Day Nineteen Cont'd
Nov. 20th, 2009 12:31 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mindsplintersI cut the end of the last one and built it into a separate coda story. I think it works better this way.
World: Kingdom
Rating: PG
Word Count: 604
Circumstance: Written at Anime USA
Hours later, as the sun set over the horizon, Tasha approached the still, hunched figure sitting atop a dune at the lonely little cove where they first met. She moved silently, afraid to upset him and more afraid he would leave again. Ever so slowly, she lowered herself to sit beside Dusty but remained careful to fixate on the dimming colors in the fine line between sea and sky. She felt him tense but he did not move away, their bodies separated by the slightest of spaces. Minutes passed in jerking rhythm and she felt the silence as if it were resting against her skin. It was cold and she dropped her hands to the sand beneath them, digging her fingers deep. The further in she went, the cooler it felt and she tried to focus on that instead of the still, silent presence at her side.
It was impossible, though, and she kept returning to Brian's words and her own thoughts. The fear still lingered in the back of her mind like a residue of cigarette smoke on the tongue long after you put it out. If she never said what was necessary, she could really lose him.
Suddenly, quietly, Tasha whispered, "I can't lose you, Dusty. Our lives... It's supposed to be together, not apart. If you..." She faltered, not sure how much to say, and closed her eyes. She pulled her hands from deep in the sand and rubbed them against her jeans. The grit came away with the friction. It was easy to focus on the touch sensation as she tried to rally her thoughts. She was so bad at this. Brian had said to be honest. Grabbing at the first thought that drifted by, she added, "If you take risks like that and get yourself killed, where does that leave me?" That was it. That was the magic key turned and she felt a loosening in her throat. Finally turning to him, she reopened her eyes and studied his familiar, beloved face. "I love you, Dusty, and you scared the ever-living hell out of me. You always do."
He stared at her for a moment and the shadows appearing with the loss of sun made his expression impossible to read. Slowly, he dropped his chin in acknowledgment. Without a word, he lifted an arm and she took the cue. When she was settled against his side, his arm heavy on her shoulders and her head against his chest, she felt him sigh beneath her. "Tasha," he breathed. Then he paused as if unsure of what to say next. "Don't you ever fuckin' scare me like that, baby." He tightened his hold on her. "I love you."
"I know." She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry I was a bitch."
He laughed a bit, awkward and low. "No, you're, um, not." He kissed the top of her head as they watched the tides. ""I'm sorry I was an action hero."
"No, you're not... But we'll figure that out later. Just... Just hold me, Dusty, and we'll be okay."
She could hear the smile in his voice when he whispered, "Yes, ma'am." Even as he complied, she knew that she was sort of lying but it was a lie they could live with and work with until she got over herself and could tell him everything properly. They were in this thing for the long haul and she suddenly knew that there would always be a place for her in his life. The reassurance went a long way towards relaxing her and, within minutes, she drifted off to sleep - safe in his arms.
World: Kingdom
Rating: PG
Word Count: 604
Circumstance: Written at Anime USA
Hours later, as the sun set over the horizon, Tasha approached the still, hunched figure sitting atop a dune at the lonely little cove where they first met. She moved silently, afraid to upset him and more afraid he would leave again. Ever so slowly, she lowered herself to sit beside Dusty but remained careful to fixate on the dimming colors in the fine line between sea and sky. She felt him tense but he did not move away, their bodies separated by the slightest of spaces. Minutes passed in jerking rhythm and she felt the silence as if it were resting against her skin. It was cold and she dropped her hands to the sand beneath them, digging her fingers deep. The further in she went, the cooler it felt and she tried to focus on that instead of the still, silent presence at her side.
It was impossible, though, and she kept returning to Brian's words and her own thoughts. The fear still lingered in the back of her mind like a residue of cigarette smoke on the tongue long after you put it out. If she never said what was necessary, she could really lose him.
Suddenly, quietly, Tasha whispered, "I can't lose you, Dusty. Our lives... It's supposed to be together, not apart. If you..." She faltered, not sure how much to say, and closed her eyes. She pulled her hands from deep in the sand and rubbed them against her jeans. The grit came away with the friction. It was easy to focus on the touch sensation as she tried to rally her thoughts. She was so bad at this. Brian had said to be honest. Grabbing at the first thought that drifted by, she added, "If you take risks like that and get yourself killed, where does that leave me?" That was it. That was the magic key turned and she felt a loosening in her throat. Finally turning to him, she reopened her eyes and studied his familiar, beloved face. "I love you, Dusty, and you scared the ever-living hell out of me. You always do."
He stared at her for a moment and the shadows appearing with the loss of sun made his expression impossible to read. Slowly, he dropped his chin in acknowledgment. Without a word, he lifted an arm and she took the cue. When she was settled against his side, his arm heavy on her shoulders and her head against his chest, she felt him sigh beneath her. "Tasha," he breathed. Then he paused as if unsure of what to say next. "Don't you ever fuckin' scare me like that, baby." He tightened his hold on her. "I love you."
"I know." She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry I was a bitch."
He laughed a bit, awkward and low. "No, you're, um, not." He kissed the top of her head as they watched the tides. ""I'm sorry I was an action hero."
"No, you're not... But we'll figure that out later. Just... Just hold me, Dusty, and we'll be okay."
She could hear the smile in his voice when he whispered, "Yes, ma'am." Even as he complied, she knew that she was sort of lying but it was a lie they could live with and work with until she got over herself and could tell him everything properly. They were in this thing for the long haul and she suddenly knew that there would always be a place for her in his life. The reassurance went a long way towards relaxing her and, within minutes, she drifted off to sleep - safe in his arms.
