[fic] for sunday_reveries
Word Count: 640
Note: Prompt response for this pic at sunday-reveries. Josef Stolini is not mine. He is sighofthings, and she is the pro at writing him. Obviously!
Sometimes when Elizabeth wakes up in the apartment, she's alone but surrounded by his scent, his things. Sometimes, she's not alone when she wakes up. He's beside her or nearby, giving the impression that he's simply stood around for hours.
Today when she wakes up, Josef is standing by the window. She yawns to announce her presence apparently. It's a squeaky, loud sound, and she wriggles around in the sheets and blankets for a moment, trying to get the aches out of her tired muscles.
"Morning, Sparky."
The expression on his face is already bordering on amused, but she can tell that it's having a little difficulty chasing away something darker, whatever he thinks about when he's standing by himself while she sleeps.
"Good morning," she says brightly. A grin slides over her face as she pushes herself up in bed. It's up to her to chase the darkness away, at least for now. She wants to so desperately that she doesn't have to think to try. "I had a crazy dream, and you were in it, and some other people were in it like our good friend Alex Trebeck. There was a rainbow and skittles growing and falling out of a tree when you shook it hard enough."
Josef steps forward and sits on the edge of the bed, next to her feet. He looks at her, eyebrows just slightly raised. And she knows what he's going to ask before he does. "Skittles falling out of a tree?"
"Well, you see..." she begins and then launches into a ramble that lasts nearly two whole minutes about a dream that spanned a decade in dream time.
He lasts through all of it, just like he's lasted through every one of her rambles from the moment that she met him, never once sending her a look of annoyance or changing the subject or asking her to shut up.
"I see," may be all he says in response, but it's all he needs to say because she knows that he does. Not see the truth and sense within the ramble but sees her.
"I know you do," Elizabeth says, laughing and leaning over to press a kiss against his lips. She pushes herself off of the bed, patting his leg with her hand. "C'mon, I'll make us some pancakes. Maybe blue this time."
His arms slide around her and pull her back into his lap. She's only wearing panties and his shirt and he's only in pants so there's very little fabric between their bodies. She shivers for a moment, twisting around to look up at him.
"Don't you want my pancakes? You remember how tasty it is, don't you? I won't even spray you with cool whip."
Josef laughs quietly into her hair, slipping strands of it away to press a kiss against the back of her neck. "I will always want your pancake, Elizabeth." His voice is soft and hot against her cool skin, and she laughs too, even though she's not sure why she's laughing.
"I love you," she says, smiling at him and looking at him like he's the most important person in the world, the Man, ten feet tall and hers. "And I want to give you my pancake so release me!"
He laughs but slides his arms away from her waist. She can feel him watching her as she walks away, and it makes her feel alive.
When he'd first told shown her what he was, she felt like she was trapped. If she didn't follow him home, she'd be so alone with the knowledge and that wasn't an option. And then it felt like destiny. She belonged with him. She was supposed to be by his side, no matter what she found out or he did. It may be true that she's trapped, that it's destiny, but she knows the reason she stays is because she would rather be with him than anywhere else in any universe.
Note: Prompt response for this pic at sunday-reveries. Josef Stolini is not mine. He is sighofthings, and she is the pro at writing him. Obviously!
Sometimes when Elizabeth wakes up in the apartment, she's alone but surrounded by his scent, his things. Sometimes, she's not alone when she wakes up. He's beside her or nearby, giving the impression that he's simply stood around for hours.
Today when she wakes up, Josef is standing by the window. She yawns to announce her presence apparently. It's a squeaky, loud sound, and she wriggles around in the sheets and blankets for a moment, trying to get the aches out of her tired muscles.
"Morning, Sparky."
The expression on his face is already bordering on amused, but she can tell that it's having a little difficulty chasing away something darker, whatever he thinks about when he's standing by himself while she sleeps.
"Good morning," she says brightly. A grin slides over her face as she pushes herself up in bed. It's up to her to chase the darkness away, at least for now. She wants to so desperately that she doesn't have to think to try. "I had a crazy dream, and you were in it, and some other people were in it like our good friend Alex Trebeck. There was a rainbow and skittles growing and falling out of a tree when you shook it hard enough."
Josef steps forward and sits on the edge of the bed, next to her feet. He looks at her, eyebrows just slightly raised. And she knows what he's going to ask before he does. "Skittles falling out of a tree?"
"Well, you see..." she begins and then launches into a ramble that lasts nearly two whole minutes about a dream that spanned a decade in dream time.
He lasts through all of it, just like he's lasted through every one of her rambles from the moment that she met him, never once sending her a look of annoyance or changing the subject or asking her to shut up.
"I see," may be all he says in response, but it's all he needs to say because she knows that he does. Not see the truth and sense within the ramble but sees her.
"I know you do," Elizabeth says, laughing and leaning over to press a kiss against his lips. She pushes herself off of the bed, patting his leg with her hand. "C'mon, I'll make us some pancakes. Maybe blue this time."
His arms slide around her and pull her back into his lap. She's only wearing panties and his shirt and he's only in pants so there's very little fabric between their bodies. She shivers for a moment, twisting around to look up at him.
"Don't you want my pancakes? You remember how tasty it is, don't you? I won't even spray you with cool whip."
Josef laughs quietly into her hair, slipping strands of it away to press a kiss against the back of her neck. "I will always want your pancake, Elizabeth." His voice is soft and hot against her cool skin, and she laughs too, even though she's not sure why she's laughing.
"I love you," she says, smiling at him and looking at him like he's the most important person in the world, the Man, ten feet tall and hers. "And I want to give you my pancake so release me!"
He laughs but slides his arms away from her waist. She can feel him watching her as she walks away, and it makes her feel alive.
When he'd first told shown her what he was, she felt like she was trapped. If she didn't follow him home, she'd be so alone with the knowledge and that wasn't an option. And then it felt like destiny. She belonged with him. She was supposed to be by his side, no matter what she found out or he did. It may be true that she's trapped, that it's destiny, but she knows the reason she stays is because she would rather be with him than anywhere else in any universe.