Stay (David/Liz, PG-13)
Posted for the numb3rs_het 2009 Summer Challenge: 14. Teammate, 25. Bedroom, 09. Pillow
Title: Stay
Characters/Pairings: David Sinclair/Liz Warner
Rating: PG-13 (a couple curse words and imagery)
Word Count: 1108
Summary: He needed to commit this vision to memory.
Spoilers: 5.14 Sneakerhead.
Author's Notes: I've been in a bit of a writing slump and signed up for this challenge to help kick start my muse. This should be one of two entries, but the second will have to wait. This turned out a little different than I thought, but considering I wrote it in about 2 hours when I've not written for four months - I'll take it. Beggars can't be choosers. haha. A special thanks to julietm for the read through and for putting up with my incessant bitching about not being able to write anything. You're the best.
Disclaimer: If you recognize it - regrettably, it’s not mine.
He hadn’t slept. Even if sleep had come, he would have fought against it. He had better things to do with his time - like watching her sleep and smiling as her index finger lazily twitched against his chest. He needed to commit this vision to memory: her head resting against his pillow where she lay next to him in his bed. He wanted to remember the slight pout of her lips, the gentle flush in her sleep softened face, the loose curls in her long hair that fell down her bare back and slipped over her side to rest against the mattress. He had to remember every curve of her body, haphazardly sheltered by his dark blue cotton sheets - the material winding around one toned leg that always sought the outside of the covers.
She started as his teammate. She became his friend. She lay next to him now as his lover… and tonight she’d be on a plane to Denver.
He tore his gaze away from her just long enough to watch another minute tick by in bold green numbers on the clock of his night stand. Twelve more hours and she’d be gone.
She had teased him that she would miss all the great sex too when she’d seen the sadness in his eyes after he heard the news. He hadn’t bothered to correct her, although he knew the truth. The great sex wasn’t the reason he was going to miss her. Well, it wasn’t the only reason. He knew he was going to miss her smile and the way she looked sitting in the car beside him when they were on a case. Granger was his boy but when it came to his preferred eye candy, there was no contest - Liz was the prettier vision, particularly after a long stake out when Colby needed to shave.
He nearly cringed at the mental image before he looked at her again. He was going to miss the easy conversation, the way she didn’t need every thing explained, the way she understood him. He wasn’t a complex man, but no one else ever got him the way she did. He was going to miss that connection - unspoken at work, and boldly celebrated when they were alone in the after hours.
He was going to miss her, so much so he thought his heart would surely burst right where he lay… but he wasn’t going to let that stop her from going.
This was a great opportunity for her, he told himself for the tenth time in as many minutes. She’d worked hard for this and no one deserved it more. He sure as hell wasn’t going to be that guy who asked her to stay. That wouldn’t be fair… to either of them.
He saw another minute tick by on the clock before he reached across her, admittedly letting his lips tease her ear as he breathed in the sugary scent of her hair. His hand fumbled with the clock until he could turn off the alarm, preventing the harsh sound from cutting through the morning. He rested there only a moment before his fingers ached for the warmth of her skin, moving his hand away from the night stand and slowly slipping across the small of her back.
He pulled away from her then and looked down to where he touched her. His dark chocolate skin stood stark against her almond tones. His hand nearly spanned her waist; her petite figure dwarfed by his bulk. Even in sleep, her form was graceful while his clumsy fingers gently shifted over her skin. Her body contrasted his in every way possible and yet somehow lying next to him, he knew she was his perfect complement.
He rubbed at her back, side to side, before trailing his touch up her spine and moving in to whisper to her. As her name escaped his lips, he kissed her cheek… waiting as patiently as he could for her to wake beside him.
He couldn’t stop the smile that crossed his lips as he watched her nose curl up in distaste at the idea of coming awake. Even as he smiled, he kissed her cheek again and then her eye lid and then the other before kissing the tip of her little scrunched nose. With a gentle kiss against her lips, he pulled away with his hand still moving over her skin while he waited.
“Why’d you stop?” she whispered, her voice softened with sleep as she inched herself closer to him - eyes still closed.
He ignored the stabbing pain in his chest, pushing it away as he moved again to kiss her forehead this time, and then her chin, trailing his kisses up her jawline until he could nibble at her ear. He heard her sigh and again, he pushed away the pain in his chest - focusing on moving his kisses across her cheek until he could taste her lips. Once he kissed her softly, the second time with more passion, and the third deeply until her eyes came open as he pulled away.
In that moment as he looked into those brown orbs that sought his soul, he saw something that gave him hope. There was a twinkle in her eyes now that told him maybe, just maybe she didn’t want to leave. Maybe she had a reason to stay.
Just ask her to stay, he heard himself chanting. Just ask her to stay.
The words were on the tip of his tongue, but damn what a selfish prick he would be - asking her to give up a promotion, a new adventure… all for the sake of something that may or may not last the winter.
He should have known better than to hesitate. She had always been able to read him.
“What’s on your mind?” she asked, fingers sliding away from his chest until her touch danced across the shaved skin of his head.
He just couldn’t bring himself to say the words. He wouldn’t ask her to stay… not for the likes of him.
Instead, his lips turned upward into a grin as he shifted his weight to press her slightly into his bed. “I was just wondering how you’d feel about being late for work this morning?”
Her eyes reflected his smile as she answered, “I’ve already got my promotion.”
“Late for work it is then,” he rasped, his lips already leaving a heated trail down her neck… knowing in his heart he was doing the right thing by not asking her to stay yet hoping upon hope that just one last time - he might convince her anyway.
Title: Stay
Characters/Pairings: David Sinclair/Liz Warner
Rating: PG-13 (a couple curse words and imagery)
Word Count: 1108
Summary: He needed to commit this vision to memory.
Spoilers: 5.14 Sneakerhead.
Author's Notes: I've been in a bit of a writing slump and signed up for this challenge to help kick start my muse. This should be one of two entries, but the second will have to wait. This turned out a little different than I thought, but considering I wrote it in about 2 hours when I've not written for four months - I'll take it. Beggars can't be choosers. haha. A special thanks to julietm for the read through and for putting up with my incessant bitching about not being able to write anything. You're the best.
Disclaimer: If you recognize it - regrettably, it’s not mine.
He hadn’t slept. Even if sleep had come, he would have fought against it. He had better things to do with his time - like watching her sleep and smiling as her index finger lazily twitched against his chest. He needed to commit this vision to memory: her head resting against his pillow where she lay next to him in his bed. He wanted to remember the slight pout of her lips, the gentle flush in her sleep softened face, the loose curls in her long hair that fell down her bare back and slipped over her side to rest against the mattress. He had to remember every curve of her body, haphazardly sheltered by his dark blue cotton sheets - the material winding around one toned leg that always sought the outside of the covers.
She started as his teammate. She became his friend. She lay next to him now as his lover… and tonight she’d be on a plane to Denver.
He tore his gaze away from her just long enough to watch another minute tick by in bold green numbers on the clock of his night stand. Twelve more hours and she’d be gone.
She had teased him that she would miss all the great sex too when she’d seen the sadness in his eyes after he heard the news. He hadn’t bothered to correct her, although he knew the truth. The great sex wasn’t the reason he was going to miss her. Well, it wasn’t the only reason. He knew he was going to miss her smile and the way she looked sitting in the car beside him when they were on a case. Granger was his boy but when it came to his preferred eye candy, there was no contest - Liz was the prettier vision, particularly after a long stake out when Colby needed to shave.
He nearly cringed at the mental image before he looked at her again. He was going to miss the easy conversation, the way she didn’t need every thing explained, the way she understood him. He wasn’t a complex man, but no one else ever got him the way she did. He was going to miss that connection - unspoken at work, and boldly celebrated when they were alone in the after hours.
He was going to miss her, so much so he thought his heart would surely burst right where he lay… but he wasn’t going to let that stop her from going.
This was a great opportunity for her, he told himself for the tenth time in as many minutes. She’d worked hard for this and no one deserved it more. He sure as hell wasn’t going to be that guy who asked her to stay. That wouldn’t be fair… to either of them.
He saw another minute tick by on the clock before he reached across her, admittedly letting his lips tease her ear as he breathed in the sugary scent of her hair. His hand fumbled with the clock until he could turn off the alarm, preventing the harsh sound from cutting through the morning. He rested there only a moment before his fingers ached for the warmth of her skin, moving his hand away from the night stand and slowly slipping across the small of her back.
He pulled away from her then and looked down to where he touched her. His dark chocolate skin stood stark against her almond tones. His hand nearly spanned her waist; her petite figure dwarfed by his bulk. Even in sleep, her form was graceful while his clumsy fingers gently shifted over her skin. Her body contrasted his in every way possible and yet somehow lying next to him, he knew she was his perfect complement.
He rubbed at her back, side to side, before trailing his touch up her spine and moving in to whisper to her. As her name escaped his lips, he kissed her cheek… waiting as patiently as he could for her to wake beside him.
He couldn’t stop the smile that crossed his lips as he watched her nose curl up in distaste at the idea of coming awake. Even as he smiled, he kissed her cheek again and then her eye lid and then the other before kissing the tip of her little scrunched nose. With a gentle kiss against her lips, he pulled away with his hand still moving over her skin while he waited.
“Why’d you stop?” she whispered, her voice softened with sleep as she inched herself closer to him - eyes still closed.
He ignored the stabbing pain in his chest, pushing it away as he moved again to kiss her forehead this time, and then her chin, trailing his kisses up her jawline until he could nibble at her ear. He heard her sigh and again, he pushed away the pain in his chest - focusing on moving his kisses across her cheek until he could taste her lips. Once he kissed her softly, the second time with more passion, and the third deeply until her eyes came open as he pulled away.
In that moment as he looked into those brown orbs that sought his soul, he saw something that gave him hope. There was a twinkle in her eyes now that told him maybe, just maybe she didn’t want to leave. Maybe she had a reason to stay.
Just ask her to stay, he heard himself chanting. Just ask her to stay.
The words were on the tip of his tongue, but damn what a selfish prick he would be - asking her to give up a promotion, a new adventure… all for the sake of something that may or may not last the winter.
He should have known better than to hesitate. She had always been able to read him.
“What’s on your mind?” she asked, fingers sliding away from his chest until her touch danced across the shaved skin of his head.
He just couldn’t bring himself to say the words. He wouldn’t ask her to stay… not for the likes of him.
Instead, his lips turned upward into a grin as he shifted his weight to press her slightly into his bed. “I was just wondering how you’d feel about being late for work this morning?”
Her eyes reflected his smile as she answered, “I’ve already got my promotion.”
“Late for work it is then,” he rasped, his lips already leaving a heated trail down her neck… knowing in his heart he was doing the right thing by not asking her to stay yet hoping upon hope that just one last time - he might convince her anyway.