OOM: Conversations with Dead People - (Milliways) Halloween 2009.
"Hey, baby."
The voice in Cal's ear is warm and familiar; the body pressed against his, sheet draped loosely over both of them, is one he knows by heart. He smiles, drowsy, and turns to face her.
Tina looks subtly different from how he remembers her. She looks healthier, the heroin pallor gone from her brown skin, and a quiet seriousness in her eyes even as she smiles.
(The starker look it's replaced is one he used to ignore.)
"Tina." He touches her cheek; she closes her eyes, rubbing against his hand like a cat. "Is this - ?"
"Dream that's not a dream?" She opens her eyes. "Yeah. Took its sweet time, too. I can't do this just any day of the Milliways year. Your dad beat me to the punch last time, but this year you're all mine." She laughs and hugs him. He pulls her close - not that she needs the help - and says,
"I would've thought . . ." With all the waking time he's spent trying to come to terms with -
"What? That your pervert uncle would take this one?" Her expression hardens. "Yeah, well. He owed me big time and he fucking knew it, too." She sighs and puts a finger over his lips. "C'mon, baby. No big questions, asking where we are, what went down, none a that sad shit, okay? Let's not waste time. We only got till you wake up."
Then she grins, her eyes sparkling and sly like he hasn't seen them in a long time as she takes his hand in hers and moves it to her breast. "'Sides, you sure your uncle's the one you wanna be thinkin' about right now?"
Cal gives in, laughing as he kisses her.
*
"I love you," she says later, looking up into his eyes as she curls against him. "I always did. I -" It's Cal's turn to put a finger over her mouth.
"Shh," he says. "You did what you thought you had to do. I know."
Her eyes fill with tears. "That son of a bitch," she whispers. Cal wraps his arms tight around her, and he wakes.
The voice in Cal's ear is warm and familiar; the body pressed against his, sheet draped loosely over both of them, is one he knows by heart. He smiles, drowsy, and turns to face her.
Tina looks subtly different from how he remembers her. She looks healthier, the heroin pallor gone from her brown skin, and a quiet seriousness in her eyes even as she smiles.
(The starker look it's replaced is one he used to ignore.)
"Tina." He touches her cheek; she closes her eyes, rubbing against his hand like a cat. "Is this - ?"
"Dream that's not a dream?" She opens her eyes. "Yeah. Took its sweet time, too. I can't do this just any day of the Milliways year. Your dad beat me to the punch last time, but this year you're all mine." She laughs and hugs him. He pulls her close - not that she needs the help - and says,
"I would've thought . . ." With all the waking time he's spent trying to come to terms with -
"What? That your pervert uncle would take this one?" Her expression hardens. "Yeah, well. He owed me big time and he fucking knew it, too." She sighs and puts a finger over his lips. "C'mon, baby. No big questions, asking where we are, what went down, none a that sad shit, okay? Let's not waste time. We only got till you wake up."
Then she grins, her eyes sparkling and sly like he hasn't seen them in a long time as she takes his hand in hers and moves it to her breast. "'Sides, you sure your uncle's the one you wanna be thinkin' about right now?"
Cal gives in, laughing as he kisses her.
*
"I love you," she says later, looking up into his eyes as she curls against him. "I always did. I -" It's Cal's turn to put a finger over her mouth.
"Shh," he says. "You did what you thought you had to do. I know."
Her eyes fill with tears. "That son of a bitch," she whispers. Cal wraps his arms tight around her, and he wakes.