Two Ships [rp for neverwrongagent]

[posterboymarine]

After the call, he'd said he would stay put. And he did, right until he got word of where she was coming in. Then he throw his things back into his bag and made his way to the nearest Couch Canada station. He took the bus and found the cheapest motel he could. He got a room on the backside of the building, and he waited.

He tried to sleep, something he'd been mostly unable to do since he'd called her. But every time he closed his eyes, he imagined he felt the burner phone vibrate and he jerked awake. Finally, he just gave up and turned on the TV. It didn't manage to hold his interest, at all, but it was background noise.

With that noise quieting the doubts in his head, he waited.

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[neverwrongagent]

Her stomach did the little flip it did every time he said that word to her. The first time she'd said it to him, she'd screamed it at him. She'd accused him with it. Her smile softened. "Still love me. That doesn't happen often." She rested her forehead against his. "Still love you. Don't think I know how to not love you."

[posterboymarine]

He sighed happily. "We are a sad pair, aren't we." He settled against her again with a low groan, hugging her. "Three days? Should we stay here? Switch hotels? What should we do?"

[neverwrongagent]

She shook her head a little. "Not sad right now." And she wasn't. She was worried and anxious, but not sad. "We can stay here. It's clean enough. Put I want to look around for a piece of property."

[posterboymarine]

He lifted his head at that. "Property?" That just confused him and his look should have said as much.

[neverwrongagent]

She didn't wonder that she'd surprised him. He was in a barely contained flight mode all the time. He'd had to be. She kissed him lightly. "For the cabin."

Before he could argue, she kept going. "If people see you as something else, something you tell them, they aren't as likely to look for beyond that." She lifted her voice at the end, hinting at a question, but knowing he knew that all too well. "Tell as much of the truth as you can, let others fill in the rest."

She licked her lips. "Your marriage ended, you needed to get away. Starting a new life." All of that was true enough.

[posterboymarine]

He thought about what she said for a long minute, then nodded. "You are brilliant."

[neverwrongagent]

She threw a hand up, laughing lightly. "Finally! Someone recognizes this." She curled closer. "I know you can help build our future. I trust you with that." She needed him to know that.

[posterboymarine]

He had to consider that for even longer. He never expected anyone to trust him again, much less with something so big. "I'll try not to let you down."

[neverwrongagent]

She swallowed hard, then nodded. He'd almost destroyed her trying to protect himself, been willing to do more, but in the end he'd saved her life by doing the one thing he'd been fighting not to do. Once the shock of the explosion had worn off, she'd seen what she needed to see in his eyes, that he was with her.

That was all she needed. "I know you'll do fine." She smiled slightly. "Big porch. Small kitchen."

[posterboymarine]

"Big, deep porch. Small kitchen." He nuzzled at her neck and sighed softly. That would give him something to do.

[neverwrongagent]

She petted his hair gently, fingers running through the longer strands. "And a bedroom big enough for a king sized bed." She kissed his forehead. "Plenty of room for us to get tangled in the sheets together. Plenty of room for breakfast in bed."

[posterboymarine]

He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. "And you'll come out here and live? With me?"

[neverwrongagent]

She kept petting him, giving him the anchor she knew he needed. It might have been hard to picture, but she believed in it. "Better believe it. I'm counting on those breakfasts." She pressed close. "Want to wake up with you. Want to think about all the things we could do in a day, then just stay in bed instead."

[posterboymarine]

Her hopefulness started him crying again, although not nearly as hard as he had been. He'd been hopeless since the moment they'd parted on that road, completely convinced that he was going to just rot away out there.

[neverwrongagent]

She'd made the choice to be his before the explosion and despite being apart, that hadn't changed. Everything she did while they were apart was with the endgame of being together. It was probably a pipe dream, but then it had always been that. She wasn't giving it up just for that.

"And big windows. Huge." She nuzzled at his cheek. "What do you want?"

[posterboymarine]

He sniffled softly. "A skylight. Over the bed. So we can see the stars at night."

[neverwrongagent]

She pulled back so he could see her shining eyes. "Could we? I'd love that. The stars. And rain. We'd be able to see the rain while we--" She swallowed. "While we make love. I like that."

[posterboymarine]

He nodded, touching her face. "A skylight, definitely." His fingers ran back into her hair and he smiled down at her. "Any other requests, love?"

[neverwrongagent]

She couldn't help turning and rubbing against his hand. It echoed the ghost touches she'd been feeling for so long. "Big tub? Long enough for those legs." She rubbed her leg against his. "Big enough for both of us."

If they were going to run away together and live in sin, they should do it right.

[posterboymarine]

He nodded. "Of course. Do you want a skylight in the bathroom, too?"

[neverwrongagent]

She groaned softly and nodded. "Yes. Please." She smiled gently. "This place of ours is going to be perfect." She touched his face, running her fingers over his lips. "Perfect for us."

[posterboymarine]

He kissed her finger tips, then settled again. "And you'll come as soon as you can?"

[neverwrongagent]

"I won't even bother to pack." She wouldn't either, because everything she really needed would already be in that cabin. He would have taken care of all their materials needs. All that would be left was to be together.

[posterboymarine]

That satisfied him more than anything and he closed his eyes. "We're going to need to eat soon."

[neverwrongagent]

She groaned and tucked closer to him. Eating was important, they both needed it. She hadn't eaten much on the run up to him and she could feel that he wasn't eating terribly well. Still, it would mean getting up and not being in close contact. "Soon. I'll make you something."