satisfaction
Author: Nathalia
Rating: PG-13
Challenge: Milk Chocolate #28 - satisfaction
Extras / Toppings: malt (Mod Appreciation: Nichole: From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, urreal quality, like when you're on vacation in another city and "Jeopardy" comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30.) peaches (Tonight's Full Libra Moon is all about happy, rewarding relationships. Tell people how much you care!)
Word Count: 768
Story: Misfits
Summary: Dennis and Stella start to appreciate each other after nearly getting killed.
Notes: at the end of Year One and another example of Stella’s insubordination. A sweet moment between two reluctant partners.
They were silent, Dennis fiddling with the bandage around his stomach while Stella shot him reproachable looks every few minutes as a warning to stop doing so, that that wouldn’t help his wound in any way. He was propped up on pillows on the hospital bed, not looking like a man who had just gotten out of a gunfight and Stella appreciated that. Dennis always bounced back to his feet pretty quickly and it looked like this would be another one of those cases.
Stella felt accomplished. The last few months had proved worthwhile and while they hadn’t exactly accomplished the mission they had been given, they had accomplished one of her main goals, closed a case she had worked on before she had given up her full status as a field operative.
There was much to talk about. The personnel problems that they would have to take care of and how Stella had manipulated the whole mission to her advantage, to finally take down Castellini, but today wasn’t the day to talk about that and so, they didn’t talk.
From time to time, a nurse came in to check on them. Both Stella and Dennis shook their heads every time they were asked if they needed something. If it were up to them, they would leave the hospital right away but Dennis would probably have to stay for a few more days and Stella had to be picked up by Joseph which she perceived as somewhat humiliating. After she had broken protocol several times, their higher-ups had insisted that she was only to be released from the hospital if she could be released into the hands of someone who could take responsibility.
She would be fuming about it more but she was too relieved about how everything had worked out. They could have been killed taking down Claudio Castellini but they had made it. Not all of them but losing one team member was a small price to pay for capturing Claudio Castellini who had been responsible for the deaths of so many Cerberus agents over the years.
“You did a great job out there. The whole planning and working out how to do this,” Dennis suddenly spoke up, his voice hoarse. “Without you, this wouldn’t have worked out and there’d be a lot more dead people. Castellini would still be out there.”
Stella shook her head, ignoring the pain from the laceration on her forehead. “As much as I hate to say this, we did it together. You held me back and made me plan it out instead of sending the team in there without having thought it out through. If either of us had done it on their own, this would have ended a lot worse than it did.”
Dennis blushed a little, not exactly used to compliments on his work. When it came to tactics, he had always been told to not use his own plans during basic training because they were too flawed but he had contributed a lot to Stella’s imperfect plan. This was the work of a true partnership.
“You aren’t half as bad, Star,” he winked at her and Stella looked away but couldn’t suppress a small laughter while her heart and brain played tricks on her, an ecstatic feeling rushing through her body at the sound of the old nickname she couldn’t recall him or anyone else using in almost a decade now. It reminded her of when they had been younger, when they had laughed in the face of danger, completely recklessly. She wondered what had happened to change that for a split-second only to then remind herself that she knew exactly why things had changed.
“You’re not that bad yourself,” Stella smiled at Dennis and in the silence that followed those words, they looked at each other and felt the mutual understanding that they had been lacking for so many years. They appreciated each other’s work despite everything that had happened.
The moment was interrupted by the door flying open and Joseph rushing in. He stood in the doorway, taking the scene in, then, he was already wrapping his arms around Stella, kissing the top of her head.
“I was so worried about you. I’m so glad you’re more or less healthy” was the first thing he said and Stella knew that it wasn’t directed at her but both of them. A year ago, she would have been angry at not being the primary focus of her husband’s attention but right now, she agreed with his words. She was glad they had both made it out alive.