FIC: Coriander Eyes
Title: Coriander Eyes
Characters/Pairings: Daphne/Matt
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own Heroes or any of its characters
Word Count: 670
Spoiler alert: Spoilers for "It's Coming"
Summary: "I make really good chili."
A/N:Merry Christmas, ashesfor_trees! And thanks to dragynflies for general awesomeness.
I was afraid... I can't go back to being the way that I was, Matt, but I couldn't let you die, either! I'm sorry, I... I... I just didn't know!
They hadn't spoken since they got back to Brooklyn, they hadn't touched since Daphne looped her arm through his and sped off to the apartment - they even avoided one another's gaze, preferring their awkward distance from one another to any actual discussion of what had transpired in Angela Petrelli's hospital room.
I didn't know!
Didn't know what?
How much I cared about you.
"How about chili for dinner?"
Daphne had been staring blankly at the wall, contemplating, until Matt's question jerked her back into reality. "Um... chili?"
"I don't know if you're a fan or not, but I make really good chili," he assured her. "Also, if we don't use the ground chuck in the fridge, it's going to go bad."
"Chili sounds fine. Do you need help?"
"If you'd like, you can chop some celery, then grate some cheese to put on top."
Now, at least, they both were occupied. They stood back to back; Matt browned the meat on the stove while Daphne worked on the table. Still, neither of them said a word.
Please... I've made a mistake. I've trusted the wrong people, but I can't lose you. I love you.
It had happened in the dream - she had let it slip.
But he didn't say it back. He simply placed his hand on the back of her neck, laid his lips on her forehead. She had her hands on his waist, moving uncertainly.
They had held hands.
And those things that you said...
Yeah, yeah, that was me too. And I meant every word of it.
"I don't think I've ever had chili with celery in it," Daphne remarked. "Are they supposed to be thinly sliced, or, like, thick?"
"Medium, I guess," Matt replied, turning around to show her. "About this wide. It just adds a little bit of crunch, you know, so the chili doesn't taste so... mushy."
Daphne could have had the stalks chopped in the blink of an eye, but she took her time to make each piece as exact in size as she was able. "My mom always made it..." she began, unsure of whether she even wanted to share this information with him. "She used to make it with just meat and beans, and we'd eat it over rice. It was so spicy it'd make me cry as a kid."
"I don't have to make it spicy, if you don't like it that way," Matt offered.
"No, no, it's okay," Daphne insisted. "I can handle it. Bring it on!" She stopped what she was doing and balled her hands into fists, enthusiastically thrusting them in the air like a cheerleader.
As they laughed, their eyes met, as though for the first time.
"Coriander," Matt said.
Daphne cocked her head to the side, confused. "Um, what?"
"Coriander. It's my secret ingredient. We've actually got a ton around here, Mohinder was always using it to cook garam masala..."
When he turned around to search the cabinets, Daphne was seized by the urge to embrace him from behind, to bury her face in the back of his neck, to wrap her arms around his torso and squeeze with all the strength she had. And she did, surprising Matt so much that he hollered and stumbled and just barely caught the edge of the sink to keep from losing his balance and falling backwards.
"Hey, there," he smiled as he caressed her arms. "I didn't realize you were such a coriander fan."
"I'm not so much a coriander fan as I am a Matt Parkman fan," Daphne replied, standing on her tip-toes to plant a chaste kiss on his cheek.
"Are you kidding me?" Matt objected. He grabbed her tightly and planted a kiss with so much enthusiasm that Daphne lost her footing. His hands moved to her waist to keep her steady as she threw her arm around his neck and they covered each other with kisses.
The chili was really good. The sex was even better.
Characters/Pairings: Daphne/Matt
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own Heroes or any of its characters
Word Count: 670
Spoiler alert: Spoilers for "It's Coming"
Summary: "I make really good chili."
A/N:Merry Christmas, ashesfor_trees! And thanks to dragynflies for general awesomeness.
I was afraid... I can't go back to being the way that I was, Matt, but I couldn't let you die, either! I'm sorry, I... I... I just didn't know!
They hadn't spoken since they got back to Brooklyn, they hadn't touched since Daphne looped her arm through his and sped off to the apartment - they even avoided one another's gaze, preferring their awkward distance from one another to any actual discussion of what had transpired in Angela Petrelli's hospital room.
I didn't know!
Didn't know what?
How much I cared about you.
"How about chili for dinner?"
Daphne had been staring blankly at the wall, contemplating, until Matt's question jerked her back into reality. "Um... chili?"
"I don't know if you're a fan or not, but I make really good chili," he assured her. "Also, if we don't use the ground chuck in the fridge, it's going to go bad."
"Chili sounds fine. Do you need help?"
"If you'd like, you can chop some celery, then grate some cheese to put on top."
Now, at least, they both were occupied. They stood back to back; Matt browned the meat on the stove while Daphne worked on the table. Still, neither of them said a word.
Please... I've made a mistake. I've trusted the wrong people, but I can't lose you. I love you.
It had happened in the dream - she had let it slip.
But he didn't say it back. He simply placed his hand on the back of her neck, laid his lips on her forehead. She had her hands on his waist, moving uncertainly.
They had held hands.
And those things that you said...
Yeah, yeah, that was me too. And I meant every word of it.
"I don't think I've ever had chili with celery in it," Daphne remarked. "Are they supposed to be thinly sliced, or, like, thick?"
"Medium, I guess," Matt replied, turning around to show her. "About this wide. It just adds a little bit of crunch, you know, so the chili doesn't taste so... mushy."
Daphne could have had the stalks chopped in the blink of an eye, but she took her time to make each piece as exact in size as she was able. "My mom always made it..." she began, unsure of whether she even wanted to share this information with him. "She used to make it with just meat and beans, and we'd eat it over rice. It was so spicy it'd make me cry as a kid."
"I don't have to make it spicy, if you don't like it that way," Matt offered.
"No, no, it's okay," Daphne insisted. "I can handle it. Bring it on!" She stopped what she was doing and balled her hands into fists, enthusiastically thrusting them in the air like a cheerleader.
As they laughed, their eyes met, as though for the first time.
"Coriander," Matt said.
Daphne cocked her head to the side, confused. "Um, what?"
"Coriander. It's my secret ingredient. We've actually got a ton around here, Mohinder was always using it to cook garam masala..."
When he turned around to search the cabinets, Daphne was seized by the urge to embrace him from behind, to bury her face in the back of his neck, to wrap her arms around his torso and squeeze with all the strength she had. And she did, surprising Matt so much that he hollered and stumbled and just barely caught the edge of the sink to keep from losing his balance and falling backwards.
"Hey, there," he smiled as he caressed her arms. "I didn't realize you were such a coriander fan."
"I'm not so much a coriander fan as I am a Matt Parkman fan," Daphne replied, standing on her tip-toes to plant a chaste kiss on his cheek.
"Are you kidding me?" Matt objected. He grabbed her tightly and planted a kiss with so much enthusiasm that Daphne lost her footing. His hands moved to her waist to keep her steady as she threw her arm around his neck and they covered each other with kisses.
The chili was really good. The sex was even better.