Alphas Fic: Ciphertext (fragment)
Title: Ciphertext
Characters/Pairing: Rachel, Gary
Genre: Romance OMG
Word count: ~600
Rating: PG-13
Summary: In which Gary has just (somehow) confessed he has feelings for Rachel, and now she responds. Then, some other stuff happens. A fragment of a potential chapter for my Antiphony series, published because I kind of got Jossed and I don't know what to do with it. Let's just say this takes place many months and plotlines down the road. J.J. Abrams help me.
Reviews and concrit deeply, deeply appreciated.
The silence stretched on for far too long, but Rachel couldn't move. There was a buzzing in her head. It sounded like her parents, Dr. Rosen, even her own voice, all saying, This is a very bad idea.
"You're not-" he started but then his shoulders dropped and he adjusted his wristband. "I should go."
This is a such a bad idea, for both of us, she thought. When Gary took a step towards the door, however, another voice that sounded suspiciously like Hicks piped up. If you let this go, you will lose everything. As Gary went to move past her, she wrapped her arms around him without another thought. "No! It's okay. It's okay," she whispered. His breath hitched slightly as she buried her face in shoulder. She should say this to his face, but she was a coward. “I understand. I feel the same way. I do.”
His hands came to rest lightly on her back. She leaned back to see his face light with a small smile.
Gary stood before her, more physically present than she had ever felt before. Rachel knew what she wanted and thought he wanted it, too, but could she? How would he react?
She raised her hand and lightly touched his cheek. Her fingertips skimmed across his face to rest on his mouth. His lips parted slightly and she could feel his soft exhale. His eyes slipped closed and-yes, he leaned into her. He whispered her name so quietly she felt it more than she heard it. His hands tightened on her waist, and she was leaning into him, too.
“Gary, can I-“
“Yes.”
She moved first, sliding her fingers back across his jaw, but he met her halfway. His lips covered hers and they were so soft, so delicate. He wasn’t taking anything-just asking, pleading, for whatever she would give him. A jolt of chemicals and electricity shot from her heart to her toes, making her dizzy and light.
The kiss was simple, but there was still something deeper that twisted her gut. He must have felt that, too, because he made a small noise somewhere between a sigh and whimper. He pulled her closer. The gentle pressure was delicious, wonderful. She could smell his subtle musk and aftershave. She could taste his skin, his lips-
The textures of him-the way her fingers slipped through his hair, the roughness of his shirt, the pulse of blood under his skin-
The scent of his heartbeat-
The color of his soft gasp for air-
Then she was cycling through sensations so fast she couldn’t process them. It was too much-
“Dr. Rosen!”
When Rachel came back around, she was lying on a cotton sheet, someplace dim and quiet-her office, it seemed. The thread count was very high, but the floor under her was very hard. On the other side of the door, Nina was speaking softly. Gary spoke louder.
“I don’t know! It’s not my fault! She-I-she kissed me, and then she screamed and fell down. That’s all that happened.” A pause. “Is it my fault?”
“It’s okay. It’s not your fault. She just-she probably over-stimmed, Gary. Like you do? She just needs some quiet.” Nina sighed, and then there was silence for a moment. “She hasn’t done this in a long time, but I’m not surprised, considering.”
“She screamed,” he said. “She screamed and she fell down. I didn’t know what to do.”
Car headlights shone briefly through the windows-shining like breaking glass and cold, cold snow-
She closed her eyes and retreated into dreamless sleep.
Characters/Pairing: Rachel, Gary
Genre: Romance OMG
Word count: ~600
Rating: PG-13
Summary: In which Gary has just (somehow) confessed he has feelings for Rachel, and now she responds. Then, some other stuff happens. A fragment of a potential chapter for my Antiphony series, published because I kind of got Jossed and I don't know what to do with it. Let's just say this takes place many months and plotlines down the road. J.J. Abrams help me.
Reviews and concrit deeply, deeply appreciated.
The silence stretched on for far too long, but Rachel couldn't move. There was a buzzing in her head. It sounded like her parents, Dr. Rosen, even her own voice, all saying, This is a very bad idea.
"You're not-" he started but then his shoulders dropped and he adjusted his wristband. "I should go."
This is a such a bad idea, for both of us, she thought. When Gary took a step towards the door, however, another voice that sounded suspiciously like Hicks piped up. If you let this go, you will lose everything. As Gary went to move past her, she wrapped her arms around him without another thought. "No! It's okay. It's okay," she whispered. His breath hitched slightly as she buried her face in shoulder. She should say this to his face, but she was a coward. “I understand. I feel the same way. I do.”
His hands came to rest lightly on her back. She leaned back to see his face light with a small smile.
Gary stood before her, more physically present than she had ever felt before. Rachel knew what she wanted and thought he wanted it, too, but could she? How would he react?
She raised her hand and lightly touched his cheek. Her fingertips skimmed across his face to rest on his mouth. His lips parted slightly and she could feel his soft exhale. His eyes slipped closed and-yes, he leaned into her. He whispered her name so quietly she felt it more than she heard it. His hands tightened on her waist, and she was leaning into him, too.
“Gary, can I-“
“Yes.”
She moved first, sliding her fingers back across his jaw, but he met her halfway. His lips covered hers and they were so soft, so delicate. He wasn’t taking anything-just asking, pleading, for whatever she would give him. A jolt of chemicals and electricity shot from her heart to her toes, making her dizzy and light.
The kiss was simple, but there was still something deeper that twisted her gut. He must have felt that, too, because he made a small noise somewhere between a sigh and whimper. He pulled her closer. The gentle pressure was delicious, wonderful. She could smell his subtle musk and aftershave. She could taste his skin, his lips-
The textures of him-the way her fingers slipped through his hair, the roughness of his shirt, the pulse of blood under his skin-
The scent of his heartbeat-
The color of his soft gasp for air-
Then she was cycling through sensations so fast she couldn’t process them. It was too much-
“Dr. Rosen!”
When Rachel came back around, she was lying on a cotton sheet, someplace dim and quiet-her office, it seemed. The thread count was very high, but the floor under her was very hard. On the other side of the door, Nina was speaking softly. Gary spoke louder.
“I don’t know! It’s not my fault! She-I-she kissed me, and then she screamed and fell down. That’s all that happened.” A pause. “Is it my fault?”
“It’s okay. It’s not your fault. She just-she probably over-stimmed, Gary. Like you do? She just needs some quiet.” Nina sighed, and then there was silence for a moment. “She hasn’t done this in a long time, but I’m not surprised, considering.”
“She screamed,” he said. “She screamed and she fell down. I didn’t know what to do.”
Car headlights shone briefly through the windows-shining like breaking glass and cold, cold snow-
She closed her eyes and retreated into dreamless sleep.