Taylor/Wash Friday Fic Fills
Title: Distracted, Miss, Terror, Suck, Strip
Character/Pairing: Nathaniel Taylor/Alicia Washington
Word Count: 679, 752, 812, 608, 1500 (4300ish total)
Genre: Humor, Romance, Gen, Porn.
Rating: Starts PG, ends up R
Warning: Violence, bad language, sexy times.
Spoiler alert: None, general show spoilers.
Summary: Five ficlets detailing the build up of Taylor and Wash's relationship
Authors Note: I love the Friday Fic Challenge. Hope these fills meet the prompters expectations! Thanks to Crystalkei for the beta. And thanks to the prompters!
Distracted :: Morganel
She knew exactly what she was doing. At first she hadn't. At first it was just unnaturally hot, even at night, and Wash was tired of having to ring her clothes out to get rid of the sweat. She didn't mind the dirt of the Badlands, she didn't even mind the creepy eyes that appeared at night and hovered just out of the glow the campfire provided. At first she'd laughed at the idea of the campfire in the middle of the desert, but then the rustling in the low brush around them reminded her they weren't alone in this time period.
So at first, she'd just stripped down to her sports bra because the guys were running around shirtless, enjoying the slight reprieve from the blistering sun. It was dark enough anyway, even with the campfire, that she could have probably gone topless and no one would have noticed or cared. At least, that's what she thought at first.
Taylor had wanted to explore the desert the moment he saw it. Wash hated deserts. They were hot with no shade, and little water. He'd grinned and offered to let her stay behind, and laughed at the look on her face. She hated deserts, but she loved exploring this new world and he knew it. And getting sunburned while exploring what felt like the surface of the sun was still better than digging ditches and helping build the perimeter fence.
So she ended up in the middle of a desert, lying as far away from the campfire as she could, staring back at creepy little eyes in the underbrush in her sports bra. After three days of military rations instead of the lush jungle fruit and readily available fish, she was starting to wonder if the creepy little eyes had edible little bodies. Laughing a bit at her own line of thought, she turned to watch Taylor and Guzman trek back into the small camp after a perimeter sweep. They'd stripped off as much as possible the moment the sun went down. So while they were out scaring off the local wild life, she stripped off as much as possible, too.
At first she chalked it up to it being so dark and him being tired, Taylor tripped on the edge of his own bed roll. But then the next night, when she stripped off her sweat soaked shirts, Taylor needed to go check on a noise. Testing her theory, she left the flimsy tank top on the third night, and Taylor acted normal. By night four, thoughts of eating the creepy things in the bushes had been replaced with testing a theory.
Waiting until Taylor settled in to poke at the fire, Wash stripped off her outermost layer. It was dark and heavy, and kept her from getting the mother of all sunburns. The fire poking continued. Stripping off her tee-shirt caused the fire poking to slow in pace. As she grabbed the hem of her tank top, the fire poking stopped entirely. Raising her eyes, she met Taylor's across the fire. He was glaring at her. With an innocent expression she pulled the garment over her head, and set about hanging everything up to dry out while they slept.
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Taylor staring, while trying to hide it. When she finished her task and turned back to the fire, he started poking at it again. His expression was back to being interested only in the fire in front of him.
“Enjoying yourself, Wash?” he'd asked in an all too calm manner, raising his eyes to hers.
“Maybe.” Wash shrugged and watch his eyes darken over.
“Paybacks are a bitch.” After his statement, he shifted his attention back to the fire, stabbing at it with a little more force than necessary.
With a smirk, Wash turned to stare back at the creepy eyes in the underbrush. With her experiment concluded, she needed something else to fill her time. She'd worry about Taylor's ideas of payback after she'd eaten.
Miss :: Belleby
The arrow barely made it to the target. Even though it made contact, it was at the very edge hanging precariously, and Wash heard Taylor let out a low chuckle. After a few taunting seconds, the arrow finally fell out, earning a full blown laugh.
“This has to be the worst idea you've ever come up with,” Wash grumbled, snatching another arrow out of the pile next to them. “I'd rather sit in the outpost and read.”
“You're the one who recommended we be quarantined.” Taylor shrugged and grabbed her shoulders as she cocked the arrow, turning her slightly. “You really are terrible at this.”
“I'm hitting the target, aren't I?” Wash tensed under his fingers as he shifted her posture slightly. He gave a final squeeze and stepped away. She resisted the urge to turn around to continue her complaints. “Besides, I thought they'd at least let us back in the colony and lock us in the hospital. I didn't think Malcolm would tell us to just stay here until the blood work comes in. I can't believe you didn't overrule him on that bullshit.”
“You going to barely hit that target sometime today? Or just glare at it and hope it admits defeat?” His voice was ridiculously chipper considering they'd been banned from their own colony for the past three days.
“How often am I specifically going to need to shoot a dinosaur with a bow and arrow?” Finally letting the arrow drop to the ground and the lowering the bow, Wash gave up all pretense of caring about chain of command. “This is you being vindictive that I didn't lie about that stupid bug that bit us. That's all it is.”
“Maybe. But I'm still ordering you to shoot in the general area of that target.” He smiled brightly at her and motioned for her to get on with it.
“Maybe if I had a real target, it would be easier to hit.” Glaring at him, Wash turned back to the target and squared her shoulders with a deep breath.
“So was it worth it?” Taylor whispered in her ear as he once again adjusted her stance, hands warm against her waist.
“Was what worth it?” Her attention solely on the target, her competitive side was slowly taking over. She lined up her shot and let it fly the second he stepped away from her. It sank firmly into the upper most outer ring, and she let out a happy laugh. “Hah! If that was a person he'd have an arrow in his face!”
“Your little game a few months ago.” Taylor handed her another arrow and adjusted how she was holding it with a serious expression. He waited until she was about to release the arrow and let out a sigh. “The Badlands?”
The arrow sailed above the target and sank firmly into the tree a few feet above it. Wash felt her cheeks flood with red. After her little experiment, she'd all but forgotten it. Taylor hadn't mentioned it, even to reprimand her for her clearly out of line behavior. Remembering how he'd promised payback, she spun around and shoved the bow into his chest.
“That's what this is about?” Settling him with an icy glare she handed him an arrow. “You talk an awful good game, but can you actually shoot better than me with this fucking thing?”
“Thought you'd never ask, Wash.” With a cheerful smile, Taylor rested the bow against his leg and pulled off his sweater. The tee-shirt he had on underneath was skin tight and Wash forced her eyes to stay focused firmly on his face. He winked at her and stepped up to the line he'd drawn for her to shoot from, and raised the bow.
Wash felt her mouth go dry as he picked up an arrow and cocked the bow. The muscles in his back and arms were highlighted by the dark grey shirt, and she didn't realize he'd actually fired the shot until she was staring at his chest. Ignoring him entirely for a moment, she looked to the target.
“I don't like you anymore,” Wash grumbled, seeing the arrow nearly dead center.
“Sure you do. Well,” Taylor handed the bow back to her and pushed her into position to fire again. “At least parts of me.”
Her next arrow didn't even hit the tree.
Terror :: Zapf_chancery
The sound of gunfire roused them from the comfortable silence that settled around the campfire. Guzman reached for his gun and was moving before Wash could even get her gun unholstered. An earsplitting scream pierced the air, followed by more gunshots, and they took off running towards the sounds.
When they reached the small path they've managed to carve out, the sight and smell of blood permeated the area. Wash immediately started to estimate how much it was, and if that person could still be alive. They heard a sound to their left and saw more blood leading into the dense foliage. Following it silently, they found a chunk of fresh meat, and Wash shook her head at Guzman.
After a few more feet, they found what was left of Corporal Wilson. One of the scientists that had gone with them on the trip, still so new Wash couldn't remember her name, was still trying to apply a tourniquet to what was left of Wilson's leg. Her hands kept slipping in the blood, and she was shaking so hard that even if there was a chance it would help, she'd never be able to keep steady long enough to do it.
“You have to help me!” The woman was hysterical and covered in blood, Wilson's gun in her lap. “It came out of no where and it just dragged him off. I couldn't hit it. I should have hit it.”
“I'm here, it's okay. I'll take over.” Wash let Guzman pry the sobbing scientist off Wilson's body and pretended like she was checking for vitals. As the sobbing finally died down, Wash covered Wilson's body with a spare blanket and then a layer of stink leaves to keep the scavengers away while they waited for the rover to show up.
“Come on, you're in shock. I need to get you back to the campsite.” Wash directed the scientist back towards the safe area gently as Guzman took up watch over the body. Close enough to defend it, but not close enough to become the second course. It's a sad protocol they'd learned the hard way.
“We weren't that far from camp. I just needed to pee. He's dead because I had to pee.” The woman was still hysterical and clung to Wash, her eyes refusing to leave Wilson's body.
“I'll call the colony, get her back to the campsite.” Guzman nodded to her and Wash started to half drag, half carry the woman back to the campsite.
It wasn't very long before the sound of rovers got closer and closer. Doors slammed, voices carried back from where Wilson's body was, and the sound of people hurrying through the dense foliage finally drowned out the crying scientist. Wash had managed to calm her down a small amount, but she was still sniffling and the occasional sob still escaped.
Taylor was the first to appear in the small clearing, his eyes quickly scanning the occupants. Wash noticed relief when he saw her, but it was gone quickly as he started barking orders. With several extra sets of hands, the campsite was broken down in half the time it went up. Wash watched them load everything into the rovers, including Wilson's body, as the scientist's crying finally faded to hiccups.
The ride back to the colony was nearly silent. It wasn't until everything was unloaded, and Wilson's body carried to the hospital to await burial, that she and Taylor headed to the command center. Wash thought over the events, and where to start, but her thought process was interrupted when Taylor closed the door and pulled her into a tight hug. He'd only hugged her twice before, and Wash stood frozen trying to figure out how to react.
“After we bury Wilson, we're putting everything on the back burner until that comm tower goes up. Guzman's transmission was all garbled and I thought he said we needed a body bag for you.” As he talked, his grip tightened. “I was terrified when I saw all that blood. But then I saw it wasn't you, and I was relieved. I feel bad now because Wilson was a good man.”
“I'm sorry.” Wash had no idea what else to say, and wrapped her arms tentatively around his waist.
They stood that way for several minutes, until Taylor finally pulled away. He gave her a rare smile, one full of warmth and a bit of sadness. Returning his smile with one she hoped was comforting, Wash squeezed his arm.
“I'll take a team out tomorrow to finish up work on the tower.” Wash watched something flicker in his eyes, but he didn't say anything. A knock at the door made them step away from each other, and life went back to normal as they set about making funeral arrangements.
Suck :: Sky_kiss
“I think these are officially my favorite discovery.” Wash reached up and plucked another small yellow pod off the bush she was standing near. Only about half of what she was gathering actually made it into the small container she held.
“What the hell is it?” Taylor peered into the small container and then gave the bush a distrusting look. “It looks like radioactive pea pods.”
“It's pretty much the same, only instead of peas, it's little balls of essentially pure sugar.” Wash put one of the pods in her mouth and sucked out all the small little sugary 'peas'. “And before you ask, I already had Malcolm make sure it's not poisonous.”
“Should you be eating that much raw sugar?” Taylor plucked a few of the yellow pods off the bush and added it to her small container. “How can you even eat it like that?”
“You should try it before you bash it. It's not like raw sugar, it's sugary but it's got this fruity flavor to it as well. It's natural candy.” Wash bit off the end of another pod and held it up. “Want a taste?”
She had expected him to take the pod out of her hand. Instead he'd grinned at her and wrapped one hand around the back of her head, tilting it so he could kiss her thoroughly. Her gasp of surprise let his tongue into her mouth, and he took full advantage, sucking on her tongue briefly before pulling away. His smile faded as he registered the stunned look on her face.
“Shit, Wash, I'm sorry. I thought - “ He started to step away from her, and Wash forgot all about the small container. She heard it hit the ground about the same time as Taylor grunted in surprise as she grabbed his hostler and used it to keep him from retreating further.
She wasn't sure what else he was about to say, but she laughed a bit at the look of shock that crossed his face as she pressed her mouth to his. Unlike her, he reacted swiftly, pulled her hips flush against his with one hand while the other reached up and urged her mouth open. Once he'd gained access to her mouth again, he shifted his hand to her neck and rubbed at it gently, a sharp contrast to the aggressiveness of his tongue.
At the sound of a comm beeping, they pulled apart slowly, their breathing heavy. Realization of what had just happened was written all over their faces, and Wash sank to the ground to gather up the yellow pods that had spilled from her container while Taylor answered his comm. She didn't listen to whatever was being said, instead choosing to focus on the task at hand and figure out what had just transpired.
“They're all done setting up the tower, they're ready for an escort back to the colony.” Taylor's tone was flat, bordering on strained.
“Alright.” Sealing the lid on her container of 'candy', Wash finally raised her eyes to look her commanding officer in the face. Lines had been crossed once again, but this one was a major one. This wasn't something they would be able to ignore. “Sir - “
“Don't you 'sir' me after what just happened. We'll talk about this when we're home.” Taylor put a hand on her waist and pushed her towards the tower. A small smile tugged at her mouth at his use of the word home, and he glared at her. “Walk.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Dammit, Wash.”
Strip :: Sky_Kiss
She'd finally managed to get her own house. It was small, technically a duplex, but this half was hers. Taking the day off, Wash had set about painting everything that could be painted. As the sun rose higher, the layers she'd put on in the morning started to disappear. By the time she was in the small laundry room, painting it a cheerful yellow, she realized she was down to just her underwear.
It was almost dark, and her stomach rumbled to remind her she hadn't eaten since she'd cooked breakfast to celebrate moving in. The sound of someone coming in the front door made her pause. Very few people would just walk in uninvited, and Wash realized that the trail of clothing through the place would probably give the wrong impression to anyone who had walked in.
“Wash?” Taylor's voice carried through the small building.
“Back here.” Looking around for the nearest article of clothing before Taylor walked in on her, she didn't actually hear him enter the small room.
“Am I interrupting something?” His voice held a teasing note, and a slight hint of appreciation. Probably at the view of her bent over, trying to get her pants where she'd accidentally kicked them under the washing machine.
“Just painting my new house, sir.” As she stood and tugged the pants on, she tried to ignore both the fact that her bra did little to stop things from jiggling, and that Taylor was still enjoying the view.
“Good thing I caught you. You might have decided to paint the back porch completely naked.” He smirked at her and then followed her back into the main living area.
“I'm getting ready to cook dinner. Do you want something?” Wash tugged on a shirt and headed into the kitchen. Hearing his intake of breath, Wash realized what she'd said. “To eat. Something to eat.”
“Sure, we can start with that.” Taylor sank onto the small sofa and gave her one of his most innocent smiles.
Since their kiss at the science outpost, they'd barely had time alone together. It seemed like the universe had decided them being together was a bad idea after all, and was doing everything it could to halt progress. Other than a small discussion that they needed to be discreet before he'd gone OTG for a week, she hadn't talked to him since the incident.
Dinner talk consisted mostly of business. Handing Taylor a glass of wine while she did dishes, they laughed over random things that occurred to each of them over the week. Wash had accidentally slammed a door in Malcolm's face. Taylor had hit a bump in the 'road', causing Reynolds to stab himself with a screwdriver. All the small things that made life interesting.
As she dried the dishes, she was starting to wonder if Taylor had decided they needed to forget the kiss. Her mood darkened a little as she put all the dishes back in to their cabinets. Taylor was talking about a dinosaur they'd discovered, and she only partially recognized his voice getting closer. She turned to grab the last plate and found him standing in her way.
“Pass me that plate?” Wash pointed to the dish drainer, and tried to take a step back. The counter's edge dug into her back and she tried not to react as Taylor took a step towards her.
“It can wait.” His voice was low as he leaned in and kissed her. His hands rested on the counter on either side of her and she wound her arms around his neck.
“I thought we were going to talk about this.” Wash finally broke the kiss and tugged at his hair to keep him from leaning back in.
“We already agreed we should be discreet. What else would you like to talk about?” Taylor moved his hands from the cabinet and started undoing her belt. Before she could figure out if she even wanted to protest, Taylor sank to his knees and dragged her pants and panties down as he went.
“Sir, I think we need to talk more about this before we go too far.” Wash clutched at his shoulders as he started to bite at her hip bone.
“Do you want me to stop?” His breath was ghosting along the delicate skin of her inner thigh, and she broke out in goosebumps. His fingers were warm against the backs of her legs and he kept blowing air against her, making thinking difficult.
Not able to talk as one of his hands inched higher up her leg and brought it to rest over his shoulder, Wash finally shook her head. He didn't need any more encouragement as he closed the small gap, his tongue tracing every fold and crease before stopping to flick over her clit. Her hands fluttered along his shoulders, and the back of his head as he sucked and nipped at her until the one leg she was braced on nearly gave out.
“You need to,” Wash started to talk, but Taylor shifted her hips forward to get better access and she trailed off.
“Need to what? I thought I was doing a pretty good job.” Taylor stopped what he was doing with his mouth, and instead slipped a finger inside her. When she gasped and sank her nails into his shoulder, he answered with a low, happy groan.
“Is my kitchen the best place for this?” Wash finally formed a sentence just as Taylor added a second finger.
“Well, I was going to do it in the laundry room, but you put your pants back on.” Gently lowering her leg to the ground, Taylor stood up and pulled her shirt up over her head. Her bra followed shortly after, and he lifted her onto the counter. “Maybe you should come paint my office.”
“How come I'm the only naked one?” Wash tugged at his shirt as he undid his pants, but he just laughed. Leveling him with a glare, she poked him hard in the side. “This is unfair.”
“You don't get to lodge complaints until after.” Swatting her hands away from his shirt, he pulled her to the edge of the counter and entered her slowly.
Bracing one arm behind her on the counter, Wash used her other hand to pull Taylor in for a kiss as he set a steady rhythm. The scratchy fabric of his fatigues against her legs and the feel of his tee-shirt against her nipples was both frustrating, but also felt oddly good. They finally broke the kiss as their breathing got more and more ragged, each of them getting closer. Finally Wash leaned forward and dragged her teeth along skin just below his ear, causing his fingers to dig into her hips almost painfully as he groaned into her neck. A few seconds after, he reached between them, teasing her clit with his fingers until he sent her over the edge, smiling against her skin as her yell echoed off the freshly painted walls.
“Don't think I've ever christened the kitchen first.” Slumping back against the counter, Wash rubbed idly at Taylor's head when he leaned forward and rested his forehead between her breasts.
“I told you, I wanted to start in the laundry room, but you got dressed.” Taylor laughed and lifted his head up. “Which way to the bedroom? I think I need a nap.”
“Sorry, can't allow you in my bedroom.” Wash struggled to keep a straight face as Taylor loomed over her.
“Oh? Is there a problem with it? Or are you hiding your other man in there?” Pinching the side of her leg, Taylor tugged her off the counter and kissed her. He started to walk her backwards towards her bedroom, but she broke the kiss and pushed against his chest to halt his progress.
“I'm serious, you aren't allowed in there. It's a no clothes zone.” With a smirk, Wash tugged at the hem of his shirt. “So strip, or I'm going to have to ask you to leave.”
“If it's a no clothes zone, how did you paint it? You still had some clothes on when I got here.” Inching her back towards the door, Taylor growled as she braced against the door frame and refused to budge.
“It's not painted.” Wash bit his lower lip. “Maybe while you're having your nap, I'll go grab my brush.”
“Now that's just insulting.” Taylor pulled his shirt off and went to work on his pants, glaring at her. “You have the urge to paint after what just happened? Clearly I didn't do something right.”
“Well, hurry up and get naked or I'm finding the paint can.” Biting at his lip again, Wash turned and headed in to the bedroom.
Character/Pairing: Nathaniel Taylor/Alicia Washington
Word Count: 679, 752, 812, 608, 1500 (4300ish total)
Genre: Humor, Romance, Gen, Porn.
Rating: Starts PG, ends up R
Warning: Violence, bad language, sexy times.
Spoiler alert: None, general show spoilers.
Summary: Five ficlets detailing the build up of Taylor and Wash's relationship
Authors Note: I love the Friday Fic Challenge. Hope these fills meet the prompters expectations! Thanks to Crystalkei for the beta. And thanks to the prompters!
Distracted :: Morganel
She knew exactly what she was doing. At first she hadn't. At first it was just unnaturally hot, even at night, and Wash was tired of having to ring her clothes out to get rid of the sweat. She didn't mind the dirt of the Badlands, she didn't even mind the creepy eyes that appeared at night and hovered just out of the glow the campfire provided. At first she'd laughed at the idea of the campfire in the middle of the desert, but then the rustling in the low brush around them reminded her they weren't alone in this time period.
So at first, she'd just stripped down to her sports bra because the guys were running around shirtless, enjoying the slight reprieve from the blistering sun. It was dark enough anyway, even with the campfire, that she could have probably gone topless and no one would have noticed or cared. At least, that's what she thought at first.
Taylor had wanted to explore the desert the moment he saw it. Wash hated deserts. They were hot with no shade, and little water. He'd grinned and offered to let her stay behind, and laughed at the look on her face. She hated deserts, but she loved exploring this new world and he knew it. And getting sunburned while exploring what felt like the surface of the sun was still better than digging ditches and helping build the perimeter fence.
So she ended up in the middle of a desert, lying as far away from the campfire as she could, staring back at creepy little eyes in the underbrush in her sports bra. After three days of military rations instead of the lush jungle fruit and readily available fish, she was starting to wonder if the creepy little eyes had edible little bodies. Laughing a bit at her own line of thought, she turned to watch Taylor and Guzman trek back into the small camp after a perimeter sweep. They'd stripped off as much as possible the moment the sun went down. So while they were out scaring off the local wild life, she stripped off as much as possible, too.
At first she chalked it up to it being so dark and him being tired, Taylor tripped on the edge of his own bed roll. But then the next night, when she stripped off her sweat soaked shirts, Taylor needed to go check on a noise. Testing her theory, she left the flimsy tank top on the third night, and Taylor acted normal. By night four, thoughts of eating the creepy things in the bushes had been replaced with testing a theory.
Waiting until Taylor settled in to poke at the fire, Wash stripped off her outermost layer. It was dark and heavy, and kept her from getting the mother of all sunburns. The fire poking continued. Stripping off her tee-shirt caused the fire poking to slow in pace. As she grabbed the hem of her tank top, the fire poking stopped entirely. Raising her eyes, she met Taylor's across the fire. He was glaring at her. With an innocent expression she pulled the garment over her head, and set about hanging everything up to dry out while they slept.
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Taylor staring, while trying to hide it. When she finished her task and turned back to the fire, he started poking at it again. His expression was back to being interested only in the fire in front of him.
“Enjoying yourself, Wash?” he'd asked in an all too calm manner, raising his eyes to hers.
“Maybe.” Wash shrugged and watch his eyes darken over.
“Paybacks are a bitch.” After his statement, he shifted his attention back to the fire, stabbing at it with a little more force than necessary.
With a smirk, Wash turned to stare back at the creepy eyes in the underbrush. With her experiment concluded, she needed something else to fill her time. She'd worry about Taylor's ideas of payback after she'd eaten.
Miss :: Belleby
The arrow barely made it to the target. Even though it made contact, it was at the very edge hanging precariously, and Wash heard Taylor let out a low chuckle. After a few taunting seconds, the arrow finally fell out, earning a full blown laugh.
“This has to be the worst idea you've ever come up with,” Wash grumbled, snatching another arrow out of the pile next to them. “I'd rather sit in the outpost and read.”
“You're the one who recommended we be quarantined.” Taylor shrugged and grabbed her shoulders as she cocked the arrow, turning her slightly. “You really are terrible at this.”
“I'm hitting the target, aren't I?” Wash tensed under his fingers as he shifted her posture slightly. He gave a final squeeze and stepped away. She resisted the urge to turn around to continue her complaints. “Besides, I thought they'd at least let us back in the colony and lock us in the hospital. I didn't think Malcolm would tell us to just stay here until the blood work comes in. I can't believe you didn't overrule him on that bullshit.”
“You going to barely hit that target sometime today? Or just glare at it and hope it admits defeat?” His voice was ridiculously chipper considering they'd been banned from their own colony for the past three days.
“How often am I specifically going to need to shoot a dinosaur with a bow and arrow?” Finally letting the arrow drop to the ground and the lowering the bow, Wash gave up all pretense of caring about chain of command. “This is you being vindictive that I didn't lie about that stupid bug that bit us. That's all it is.”
“Maybe. But I'm still ordering you to shoot in the general area of that target.” He smiled brightly at her and motioned for her to get on with it.
“Maybe if I had a real target, it would be easier to hit.” Glaring at him, Wash turned back to the target and squared her shoulders with a deep breath.
“So was it worth it?” Taylor whispered in her ear as he once again adjusted her stance, hands warm against her waist.
“Was what worth it?” Her attention solely on the target, her competitive side was slowly taking over. She lined up her shot and let it fly the second he stepped away from her. It sank firmly into the upper most outer ring, and she let out a happy laugh. “Hah! If that was a person he'd have an arrow in his face!”
“Your little game a few months ago.” Taylor handed her another arrow and adjusted how she was holding it with a serious expression. He waited until she was about to release the arrow and let out a sigh. “The Badlands?”
The arrow sailed above the target and sank firmly into the tree a few feet above it. Wash felt her cheeks flood with red. After her little experiment, she'd all but forgotten it. Taylor hadn't mentioned it, even to reprimand her for her clearly out of line behavior. Remembering how he'd promised payback, she spun around and shoved the bow into his chest.
“That's what this is about?” Settling him with an icy glare she handed him an arrow. “You talk an awful good game, but can you actually shoot better than me with this fucking thing?”
“Thought you'd never ask, Wash.” With a cheerful smile, Taylor rested the bow against his leg and pulled off his sweater. The tee-shirt he had on underneath was skin tight and Wash forced her eyes to stay focused firmly on his face. He winked at her and stepped up to the line he'd drawn for her to shoot from, and raised the bow.
Wash felt her mouth go dry as he picked up an arrow and cocked the bow. The muscles in his back and arms were highlighted by the dark grey shirt, and she didn't realize he'd actually fired the shot until she was staring at his chest. Ignoring him entirely for a moment, she looked to the target.
“I don't like you anymore,” Wash grumbled, seeing the arrow nearly dead center.
“Sure you do. Well,” Taylor handed the bow back to her and pushed her into position to fire again. “At least parts of me.”
Her next arrow didn't even hit the tree.
Terror :: Zapf_chancery
The sound of gunfire roused them from the comfortable silence that settled around the campfire. Guzman reached for his gun and was moving before Wash could even get her gun unholstered. An earsplitting scream pierced the air, followed by more gunshots, and they took off running towards the sounds.
When they reached the small path they've managed to carve out, the sight and smell of blood permeated the area. Wash immediately started to estimate how much it was, and if that person could still be alive. They heard a sound to their left and saw more blood leading into the dense foliage. Following it silently, they found a chunk of fresh meat, and Wash shook her head at Guzman.
After a few more feet, they found what was left of Corporal Wilson. One of the scientists that had gone with them on the trip, still so new Wash couldn't remember her name, was still trying to apply a tourniquet to what was left of Wilson's leg. Her hands kept slipping in the blood, and she was shaking so hard that even if there was a chance it would help, she'd never be able to keep steady long enough to do it.
“You have to help me!” The woman was hysterical and covered in blood, Wilson's gun in her lap. “It came out of no where and it just dragged him off. I couldn't hit it. I should have hit it.”
“I'm here, it's okay. I'll take over.” Wash let Guzman pry the sobbing scientist off Wilson's body and pretended like she was checking for vitals. As the sobbing finally died down, Wash covered Wilson's body with a spare blanket and then a layer of stink leaves to keep the scavengers away while they waited for the rover to show up.
“Come on, you're in shock. I need to get you back to the campsite.” Wash directed the scientist back towards the safe area gently as Guzman took up watch over the body. Close enough to defend it, but not close enough to become the second course. It's a sad protocol they'd learned the hard way.
“We weren't that far from camp. I just needed to pee. He's dead because I had to pee.” The woman was still hysterical and clung to Wash, her eyes refusing to leave Wilson's body.
“I'll call the colony, get her back to the campsite.” Guzman nodded to her and Wash started to half drag, half carry the woman back to the campsite.
It wasn't very long before the sound of rovers got closer and closer. Doors slammed, voices carried back from where Wilson's body was, and the sound of people hurrying through the dense foliage finally drowned out the crying scientist. Wash had managed to calm her down a small amount, but she was still sniffling and the occasional sob still escaped.
Taylor was the first to appear in the small clearing, his eyes quickly scanning the occupants. Wash noticed relief when he saw her, but it was gone quickly as he started barking orders. With several extra sets of hands, the campsite was broken down in half the time it went up. Wash watched them load everything into the rovers, including Wilson's body, as the scientist's crying finally faded to hiccups.
The ride back to the colony was nearly silent. It wasn't until everything was unloaded, and Wilson's body carried to the hospital to await burial, that she and Taylor headed to the command center. Wash thought over the events, and where to start, but her thought process was interrupted when Taylor closed the door and pulled her into a tight hug. He'd only hugged her twice before, and Wash stood frozen trying to figure out how to react.
“After we bury Wilson, we're putting everything on the back burner until that comm tower goes up. Guzman's transmission was all garbled and I thought he said we needed a body bag for you.” As he talked, his grip tightened. “I was terrified when I saw all that blood. But then I saw it wasn't you, and I was relieved. I feel bad now because Wilson was a good man.”
“I'm sorry.” Wash had no idea what else to say, and wrapped her arms tentatively around his waist.
They stood that way for several minutes, until Taylor finally pulled away. He gave her a rare smile, one full of warmth and a bit of sadness. Returning his smile with one she hoped was comforting, Wash squeezed his arm.
“I'll take a team out tomorrow to finish up work on the tower.” Wash watched something flicker in his eyes, but he didn't say anything. A knock at the door made them step away from each other, and life went back to normal as they set about making funeral arrangements.
Suck :: Sky_kiss
“I think these are officially my favorite discovery.” Wash reached up and plucked another small yellow pod off the bush she was standing near. Only about half of what she was gathering actually made it into the small container she held.
“What the hell is it?” Taylor peered into the small container and then gave the bush a distrusting look. “It looks like radioactive pea pods.”
“It's pretty much the same, only instead of peas, it's little balls of essentially pure sugar.” Wash put one of the pods in her mouth and sucked out all the small little sugary 'peas'. “And before you ask, I already had Malcolm make sure it's not poisonous.”
“Should you be eating that much raw sugar?” Taylor plucked a few of the yellow pods off the bush and added it to her small container. “How can you even eat it like that?”
“You should try it before you bash it. It's not like raw sugar, it's sugary but it's got this fruity flavor to it as well. It's natural candy.” Wash bit off the end of another pod and held it up. “Want a taste?”
She had expected him to take the pod out of her hand. Instead he'd grinned at her and wrapped one hand around the back of her head, tilting it so he could kiss her thoroughly. Her gasp of surprise let his tongue into her mouth, and he took full advantage, sucking on her tongue briefly before pulling away. His smile faded as he registered the stunned look on her face.
“Shit, Wash, I'm sorry. I thought - “ He started to step away from her, and Wash forgot all about the small container. She heard it hit the ground about the same time as Taylor grunted in surprise as she grabbed his hostler and used it to keep him from retreating further.
She wasn't sure what else he was about to say, but she laughed a bit at the look of shock that crossed his face as she pressed her mouth to his. Unlike her, he reacted swiftly, pulled her hips flush against his with one hand while the other reached up and urged her mouth open. Once he'd gained access to her mouth again, he shifted his hand to her neck and rubbed at it gently, a sharp contrast to the aggressiveness of his tongue.
At the sound of a comm beeping, they pulled apart slowly, their breathing heavy. Realization of what had just happened was written all over their faces, and Wash sank to the ground to gather up the yellow pods that had spilled from her container while Taylor answered his comm. She didn't listen to whatever was being said, instead choosing to focus on the task at hand and figure out what had just transpired.
“They're all done setting up the tower, they're ready for an escort back to the colony.” Taylor's tone was flat, bordering on strained.
“Alright.” Sealing the lid on her container of 'candy', Wash finally raised her eyes to look her commanding officer in the face. Lines had been crossed once again, but this one was a major one. This wasn't something they would be able to ignore. “Sir - “
“Don't you 'sir' me after what just happened. We'll talk about this when we're home.” Taylor put a hand on her waist and pushed her towards the tower. A small smile tugged at her mouth at his use of the word home, and he glared at her. “Walk.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Dammit, Wash.”
Strip :: Sky_Kiss
She'd finally managed to get her own house. It was small, technically a duplex, but this half was hers. Taking the day off, Wash had set about painting everything that could be painted. As the sun rose higher, the layers she'd put on in the morning started to disappear. By the time she was in the small laundry room, painting it a cheerful yellow, she realized she was down to just her underwear.
It was almost dark, and her stomach rumbled to remind her she hadn't eaten since she'd cooked breakfast to celebrate moving in. The sound of someone coming in the front door made her pause. Very few people would just walk in uninvited, and Wash realized that the trail of clothing through the place would probably give the wrong impression to anyone who had walked in.
“Wash?” Taylor's voice carried through the small building.
“Back here.” Looking around for the nearest article of clothing before Taylor walked in on her, she didn't actually hear him enter the small room.
“Am I interrupting something?” His voice held a teasing note, and a slight hint of appreciation. Probably at the view of her bent over, trying to get her pants where she'd accidentally kicked them under the washing machine.
“Just painting my new house, sir.” As she stood and tugged the pants on, she tried to ignore both the fact that her bra did little to stop things from jiggling, and that Taylor was still enjoying the view.
“Good thing I caught you. You might have decided to paint the back porch completely naked.” He smirked at her and then followed her back into the main living area.
“I'm getting ready to cook dinner. Do you want something?” Wash tugged on a shirt and headed into the kitchen. Hearing his intake of breath, Wash realized what she'd said. “To eat. Something to eat.”
“Sure, we can start with that.” Taylor sank onto the small sofa and gave her one of his most innocent smiles.
Since their kiss at the science outpost, they'd barely had time alone together. It seemed like the universe had decided them being together was a bad idea after all, and was doing everything it could to halt progress. Other than a small discussion that they needed to be discreet before he'd gone OTG for a week, she hadn't talked to him since the incident.
Dinner talk consisted mostly of business. Handing Taylor a glass of wine while she did dishes, they laughed over random things that occurred to each of them over the week. Wash had accidentally slammed a door in Malcolm's face. Taylor had hit a bump in the 'road', causing Reynolds to stab himself with a screwdriver. All the small things that made life interesting.
As she dried the dishes, she was starting to wonder if Taylor had decided they needed to forget the kiss. Her mood darkened a little as she put all the dishes back in to their cabinets. Taylor was talking about a dinosaur they'd discovered, and she only partially recognized his voice getting closer. She turned to grab the last plate and found him standing in her way.
“Pass me that plate?” Wash pointed to the dish drainer, and tried to take a step back. The counter's edge dug into her back and she tried not to react as Taylor took a step towards her.
“It can wait.” His voice was low as he leaned in and kissed her. His hands rested on the counter on either side of her and she wound her arms around his neck.
“I thought we were going to talk about this.” Wash finally broke the kiss and tugged at his hair to keep him from leaning back in.
“We already agreed we should be discreet. What else would you like to talk about?” Taylor moved his hands from the cabinet and started undoing her belt. Before she could figure out if she even wanted to protest, Taylor sank to his knees and dragged her pants and panties down as he went.
“Sir, I think we need to talk more about this before we go too far.” Wash clutched at his shoulders as he started to bite at her hip bone.
“Do you want me to stop?” His breath was ghosting along the delicate skin of her inner thigh, and she broke out in goosebumps. His fingers were warm against the backs of her legs and he kept blowing air against her, making thinking difficult.
Not able to talk as one of his hands inched higher up her leg and brought it to rest over his shoulder, Wash finally shook her head. He didn't need any more encouragement as he closed the small gap, his tongue tracing every fold and crease before stopping to flick over her clit. Her hands fluttered along his shoulders, and the back of his head as he sucked and nipped at her until the one leg she was braced on nearly gave out.
“You need to,” Wash started to talk, but Taylor shifted her hips forward to get better access and she trailed off.
“Need to what? I thought I was doing a pretty good job.” Taylor stopped what he was doing with his mouth, and instead slipped a finger inside her. When she gasped and sank her nails into his shoulder, he answered with a low, happy groan.
“Is my kitchen the best place for this?” Wash finally formed a sentence just as Taylor added a second finger.
“Well, I was going to do it in the laundry room, but you put your pants back on.” Gently lowering her leg to the ground, Taylor stood up and pulled her shirt up over her head. Her bra followed shortly after, and he lifted her onto the counter. “Maybe you should come paint my office.”
“How come I'm the only naked one?” Wash tugged at his shirt as he undid his pants, but he just laughed. Leveling him with a glare, she poked him hard in the side. “This is unfair.”
“You don't get to lodge complaints until after.” Swatting her hands away from his shirt, he pulled her to the edge of the counter and entered her slowly.
Bracing one arm behind her on the counter, Wash used her other hand to pull Taylor in for a kiss as he set a steady rhythm. The scratchy fabric of his fatigues against her legs and the feel of his tee-shirt against her nipples was both frustrating, but also felt oddly good. They finally broke the kiss as their breathing got more and more ragged, each of them getting closer. Finally Wash leaned forward and dragged her teeth along skin just below his ear, causing his fingers to dig into her hips almost painfully as he groaned into her neck. A few seconds after, he reached between them, teasing her clit with his fingers until he sent her over the edge, smiling against her skin as her yell echoed off the freshly painted walls.
“Don't think I've ever christened the kitchen first.” Slumping back against the counter, Wash rubbed idly at Taylor's head when he leaned forward and rested his forehead between her breasts.
“I told you, I wanted to start in the laundry room, but you got dressed.” Taylor laughed and lifted his head up. “Which way to the bedroom? I think I need a nap.”
“Sorry, can't allow you in my bedroom.” Wash struggled to keep a straight face as Taylor loomed over her.
“Oh? Is there a problem with it? Or are you hiding your other man in there?” Pinching the side of her leg, Taylor tugged her off the counter and kissed her. He started to walk her backwards towards her bedroom, but she broke the kiss and pushed against his chest to halt his progress.
“I'm serious, you aren't allowed in there. It's a no clothes zone.” With a smirk, Wash tugged at the hem of his shirt. “So strip, or I'm going to have to ask you to leave.”
“If it's a no clothes zone, how did you paint it? You still had some clothes on when I got here.” Inching her back towards the door, Taylor growled as she braced against the door frame and refused to budge.
“It's not painted.” Wash bit his lower lip. “Maybe while you're having your nap, I'll go grab my brush.”
“Now that's just insulting.” Taylor pulled his shirt off and went to work on his pants, glaring at her. “You have the urge to paint after what just happened? Clearly I didn't do something right.”
“Well, hurry up and get naked or I'm finding the paint can.” Biting at his lip again, Wash turned and headed in to the bedroom.