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[fic] Marble Halls
Jan. 13th, 2008 04:57 pmAs much as John complained when the sun shone in his eyes first thing in the morning, Inara liked that his windows faced the dawn. It gave a sort of freshness to the morning, a sense of hope that completed the joyous feeling of waking up with him there beside her. Or half stretched out on top of her; there were moments that usually followed a hard mission or a threat to Atlantis when he got a little possessive, or protective, and on mornings afterwards she usually found him wrapped around her and clinging tightly.
He was already up and moving around this morning when she opened her eyes finally, stretching out and smiling with sleepy contentment. Dressed and looking ready for a mission, he turned and smiled to see her awake.
"Hey, you." She wrinkled her nose playfully at him. "Heading out today?" She couldn't remember what planet they were supposed to be visiting today, but it was a new one, she remembered that much.
"It's been postponed," he shrugged, coming back to crawl up the bed, stretching out next to her. "Lorne's team spotted a Wraith patrol, so we're hanging back to see if they need help before we head out, since we're still here."
Inara nodded. They were spread a little thin these days, but nothing they couldn't handle. Especially not with a fresh influx of people and resources from the Daedelus. John had been particularly relieved to see them arrived, and she wondered just how thin they'd really been spread, if there had been more worry over supplies and personnel than she'd realized.
"Well…" She put her arms around him, pulling him close and smiling as he snuggled up. "I suppose they'll know where to find you when they need you."
"Mmm-hmm." He closed his eyes, seemed to be settling back to sleep with a satisfied little grin.
The sun warmed the blankets and what skin was open to the air outside of blankets and clothing. She hadn't bothered to get up and dressed yet, but then, he was the one who had the early mission and she had another hour and a half before she had to be anywhere. His fingers brushed the strap of her night-slip down off her shoulder and traced back up, along her neck, back down again. She closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the sensations.
After a moment his fingers left her skin and she felt the bed creak, felt him shift against her and heard the soft sliding of the drawer on the bedside table. His fingers combed through her hair for a moment, and she snuggled into his arms this time instead of pulling him back into hers.
The kiss softly brushed against her temple was nothing new, but the sensation of cool metal against her skin was. She opened her eyes, twisted a little in his embrace to look up at him.
"'Nara…" he started, but couldn't find the words to continue. Not that he had to explain; the look in his eyes that was all at once a little scared and a little hopeful, the object held between their fingers as his hand curled around hers said everything. She blinked once and it seemed to take a long time to focus back in on his eyes, somewhere hovering between blue and gray and green, another color that matched Atlantis so well but didn't have a name. "I…"
She held her breath to keep from sending him skittering back from whatever it was that he wanted to say, not that it was hard. Her chest seemed to have tightened, preventing speech or breath or anything like that.
"I …" He struggled so hard with saying what he felt. She never could figure out why, if it was shyness or worrying over the possible consequences or feeling that his words were inadequate or something else entirely. "Every morning I wake up with you is a… a gift. And I want to have as many more of those mornings as I can."
Her skin felt all hot and cold at the same time. He managed about as far as 'Will you' before she put them both out of their anticipation, pulling him close and kissing him with happiness so acute it felt almost like tears. Somewhere in all that he hugged her tightly back, laughing softly (and with much relief) into her hair.
"So, that's a yes, then?"
"Goof." She tickled him, he fumbled to catch her hands before they lost the ring in the sheets, and somehow it ended up on the proper finger. "Of course, yes."
He was already up and moving around this morning when she opened her eyes finally, stretching out and smiling with sleepy contentment. Dressed and looking ready for a mission, he turned and smiled to see her awake.
"Hey, you." She wrinkled her nose playfully at him. "Heading out today?" She couldn't remember what planet they were supposed to be visiting today, but it was a new one, she remembered that much.
"It's been postponed," he shrugged, coming back to crawl up the bed, stretching out next to her. "Lorne's team spotted a Wraith patrol, so we're hanging back to see if they need help before we head out, since we're still here."
Inara nodded. They were spread a little thin these days, but nothing they couldn't handle. Especially not with a fresh influx of people and resources from the Daedelus. John had been particularly relieved to see them arrived, and she wondered just how thin they'd really been spread, if there had been more worry over supplies and personnel than she'd realized.
"Well…" She put her arms around him, pulling him close and smiling as he snuggled up. "I suppose they'll know where to find you when they need you."
"Mmm-hmm." He closed his eyes, seemed to be settling back to sleep with a satisfied little grin.
The sun warmed the blankets and what skin was open to the air outside of blankets and clothing. She hadn't bothered to get up and dressed yet, but then, he was the one who had the early mission and she had another hour and a half before she had to be anywhere. His fingers brushed the strap of her night-slip down off her shoulder and traced back up, along her neck, back down again. She closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the sensations.
After a moment his fingers left her skin and she felt the bed creak, felt him shift against her and heard the soft sliding of the drawer on the bedside table. His fingers combed through her hair for a moment, and she snuggled into his arms this time instead of pulling him back into hers.
The kiss softly brushed against her temple was nothing new, but the sensation of cool metal against her skin was. She opened her eyes, twisted a little in his embrace to look up at him.
"'Nara…" he started, but couldn't find the words to continue. Not that he had to explain; the look in his eyes that was all at once a little scared and a little hopeful, the object held between their fingers as his hand curled around hers said everything. She blinked once and it seemed to take a long time to focus back in on his eyes, somewhere hovering between blue and gray and green, another color that matched Atlantis so well but didn't have a name. "I…"
She held her breath to keep from sending him skittering back from whatever it was that he wanted to say, not that it was hard. Her chest seemed to have tightened, preventing speech or breath or anything like that.
"I …" He struggled so hard with saying what he felt. She never could figure out why, if it was shyness or worrying over the possible consequences or feeling that his words were inadequate or something else entirely. "Every morning I wake up with you is a… a gift. And I want to have as many more of those mornings as I can."
Her skin felt all hot and cold at the same time. He managed about as far as 'Will you' before she put them both out of their anticipation, pulling him close and kissing him with happiness so acute it felt almost like tears. Somewhere in all that he hugged her tightly back, laughing softly (and with much relief) into her hair.
"So, that's a yes, then?"
"Goof." She tickled him, he fumbled to catch her hands before they lost the ring in the sheets, and somehow it ended up on the proper finger. "Of course, yes."