five minutes configuring limbs and determining the best course of action for how to get the Drifter up the stairs and into her bed without waking her up.

Five minutes later, he had decided on carrying her as she had fallen asleep on him, making sure to wrap her legs around his waist by holding her thighs up. If this had been another night, maybe without alcohol, he would’ve been a lot more embarrassed. But. Here they were. 

As he rose from the chair, he made sure to keep a firm grip on her legs (no, not like that), and made sure to stay as steady as possible as he ascended the staircase, trying to make sure she felt safe enough to stay asleep.

Once he got into the loft, he strode past the 3-seater couch she insisted was “just enough room” for her, all her trinkets from Duviri she traded from someone named Acrithis, her noggles of the Hex and her mastered Warframes, and her collection of Prex Cards hung on the wall across her bed.

All things he had come to expect from her personal loft, all items he’d seen or had explained to him before. What he didn’t expect was for her to stay attached to him as he tried to lay her down in bed. 

“Mmm,” she groaned, tightening her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips. “Don’t go.”

He pouted a little bit. There was certainly nothing stopping him from staying, but what would the others think? What would Frey think when he came back? If he came back? What if he overslept and they came looking for him in his room in the arcade and he wasn’t there? Would they think he was gone? Or dead?? Or kidnapped???

It was somehow the best and worst idea of the year, and it had only just begun. Again.

A brush of lips against his ear. “I’ll give you a kiss if you stay.”

And suddenly this was the best idea he had ever heard in the entirety of his life, overshadowing any thoughts and doubts he might have about the future consequences of his choice.

He hoped the Drifter remembered this in the morning. At least part of it. 

Amir wondered why it took so long for him to register the situation he was in.

Chapter Text

The Drifter remembered lots of things over the span of her great life.

Some of those things include:

1. Her name and birthday.
2. Her and her brother’s Stupid Fucking Deal.
3. Her family and how they died.
4. Being stuck in Duviri for a Great Long While (but that included Teshin and Acrithis, so she wasn’t complaining.)
5. How bad she looked with short hair.
6. The Very Bad Thing

And finally,

1. Everything that happened last night.
   
   

She had actually meant to kiss Amir. There was no question about that. There was maybe a question about kissing him for staying with her because he was still asleep and she wasn’t. 

She supposed the best course of action would be to kiss him later, but that threw off the plan she had in her head when she said it. Actually, the entire plan was thrown off the moment she passed out on his shoulder.

She was trying very hard not to focus on that. It wouldn’t leave her brain if she did.

To give her brain something else to focus on, she took a deep breath, letting the air fill her entire body until she couldn’t hold more, then letting it go. An old trick Teshin taught her to wake her body up faster after he ordered she learn how to rise faster.

‘Always be at the ready,’ he would say as he hobbled back to his rock. ‘Always be prepared to face the unexpected. You would not survive if you were caught aware after a nap. ’

It was true. She did not survive.

But, she definitely learned after that.

Some part of her strangely appreciated Duviri for that. She could make mistakes without a larger unknown consequence down the road. Always ending in death meant she would always end back up in Teshin’s Cave, nursing another mark from his cane or reacting to a training scenario he crafted while she slept.

She missed Teshin more than she missed it , but it was difficult to distinguish between the two sometimes.

She hated it. But as her brother would say, ‘what doesn’t she hate?’ (In fact, she hated that he said that. Telling him that would prove his point, however, so she never did.)

A huff of breath and a gentle squeeze of her side brought her back into the present. She had almost forgotten about Amir. Almost.

Just like how she almost kissed him last night.

See? She knew it. It was there forever now.

Whatever. That wasn’t the point. The Point was currently shuffling around and smacking his lips together, thankfully touching less of her now that he was laying on his back. She closed her eyes with a small thanks to whatever god was listening.

Less worried about how to escape the clutches of a man that’s way stronger than he looks (I mean, come on, he’s partially a Warframe ), she took a second to admire him. He wasn't the type to have a different resting face compared to his waking face, but she could see the places were what tension he did have relaxed in sleep.

The motion of nearly sitting up onto her knees slid his arm from her back to her thigh, which meant freedom, but only if she was careful. 

It also meant some of her hair got the excellent idea to fall into her sight line. As much as she hated her short hair, she missed not having this problem. With a quick brush of a hand over her scalp, she dragged the wayward curls back and pulled them over her shoulder. The best she could do until she found a hair tie.

She gently grabbed hold of his hand, bringing it up to her lips for a small kiss before placing it back down onto his chest. She waited a beat while he wiggled some before covering him and tucking him into her galaxy blanket.

She could get used to the sight, she thought to herself. He almost looked like he belonged. She certainly thought he did.

That was also a thought for later. She felt a strangely familiar sharp pain in her skull and braced a hand on the back of her head, only to realize it was only an internal pain. Ah. This must’ve been the hangover Amir was warning her about.

It wasn’t her first time with a hangover. There was alcohol in Duviri, after all. But where Duviri alcohol lacks in buck, Hollvanian alcohol makes up for in bang . And by the gods did it bang. 

She slid off the bed as quietly as she could, applying as little pressure as possible onto the floorboards to prevent creaking. She walked to her dresser hoping to silently grab an outfit acceptable enough for going downstairs and out into the mall.

One oversized off the shoulder ‘Temple and the Rippers’ t-shirt, gray sweatpants, and hair tie later, she carefully made her way down her stairs and out of the void door that separated her backroom from the mall. Phew. Mission impossible, or whatever the saying is.

“Drifter,” called a voice from her right, once she was out of the clothing store. She turned to face Lettie, who was walking towards her holding two glasses of some kind of… liquid?

“What is that?” she asked Lettie. “Why does it look thick ?” 

“Well, my friend, that’s because it is. Unfortunately for you, esto es exactamente lo que necesitas para tu salud. So bottoms up, eh?”

The glass was cold against her already cold hands. The Drifter felt the dull ache of her bones. Ugh. This is why she hated cold drinks. “I appreciate it. Who’s the other cup for?” 

Lettie, oddly, smiled a little bit. “Amir, actually. Jitterbug wasn’t in any of his usual spots this morning and no one can find him. Got any ideas?”

For a second, the Drifter panicked. She didn’t know which technique of “playing it cool” to use, if any. Lying was a bad option for any of the Hex, but she would like to avoid the idea of anything happening between them last night. The half-truth could work, but only because the full-truth was insanely embarrassing. 

“Yeah, he crashed in my room last night after I passed out on him,” she said with an awkward little laugh. Again, wasn’t the full truth, but just enough to not be lying. “It was honestly insanely embarrassing, but he’s still asleep up there.”

Something told her Lettie knew there was a large part of the story missing but she chose not to press. “Ah. You can take this up to him then? I don’t care if he doesn’t think he needs it, he has to drink it. And you can tell him I said that.”

“I can definitely do that for you,” the Drifter said with a laugh. “I’m sure the cups will make their way back down at some point. Thanks, Lettie.”

“Of course, my friend. Try not to take too long, okay? And put some shoes on before you come out here, that’s why you’re always cold.” 

That is not why she’s always cold, but she’s right that it definitely didn’t help. As for that other part, she had no idea what that meant, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to.

With a sip of the straw and a shake of her head she walked both cups back into her backroom, watching as the obols gave way to her warm purple walls with a resonating whoosh.

Judging by the relative silence in the backroom (Helminth’s gurgling noises were unfortunately audible if you listened close enough, but that’s what her somachord was for), Amir still hadn’t woken up. She wondered whether that was a good thing or not. 

It didn’t matter, she supposed. Maybe he was awake and was being really quiet about it. In either scenario, she would have to walk upstairs and through the doorway, past her modesty screen she sized up to act as a barrier between ‘bedroom’ and ‘living room’, and around to her bed where he would hopefully still be.

And there he was, still sound asleep. Thank the Void.

She walked to place the cups on the coffee table behind her before attempting to gently shake Amir awake. 

Nothing happened. 

She looked at herself in the mirror across the room in surprise. That normally works. 

‘Normally’, of course, referred to all the one time she had to wake up her brother, and maybe two other people throughout her time. Being a Drifter meant being lonely for a large majority of their life.

An unexpected warmth wrapped itself around her wrists, causing her to look back down. 

“Sweet Lua, your hands are freezing. ”

Oops.  She should've considered that.

“Ah, sorry. I can’t even tell my hands are cold until they’re not,” she explained, lifting her hands off of him to avoid chilling him further. It seemed, however, he took that as an opportunity to hold her hands instead.

His laugh was light and airy, still having a ‘barely woken up’ sort of quality to it. He traced a line along the bottom of her hand with his thumbs, obviously in some attempt for stimulation. It was the little details of him that were her favorite, even to the point where he noticed. 

“What’s that like? When my hands are freezing I can’t focus on anything else but warming them back up as fast as possible,” he sighed. 

“Remember, I had to focus more on staying alive than my cold, achy limbs. It’s easier to ignore the everyday pain the longer you live with it.” 

He pouted up at her. She noticed he started to do it a few weeks ago after spending most of the day in the arcade with him for several months. Obviously picked it up from her. “Every time you remind me of something you’ve had to endure, my heart aches a little bit. I know that’s not what you mean to do, I just...”

“I know. I’m sorry. I forget that it’s actually a big deal and not just something that happened a long time ago. I don’t see it as serious as you guys do.”

He sat up, causing her to scoot back to make sure he had enough room to do so. As he did, he let go of her hands to pull her closer, more on his lap but in her same sitting position.

She placed one hand on his cheek and the other on his shoulder, looking up at him. Part of her wondered where he was going with this.

For a beat, neither said a word.

“What?” she said in a hushed voice.

“You’re the strongest person I know, and I know a lot of strong people," he explained as he rubbed circles on her back. "That doesn’t mean you can’t acknowledge that the way you got there was hard.”

Void, she could cry. Maybe she would, just because it was him. He’s cried enough in front of her that it should be okay for her to do the same. But that would ruin the moment, and she’s already done that once now. Let’s not make it twice.

Sigh. “You’re right. Thank you.”

“I can think of another, technically better way you can thank me,” he murmured in a low tone. “Unless you don’t remember making a promise last night?”

She did remember making a promise, and it was technically later, but she had one other thing she needed to do first.

“I remember, but you have to make me a promise before we do this.” 

“I’m scared.”

She laughed. “That’s understandable, the texture isn’t the greatest thing in the world. However . You have to promise me that you’ll drink whatever I’m going to give you afterwards.”

“I’m doubly scared. Who are you, Quincy?”

“ Ha , you’re not funny. I promised Lettie, so unless you want her to be doubly disappointed, say yes.”

“You drive a hard bargain, madam, but yes I promise to drink your mystery concoction after you finally kiss me.”

...Was this a bad time to mention it had been several millennia since she last kissed anyone?

It wasn’t that she didn’t know how to kiss, she just...

Forgot.

She felt her mouth open and close in rapid succession, revealing her nervous state without permission from her brain. Damn it.

“You do want to kiss me, right? It wasn’t just the alcohol?” She noted he sounded anxious and full of self-doubt, like she was confirming some suspicion he had in his head. 

She did want to kiss him, she was just scared. Really, really scared. What if she wasn’t capable of being a good girlfriend? She didn’t even know what a ‘good girlfriend’ was. She’d never had one, never been one, and didn’t have anyone who she could ask about being one. He has enough trauma to deal with, it would be way too easy to give him some more.

“Are you okay--”

“I really really want to kiss you. Don’t think I don’t,” she affirmed. “I’m just worried because your experience with relationships is a lot fresher than mine. It’s been so long for me, it’s like it’s never happened, and I wouldn’t want to disappoint.”

“This already exceeds my expectations, hon. If you need some time, we can wait." Void, he was like the perfect man sometimes.

No. No. No waiting. Her body was practically on fire already, there was no way she wasn’t kissing him right now.

“No waiting. Maybe you can take the lead for now? Actually doing it might jog my memory or help me learn.”

“You got it,” he beamed, blessing her with a toothy smile. “Let me know if you need me to stop.”

And suddenly he was leaning in, closing the already short distance between their faces in no time. She felt their noses touch, his head tilting one way while hers went the other, the distance between them steadily approaching nonexistent.

And finally, finally, they kissed. 

He tasted like ozone and sugar, slightly tainted by the taste of the beers from last night. She knew it wouldn’t have mattered what he tasted like though, because she wanted him . She wanted all of him: his taste, his touch, his sound. The fact that it was him was everything she needed and wanted in this moment.

That also made itself obvious when she involuntarily whined into his mouth.

She felt him smile against her lips as he deepened the next kiss they shared. Good to know he enjoyed that, smug bastard.

She took the opportunity to bite his bottom lip and tug on it. His hold on her tightened, and he whined in return.

“ Do that again, ” she whispered to him, kissing down from his lips to his jaw and neck. He listened, like she knew he would.

“Weren’t you just-” he sighed dreamily as she nipped him. “ Talking about how nervous you were? What- mmm- happened?”

“Is that complaining , Amir? You helped me figure it out, I figured I’d return the favor,” she said directly into his ear. “Unless you don’t like it. I can stop .” 

“Please, please don’t stop. Matter of fact, kiss me again . There’s nowhere I’d rather be.”

She loved how he sounded when he begged. She wanted to hear more of it.

So kiss him she did. This time, it was a mix of heat, tongue, and the need to absorb as much of the other person as possible. Maybe that last part was just her, but still.

Or maybe it wasn’t, she thought, when she noticed that his hands had begun lifting her shirt up and off her abdomen. One of them gently skimmed the surface of her bronze skin, path disturbed by scars old and new.

She moved her own hands to the waistband of her sweats, willing to remove them for him to explore some more, when-

“Drifter, report in.”

You’ve got to be serious. “Ignore him. Keep going.”

Amir shook his head. "You know he’s just going to keep radioing in until you answer. It’s not worth it.”

As if to prove his point, the radio crackled in warning of Arthur’s voice. “Drifter, answer me . You better not be asleep in there.”

She pouted. She really, really fucking hated Arthur Nightingale right now.

“Lettie just informed me that you have Amir in there as well. If you don’t answer within the next 5 minutes, I’m coming in .” 

In a huff, she reached for her radio and pointed Amir to the cup on the coffee table.

“Drink it. You promised,” she growled, holding the radio up to her lips. “Arthur, who died and made you my father ?”

“Morning to you too, sunshine . I didn’t wake you up, did I? Interrupt something, perhaps?”

She hated that she wanted to laugh. That was funny.

Don’t get distracted.

“Well, actually, yes, you caught me right as I was in the middle of enjoying the best thing I’ve tasted all year. Any guesses as to what that is?”

“Drifter, when I said that I didn’t mean literally tell me --”

“It was Lettie’s drink, you pervert.”

The line went silent, but she could’ve sworn she heard distant laughter coming from somewhere nearby. 

“ Regardless ,” he grumbled. Still terrible at taking jokes, it seemed. “I ask that you both follow everyone’s example and finally get a start on the day. Be ready for assignments and debrief at 0745.”

She smacked her forehead into the radio. It was already 7:25. Twenty minutes to change and eat was a bit of an issue after she promised not to inhale her food like it was going somewhere.

“Can we make that 0800?” Aoi interjected. “Some of the Tommys are being a little extra difficult. I won’t have time to debrief everyone by 45.”

“Mmm, fine. But no later. Copy?”

“Copy.” replied Aoi. 

Thank the stars for her. She’s truly a great friend. “0800 it is, Arthur sir. Anything else?”

“Negative. Just get down here in a timely manner, please. Both of you.” 

The line went dead.

She looked over at Amir, who seemed to have finished his drink and was now reattaching his gear. At least he’d be downstairs sooner rather than later.

“Hey,” called the Drifter, before she could think too hard and stop herself. “What does this make us?”

He was uncharacteristically silent for a minute or two. “Whatever you’d like to be, if I had to say.”

“Obviously you and I have feelings for each other. The logical conclusion would be dating , wouldn’t it?”

“This is honestly the weirdest way I’ve seen someone ask another person out,” Amir muttered. “Dating is definitely the socially accepted conclusion to what we just did. Or at least together.”

“Together,” she repeated.

“Together,” he agreed.

“I’m okay with together. Not sure if we can say we’re ‘dating’ without actually ever having gone on a date.”

“Future, say the word and I will arrange a date so romantic it’ll knock your socks off.”

She laughed. “That does sound nice, but I don’t think my socks will be affected by it unless you take them off.”

That made him snort. “You really are so adorable sometimes.”

She didn’t understand why he said that, but she wasn’t going to press.

“You should probably go,” she murmured reluctantly. “You don’t want to be stuffing your face to make it on time just because you stayed with me.”

“I like spending time with you,” he said with a pout. “I’ll go, but only because I want you to actually be on time too. See you soon.” 

He gave her a light kiss on the forehead before rushing out in a flash of lightning. 

To her, something had changed. 

She couldn’t tell what exactly it was, but she knew something was different. The colors seemed more vibrant than normal. Everything felt as though it was right where it belonged, including herself. There was a light flush to her face, giving her a rosy, youthful complexion. Something resonated deep within her chest, a raw kind of instinct she’d felt only a few times before.

Love, she heard a voice say. She was in love.