Originally posted July 30, 2010
He watched her from his bed across the open space of his apartment. She had come here, to his place, to spend the night. He didn't know why that mattered to him, but it did. Chance reached over to hold her pillow in his arms, breathing in the scent of her over the smell of toasting bread.
One of his long button up shirts covered her to mid thigh. She had found the baguettes and the larger, European toaster. A distinctively shaped jar of Bonne Maman Apricot Jam sat on the long granite counter. Her hair had been tied back into a single, red ponytail. Her glasses perched precariously on her nose. She stood barefoot in his kitchen fiddling with his small espresso pot. He never really thought he'd make more than a single cup for himself when he purchased kitchen utensils. She looked a disheveled, casual, and comfortable in a way Chance hadn't seen before.
He found her beautiful. He loved her.
Part of him said he should be angry, feel abandoned. She left him, faking her own death in the process, leaving him to go through that grief. He had felt so much grief. The loss of her left him wondering if he could ever fill the hole in his heart or the empty space of his bed. Chance gripped the pillow tighter. Having a relationship with her meant she might do it all over again.
She would leave him without a moment's hesitation if it meant saving the world. She would go forth to fight with the hope he would be there still loving her when she returned. She couldn't take him to all the places she went. They could not fight alongside each other in some of the battles she fought. His non-powered ass would have to stay at home. Loving her, accepting her, meant living with that.
He slid out of bed and walked to her across his living space. They had spent too much time apart for him to watch her from afar. He wrapped his arms around her and breathed her in.
She would never be "his girl." The CEO of Arasaka Corp belonged to the legacy of that clan. Silent Strike belonged to the world. Korinna Arasaka belonged only to herself.
She would be his wife and he would try as hard as he could to be a good husband.
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