NPC - Captain Niamh Danann USS Granuaile
Jul 11, 2018 15:35:23 GMT
via mobile
Babs, spacedaisy, and 2 more like this
Post by aoibheni on Jul 11, 2018 15:35:23 GMT
With Einar as SFI Commander Tony Adalberto
---
She absorbed this quietly, sensing the truth of it deeply. “I'm sorry if my messages made it harder for you.” She'd sent countless video and audio recordings, texts and letters out over subspace when he'd first fallen off the grid. Unsure if any or all of them had eventually reached him, now she felt horrible for many of the accusations she'd leveled at him in her loneliness and anger and grief.
She sipped at her whiskey, feeling its effects washing over her with some relief.
Then, some of her bravery owing directly to her drink, she turned towards him, reached out and rested a tentative hand gingerly on his thigh. “We were both suffering, and I forgot that.”
He looked down at her hand, then over at her. It felt electric, exciting and haunting all at the same exact time. Before he knew it he had placed his hand over hers, grabbing it tightly. “It’s alright. I deserved it...but I need you to know how sorry I am, Nia. I am so sorry”
She gently let go of his hand, leaned over and deposited her half-full glass on the carpet at the base of the sofa. Turning back to him, she renewed her grip and kneeled up on the couch cushions. Earnestly she examined his tired face. “Can we just get to the bit where we make up and everything is OK again…?”
The urge to kiss her almost overwrote his sensibilities, his eyes traveling from her eyes to her lips and back up before taking a deep breath as he held her hand tightly. “I would like that very much” he said earnestly. The big block of stone in his stomach slowly being chipped apart, piece by piece as she spoke. The guilt and pain that had followed him over the past few years diluted by her every smile.
She blinked with relief and bit her lip, nerves, even now, fraying her calm to shreds.
“Good…” she managed before she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him towards her into a tight embrace. She pressed her face into the crook of his neck and breathed deeply, taking in the smell of his skin, his cologne, and the whiskey still lingering on his breath. He smelled good. He smelled like home.
Tony nearly jerked to, the gesture so sudden and unexpected but he let his hands wrap around her back, holding her tightly and burying his head in her long curls. The embrace seemed to go on forever, with neither of them letting go. With every second that passed, Tony felt his walls break down and before too long he was sobbing quietly, not out of pain, or grief but out of shock.
“I gotcha…” she soothed, her fingers balling into a fist in the jet black fabric covering his back. She lifted her head a little and pressed her cheek against his as he was overwhelmed with a renewed wave of emotion. “It’s ok…” she spoke barely over a whisper, her lips mere millimeters from his ear. His stubble felt rough on her skin and his body shook in her arms..
“I gotcha,” she repeated, “I gotcha…” more to herself than him.
This was a level of openness he’d only shown her once before, in Sickbay after the battle when he had thought her asleep. She fell silent, weighing up whether or not to tell him what she was thinking.
“...you’re... not a coward, Tony…”
She could feel him tense up but he did not break the bond they had formed, each one taking comfort from the other. He spoke softly into her ear, “...you were awake?” his voice almost trembled.
She nodded against his skin. “I was pretty out of it, but…” she sniffed. She focused on how good it felt to be this close to him as she pressed on, “...but I remember that much.” She leaned back a little so she could see his face. “You’re not a coward. You never have been. You wouldn’t be here if you were.”
Tony looked into her eyes, looking crestfallen
I’m only here because I had no other choice, he thought to himself. Anger rose in his heart once more towards the institution that had coerced him into service and forced him to track down the woman he loved.
“I should have done more to protect you” he finally said.
Niamh's lips formed the question before she found her voice. Her eyes searched his face. “More?”
---
She absorbed this quietly, sensing the truth of it deeply. “I'm sorry if my messages made it harder for you.” She'd sent countless video and audio recordings, texts and letters out over subspace when he'd first fallen off the grid. Unsure if any or all of them had eventually reached him, now she felt horrible for many of the accusations she'd leveled at him in her loneliness and anger and grief.
She sipped at her whiskey, feeling its effects washing over her with some relief.
Then, some of her bravery owing directly to her drink, she turned towards him, reached out and rested a tentative hand gingerly on his thigh. “We were both suffering, and I forgot that.”
He looked down at her hand, then over at her. It felt electric, exciting and haunting all at the same exact time. Before he knew it he had placed his hand over hers, grabbing it tightly. “It’s alright. I deserved it...but I need you to know how sorry I am, Nia. I am so sorry”
She gently let go of his hand, leaned over and deposited her half-full glass on the carpet at the base of the sofa. Turning back to him, she renewed her grip and kneeled up on the couch cushions. Earnestly she examined his tired face. “Can we just get to the bit where we make up and everything is OK again…?”
The urge to kiss her almost overwrote his sensibilities, his eyes traveling from her eyes to her lips and back up before taking a deep breath as he held her hand tightly. “I would like that very much” he said earnestly. The big block of stone in his stomach slowly being chipped apart, piece by piece as she spoke. The guilt and pain that had followed him over the past few years diluted by her every smile.
She blinked with relief and bit her lip, nerves, even now, fraying her calm to shreds.
“Good…” she managed before she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him towards her into a tight embrace. She pressed her face into the crook of his neck and breathed deeply, taking in the smell of his skin, his cologne, and the whiskey still lingering on his breath. He smelled good. He smelled like home.
Tony nearly jerked to, the gesture so sudden and unexpected but he let his hands wrap around her back, holding her tightly and burying his head in her long curls. The embrace seemed to go on forever, with neither of them letting go. With every second that passed, Tony felt his walls break down and before too long he was sobbing quietly, not out of pain, or grief but out of shock.
“I gotcha…” she soothed, her fingers balling into a fist in the jet black fabric covering his back. She lifted her head a little and pressed her cheek against his as he was overwhelmed with a renewed wave of emotion. “It’s ok…” she spoke barely over a whisper, her lips mere millimeters from his ear. His stubble felt rough on her skin and his body shook in her arms..
“I gotcha,” she repeated, “I gotcha…” more to herself than him.
This was a level of openness he’d only shown her once before, in Sickbay after the battle when he had thought her asleep. She fell silent, weighing up whether or not to tell him what she was thinking.
“...you’re... not a coward, Tony…”
She could feel him tense up but he did not break the bond they had formed, each one taking comfort from the other. He spoke softly into her ear, “...you were awake?” his voice almost trembled.
She nodded against his skin. “I was pretty out of it, but…” she sniffed. She focused on how good it felt to be this close to him as she pressed on, “...but I remember that much.” She leaned back a little so she could see his face. “You’re not a coward. You never have been. You wouldn’t be here if you were.”
Tony looked into her eyes, looking crestfallen
I’m only here because I had no other choice, he thought to himself. Anger rose in his heart once more towards the institution that had coerced him into service and forced him to track down the woman he loved.
“I should have done more to protect you” he finally said.
Niamh's lips formed the question before she found her voice. Her eyes searched his face. “More?”