captainryan | After River

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After River

He lays awake, staring at the ceiling, Damocles sprawled and snoring on the comforter next to him. The dog was pleased to have his place in the bed back, though he didn't understand why River wasn't staying again.

Richard wasn't too certain himself.

He hasn't seen her since after breakfast, since he took care of his morning exercises. It'd been nice to do something mindless that would wear him out in a completely different way and just run for a couple of hours.

But laying in bed waiting for sleep, there's nothing to distract his brain. He misses River terribly. Lovesick, sneers his mind. He agrees without contention. That much is pointless to fight.

What will you do when she leaves?
If she leaves.
They always leave.
He has no answer to that.
So when she follows through?
I'll deal with it then. Live and learn. The end of my lovelife is hardly the end of the world.
It'll feel that way.
I've dealt with worse.
It'll hurt.
I know.
And still...?
It's not like I have a lot of choice in the matter.
You could end it now.
He gives the ceiling a look that implies it's a great moron.
No. No, I don't suppose you could.
No.
Where does that leave us?
With a girlfriend, apparently.
Feels like more.
I know.
Could be worse.
Very much so.
Last night was fun.
He smiles.

Go to sleep, Richard.

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There is a wash of joy at the sound of his voice. She can't contain the laugh that bubbles up in her chest. "Three guesses, first two don't count."

The door opens rather quickly after that.

"River!" Richard's surprised to see her, particularly this late, but he's glad, too.

He shoots a quick glance up and down the hallway as he extends an arm to pull her in the room. "Is everything all right?"

She nods, her arms going around his neck. She presses her face to the side of his neck, breathing in his scent, holding him tight. Her voice is a hushed whisper, her words rushed. "Richard, tell me, what do I smell like to you?"

He will admit that question was unexpected.

"Uh. Human?" And everything that goes with the species identification. "It's hard to describe in English. A bit like..." he frowns, holding her. "Candied apples? And something floral? I can tell you've been in the books all day, at least."

Give him a break, he's only had his nose for two years. He's not going to be able to recognize every scent.

She laughs again, nuzzling against him. "No, beyond that. Tell me what you smell."

Even I can smell it on you, she thinks. You smell like home.

"Oh! That." Richard sticks his nose into her hair, breathing deep.

He loves the smell of her.

"Joy. Curiosity. Contentment. Concern. Worry." He closes his eyes, sinking into her scent. "Love," he adds quietly. "Desire.

"Like you're mine," he murmurs faintly, lost in apples and jasmine.

"Yes, my love," she breathes, happy tears brimming at the edges of her eyes. "My love."

She draws another breath, nuzzling and kissing, her hands gripping him fiercely.

He can't write it off as sexual banter this time.

He doesn't particularly want to anyway.

"Love you," he manages once in between kissing and quick gasps of air.

A thrill of relief, a blinding bolt of joy, it is as much the tone of his voice as it is words that sets her heart alight. Another kiss, hungry, tender, and then she pushes back to rest her forehead against his, wanting her words to be clear and precise.

"Love you too."

He looks into her eyes, blinking, with a smile on his face. The smile becomes a grin and shortly after that he's smothering laughter.

She's puzzled, but shares his giddiness. Her laugh is rich and warm and she can't stop touching him. Her hand comes up to touch his cheek.

There is no sight in this whole universe that can pierce her heart so deeply as his face at this moment.

"Oh but wait, there's more," she whispers, pressing her cheek against his. "It seems my door has gone missing."

Ryan frowns in the general direction of the Landlord, meaning he doesn't actually move since no one knows where he is.

"I'm sorry. There's room here," as she well knows, "if you'd care to stay."

"I can't, Richard, I mean I don't want to impose. I can get a room here. I've seen others with rooms. This is your space and -- I mean we just met and this is all so sudden..."

Cue babbling.

"I know," Richard answers, just holding her. It's something he's wondered himself, repeatedly, these past two days.

But does she even have an income to pay for a room? The alpha is responsible.

"I can stay on the floor, if you like," he says a bit wryly. "Room already has your scent all over it."

He tried changing the sheets, but he can still smell her.

She laughs, and then shakes her head. "Please don't make light." She lays her head on his chest, breathing him in, her hands around his middle. She's trying to find her center again, and he is her center. "I need you," she whispers, her voice barely audible.

How fortunate he has good hearing, then.

His skin tingles where she's holding him. He's very aware of her arms, the areas where skin becomes shirt as they rub against his flesh.

"I'll take care of you."

She takes a deep breath, and sighs at that. After a long moment, she pulls back, taking his hands in hers as she glances at the open door and the hallway beyond. "I don't want to be an obligation you keep."

When she looks back, her expression is serious, and he can hear her determination, even with a hint of fear in her scent. "I want to stay. I want to make love to you again. I want to wake up in your arms tomorrow. And the day after. But not if you feel like you have no other choice in the matter."

He does feel like he hasn't got much of a choice in the matter, but not for the reason she thinks. It's not because she's shown up on his door after midnight with no place to stay.

It's because if he's claimed her as his own, and he has, make no mistakes about that, that comes with certain responsibilities. He's driven to be sure she's taken care of, regardless of whether or not he's the one providing the actual care.

Being able to do it himself is a nice bonus, though. It makes him feel like he isn't useless.

"I would be content with wherever you decide to stay. The important thing is that you have some place to stay," he says honestly.

"That doesn't mean I haven't got a preference."

She sees just the barest hint of a smile in his eyes, and she knows his preference. The same lightness she felt just moments before returns, and she squeezes his hands, stepping back into his embrace.

"If it's all the same, then, I want to be with you."

He takes her back into his arms gladly, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Good," he says simply.

She buries her face in his chest, holding him as tightly as she can. Her muscles ache from holding herself so tight, waiting to know how this would play out. As his arms settle around her shoulder, she thinks she can finally breathe again. Really breathe.

She melts against him, drowning in the strength and scent of him, peppering his skin with tiny kisses.

Richard starts nuzzling her hairline, following its gentle curve with his mouth. He can feel her lips on his chest, ghosting over deadened scars and sensitive skin alike, and he smiles in anticipation.

There is a subtle shift in the air, what little of it is between them. She felt it last night standing on the bridge in the mist. Whatever it was binding them together so powerfully, it began here and ended here. This was the thing she couldn't enumerate, but that had drawn her back to him, a comet trapped in his orbit.

She lifts her face to his kisses, her eyes closed, her lips parted. "My love."

Those are strong words. A part of him is always secretly amazed when he hears them, smells the truth behind them. She doesn't have to say it. He already knows.

He meets her lips and kisses them possessively.

She returns the kiss, winding her arms around his neck, tasting him all over again, drinking deeply and without reservation. Her fingertips graze through his hair, marking the lines of his skull, the muscles of his neck.

yours

After a long moment, she pulls back, grinning, nuzzling his cheek. "We should probably close the door and go to bed."

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