Chapter Text
Shaw wasn't an idiot. She knew they were dating. She'd known for a while actually but she figured as long as she didn't admit it then it didn't count, right?
See her general rule was 3 strikes and you're out, but the fourth time Root had shown up at her apartment (uninvited she might add) and pinned Shaw against the fridge, well... Why even have rules if you can't break them every now and then? Of course four had turned into five, then six, then seven, and then Shaw had forced herself to stop keeping count because honestly at that point she was just getting on her own nerves.
Plus Root knew better than to force the topic so really it was fine. Just sex and occasional flirtatious banter on missions. Even Shaw could handle that. Even she could pretend that wasn't dating.
Except Root brought her food. Like all the time. Well not all the time, but just enough for Shaw to feel like Root did it for more than just the thanks-for-the-steak-burger-sex she got afterwards. In fact Shaw had come back from a mission twice now only to find Root in her kitchen (again, uninvited) actually cooking her food. Like really, take out was one thing but this. Well... Even Shaw was having trouble reminding herself it was just sex.
That's not even the worst part though. You wanna know the worst part? The worst part was Shaw found herself doing nice things for Root too. Not buying her take out and cooking her dinner nice, but nice. Like remembering her birthday (or at least the date written on the more than likely forged birth cert) and buying her a new side arm. Or letting her crash at her place after a pretty nasty bullet to the shoulder and not even complaining when Root made herself at home in Shaws bed (okay well that's a lie, she complained a little, but then Root patted the empty space next to her and they'd had careful-of-my-shoulder-Sameen-sex which had pretty promptly shut her up).
They'd even cuddled once.
Actually fuck, no, Shaw hated that word. Cuddled. It sounded like a fungus that grew on out of date fruit or something. But the point is they had... Y'know. Held one another? That sounded worse. You get the point. It was on the third night of Roots pretty-nasty-bullet-to-the-shoulder-sleepover (because yes, Root had stayed a week, she may be a sociopath but she was hardly going to have Root fend for herself... God knows who'd wind up dead). They'd just had a quick two orgasms a piece round of oh-Sameen-seriously-watch-my-shoulder-sex and Root had been grumbling about wishing they'd raided that drug store earlier for some pain relief. Shaw had ignored her. She'd seen worse, and the bullet had been an inch and a half too far left to do any real damage anyway. Still though she kept complaining, and complaining, and complaining until -
"Can you not?" Shaw turned towards her (she always slept facing away, she had boundaries after all).
"I know, I'm sorry," Root was just as annoyed as Shaw by this point. "It's at that fun phase of the healing process where my entire arm hurts though," she admitted in her defense.
"I'll grab a compress." Shaw found healing bullet wounds were a lot like cramps sometimes, and a little heat could go a long way.
"I'm fine sweetie," Root reassured her, even going so far as to lay her good hand on Shaws arm. "Anyway I'm the one that ran out of cover to grab that laptop before checking if we'd taken down all the shooters," she reminded her. "At least next time I'll know to look left and right first." She even threw in her signature wink and Shaw couldn't resist rolling her eyes.
Shaw wasn't convinced. "You sure? Because next time you wince I'm snapping your neck."
"I'm sure," Root reassured her. "If you want to help though you could spoon me?" Her tone was teasing though something in her eyes was oddly sincere.
Shaw just groaned. "Shut up and go to sleep."
She turned away then, though she swore right before she did she saw something akin to disappointment flicker in Roots eyes.
The room was oddly silent for a moment and Shaw could swear she felt Roots eyes burning into her back. She ignored it. Eventually Root spoke again.
"Goodnight Sameen."
Shaw ignored her. Pretended to be asleep. It was a full five minutes before guilt (or at least the emotion she was calling guilt for now) got the better of her and she turned around.
She wasn't even sure how to go about this really. Eventually she settled on resting her head on Roots shoulder (the good one obviously) and throwing a tentative arm across her waist. Not so bad. After a minute (though it felt like a lifetime) she felt Roots arm wrap around her shoulders. Neither of them spoke.
Shaw quietly wondered if this meant she had to stop lying to herself about the whole dating thing now?
Probably.