startswithhope:

Post-6X17 ficlet. I set out to write something longer, but liked the short, sweet and dialogue-free feel of this instead. 

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He’s sure the water is pinking his skin from the heat, but
it feels too good to cool the temperature, each hot droplet hitting his
shoulders taking a bit of tension with it on its way down towards the drain. She’d
already whisked the dirt and grime away with her magic, but after too many days
in the same clothes and without a proper wash he knew he wouldn’t truly feel
clean until he was able to do it himself.

He lets his fingers trace the bottles along the ledge, Emma’s
shampoo, her body wash and his shampoo, all lined up together next to the bar
of soap he still prefers over the liquid most use in this modern realm. There’s
nothing truly earth shattering about the bottles, but the sight of them causes
his breath to hitch and his eyes to glaze over with happy tears.

He’s home. He’s
forgiven. He’s loved.

---

She can hear the water still running upstairs and has a
thought to stop her current task of making grilled cheese sandwiches so she can
strip off her clothes and join him. But he’d looked so tired…and hungry, a
different kind of hunger than is currently swirling up a storm deep in her
belly. There’s time for that later. Hopefully sooner, but she’ll settle for
later.

Even though she’s alone, she mentally blames the heat from the
burners for the flush of heat behind her cheeks as she flips the sandwich over
with the spatula to brown the other side. Her ring catches the overhead light
on the stove and she turns her hand this way and that, watching the prisms
dance about as her lips curl into a joyous smile.

He’s home. She’s
forgiven. She’s loved.

---

The smell of grilled cheese welcomes him as he pads into
their bedroom with just his towel around his waist, seeing Emma waiting for him
on the bed with a napkin and a smile. She jumps to her feet to meet him, halting
him with her hands at his waist and a light kiss to his lips. Her hand slides
between them on his chest and he breathes in deep, releasing the air from his
lungs on a trembling sigh as her magic sparks with warmth against his skin. Unlike
the quick rehab she’d done back in the loft, this is more thorough, her
fingertips tracing along each and every rib, up, and over his rapidly pounding
heart. Unable to resist, he takes her lips in a more urgent kiss, cupping her
cheek as her hand moves to his forehead to trace where she’d already healed the
gash left behind by a Lost Boy’s spear.

Her fingertips are still tingling as her hands wrap around
his back, the front of her sweater dampening from the water from his chest as
she pulls him in close. He knows he needs food…and rest…but he needs this, her,
more than the air in his lungs and the blood in his veins. She doesn’t resist
as he moves to lift the sweater over her head, looking almost as she smiles and
makes quick work of her jeans and the rest of her clothes. His towel gets
tangled between their legs as he falls with her on the mattress, sighing
against her mouth as she urges him without ceremony to settle between her
thighs. They both cry out as he begins to move within her, her strong hands
keeping him from lifting his head so every breath, every word spoken rumbles
over their still joined lips. His release barrels down on him too soon, but she’s
right there with him, her body rising to meet his, a soul rendering lovemaking
he both wants to last forever and come to its glorious conclusion all at the
same time.

Later, they sit naked together under the covers eating cold
grilled cheese sandwiches and talk. They speak of everything that has happened
while they apart, and more importantly, everything that lead to their
separation in the first place. It’s hard, but necessary, for her to trust that
he will never leave her and for him to believe that he can finally be done apologizing
for his past.

When sleep eventually comes, it’s with her head on his chest, their
legs tangled and the ring finger of her left hand sparkling atop his heart.

---

They’re home. They’re
forgiven. They’re loved.