[Len's Garden]

[de_forest]

When De had woken up that morning, he felt somewhat happier and calmer than he had done for the past couple of days.

It wasn't as though everything was back to normal, it wasn't as though everything was how he remembered, and how he wanted it to be, but somehow it was getting there and De suspected it had everything to do with the tender scene he

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[len_not_spock]

Leonard walked out into the garden, in search of De.

He still felt somewhat unsettled from last night, and waking up wrapped up in Bill this morning had been both elating and agonizing all wrapped up in one, somehow. His conversation with Kirk had only added to his confusion, initially, but ultimately it had been good to let go of his feelings like that, and he couldn't quite shift the hope that it brought up inside him. Especially not if he remembered how Bill had looked at him this morning, face lit up with an odd mix of tenderness, hesitation, and dare he think it, love. Yet, surely if he was right on the latter, Bill could have easily reached over and kissed him, and yet he hadn't

[canadianbill]

"Guys?"

Bill pottered out into the garden, glancing about him for his friends. They seemed to have disappeared without him, and Bill rather disapproved of this behaviour. "Guys? What are you doing out here?"

[de_forest]

De's voice seemed to have deserted him. He just stood there, staring at Len, his mouth still open. He didn't know what to say, how to reply to Bill. He was about to tell Len that Bill loved him. That Len needed to kiss Bill.

But Bill's arrival had hit the comment out of him.

[canadianbill]

Bill raised an eyebrow. "De? You look like someone just hit you over the head with something heavy." He looked at Len. "What's going on?"

[len_not_spock]

"Nothing important," Len answered, getting up from the ground, although he couldn't keep from shooting a worried glance in De's direction. What had he been about to tell him?

In any case, it didn't matter.

"You alright?" he questioned Bill with a warm smile.

[canadianbill]

"Sure," said Bill, as casually as possible, and smiled back. The sun was behind Leonard, gilting his hair, casting his eyes into soft, warm shadow. Bill wanted to pull him close by the nape of the neck, and kiss him till he couldn't breathe. Instead, he said, "It's nice, the three of us out in your garden like this. Almost like old times."

[de_forest]

De managed to bring his thoughts back under control, and smiled at his two friends. It felt almost normal.

It felt almost right..

"It's so good to be here with the two of you," he blurted out, and moved towards them both, his arms outstretched, moving in for the hug he had wanted since he...came back.

[len_not_spock]

Len leant into the embrace, warmed by the affection ringing through De's words. It was good, this, even if he was forced to close his eyes with Bill once again so near, so very present, so real.

[canadianbill]

Bill laughed. It was a little odd, this, this habit of theirs, but it was an old, old habit, and countless photographs had been taken of the three of them wrapped up in each other like this, arms around waists and shoulders and backs, faces pressed close. He could smell De's shampoo on one side of him, the warm scent of Leonard's neck - cologne and soap and skin - on the other.

"Mm," Bill murmured approvingly, and pressed a kiss to De's temple.

[de_forest]

De leant into the hug, never wanting the moment to end. It was amazing how right, how happy he felt wrapped in Bill and Len's arms. He could almost feel his worries disappearing, almost as if none of the last 10 years had happened. The gentle kiss Bill had placed on his forehead seemed to linger there, and De smiled, looking up and meeting Bill's eyes. "Tell me this'll always be the same, no matter what," he whispered, a hint of desperation in his tone.

[canadianbill]

That look in De's eyes, blue and wide and shining with, for the first time, something purely happy, made Bill's heart clench. "Oh, De." He gave De's shoulder a squeeze. "It always has been, hasn't it?" He looked over at Len, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "I can't see it changing, can you?"

[len_not_spock]

Leonard shook his head mutely, quite unable to find words. Eventually a somewhat raspy "no" made its way past his lips, which was a relief. Bill looked... all sorts of adorable and kissable when he smiled like that; the kind of smile that lit up his whole face, his eyes. Leonard didn't think he'd seen it since this whole fiasco started, and was, momentarily quite stunned in the face of it.

He reluctantly drew away from the embrace, eyes darting away to the roses in embarrassment at the train his thoughts were starting to take.

"So," he asked Bill, "any particular reason you were looking for us, other than wanting to engage in ritual group-hugging?"

[canadianbill]

"Hey," Bill protested, "that was De. Not that i objected, at all, but..." He trailed off. "I just wondered where everybody had gone, is all. Does nobody want to come and keep me company while I find some breakfast?"

[de_forest]

De glanced over towards Len. It didn't look like they'd be continuing this conversation anytime soon. And so he nodded at Bill, smiling in agreement. "That sounds like a good idea. I've been up a while, and not eaten anything yet. Len, you coming?"

[len_not_spock]

"Yeah, sure. I was just thinking earlier that I should go have some breakfast myself."

He finished off his coffee with a couple of sips, then slung an arm round both De and Len's shoulders, aiming for casual, comfortable.

"Any of you got any other plans for today?"

[canadianbill]

"Whatever you want to do, Len, I'm up for it," Bill said breezily, as he turned towards the kitchen. "Currently, the refrigerator is calling our names."

And he walked off towards the house, leading the way so as not to let himself become distracted by the way the sun softened Leonard's face.

[OOC - /end of this scene]