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Beanstalk Chapter 11

prev. Chapter 1, Chapter 10,

A/N: We're 102 pages and 40,092 words into this 'short story' that is turning into a full length novel but I #cantstopwontstop because these two have me by the throat thanks for staying on this ride with me!

This chapter is a just a little longer than the last at 15 pages and is filled to the brim with Dave and Rory bonding time, so grab a drink (maybe a hot tea?) and get comfy! I hope you enjoy it as much as I loved writing it!

Chapter 11

Releasing the captive humans had involved a lot of… Screaming. Dave wouldn’t ever admit it, but this reaction was starting to wear on him. He already considered himself to be more introverted and prone to avoiding interactions on his own world, but he was starting to feel even more ostracized by the reactions and utterly embarrassed by the attention.

He’d been grateful it had been night when he and Rory let them out of the shed-like building next to the house, so he’d been able to hide a little bit. But they still, understandably, were a little freaked out. This group of humans hadn’t gotten to the point of meeting Richard first, thankfully, but that meant they weren’t even prepared for the idea of a giant not only existing but being right there.

Luckily, Rory had been there to calm them down and explain everything. She sent them with a letter to the queen requesting her aid in getting those three disgusting men taken into custody for a trial. Rory also requested the queen not to make any rash decisions about the giant circumstance until she came back to explain everything more thoroughly later.

With that done, and with Dave hardly believing it, Rory came with him up the beanstalk back to his cottage. The night sky started to slowly lighten into the early rays of morning as they finally reached his front door. His head pounded again now that the adrenaline of Rory’s near-death experience (again) was starting to fade, and his arms and legs ached from climbing the beanstalk. He reveled at the concept that Rory made it up the beanstalk all on her own the first time; her small size would have made the climb even longer.

The creak of his front door never sounded so welcoming as he swung it open, the soothing scent of lavender meeting him the moment he walked in. Exhaustion rested heavily on his shoulders. He wanted to lay down and sink into sleep, but the silence of his pocket worried him, and he worked quickly to gather some supplies in the kitchen. Maybe Rory had fallen asleep this time? He filled his kettle, started a fire in the living room, and hung it over the flames to warm. Then he found the softest blanket he owned – a small blue throw his mother had made for him – and set that up on the little side table by his chair in the living room.

By the time he finished, he felt the smallest movements against his chest that set his heart aflutter. Rory must be waking up. He slowly brought his hand up and delicately brushed his fingers against the little lump in his pocket. “…Rory?” he said softly, sinking to a sit in his worn but comfortable chair in front of the fire.

The lump stirred again, and then he felt her sit upright quite suddenly. “Oh! Dave. I’m sorry, I must have… fallen right to sleep.”

“No need to apologize,” Dave assured her, taking his fingers away from the pocket. “Saying this has been a long day would be an understatement. Would you like out now?”

The small figure in his pocket thrashed around until she came to a stand. “I’d really appreciate it, thank you.”

Holding his breath unconsciously, Dave reached in blindly and felt Rory shuffle onto his fingers. Once he was sure she was securely on his hand, he raised it out, and felt that jolt through his heart the moment he set eyes on her. He had no idea how or when this jolt started, but he was going to ignore what it meant right now.

Rory shuffled a little better onto his hand to look him over but didn’t attempt to stand up. His eyes went to her injured leg and noticed the stiff way she held it. “I thought you might want to doctor yourself up a bit before getting some rest. I, um, have some stuff you might like to use if you want.”

Rory raised an eyebrow at him. “Only if you promise to doctor yourself up, too,” she said wryly. Then her smile faded into a frown. “You really need to get some rest after the blows you took today. How are you feeling?”

She rested her hand on top of his, and he felt himself freeze up at the small but caring gesture. Her hand looked so incredibly small compared to his, especially when she was sitting right in the palm of it. His breath caught again at the realization of how trusting she was of him, and that somehow along the line, all he wanted was to grow that trust.

He blinked, trying to focus on her question, and he gave her a tired smile. “Right, yes, my headache has come back a bit. I have some tea that helps soothe pain and normally helps with my headaches, would you like some as well?” He gestured toward the pot hanging by the fire. “I’ll be warm enough soon.”

“Oh, that sounds perfect right now, thanks…”

Her eyes wandered from the fireplace to the windows by the back door where more plants in clay pots sat happily, and vines grew across the ceiling to dangle down in places. A soft mahogany rug enveloped the floor beneath them, and his bookshelf filled with various herbology and nonfiction books sprawled against the wall behind him next to his bedroom door. He supposed the space looked a little disorganized and wild, but everything had a system to him.

“I didn’t see your living room last time I was here,” Rory said a little wistfully. Then she grimaced. “Well, I did see it, but I didn’t stop to appreciate it and really look around.”

Dave grimaced too, thinking back to their first meeting when he had almost caught up to her, but the sound of his footsteps made her look back at him in fear, which caused her to trip and hit the back of her head on the floor. “I’m so sorry about that, I – “

“- No, no don’t apologize,” Rory cut in, catching his eyes earnestly before he could look away. “You have no reason to apologize. Looking back now, I realize I did most of that to myself by panicking before trying to hear you out. But I don’t mean to bring it back up to hurt you – I just, brought it up because I meant I didn’t get to fully appreciate your whole home last time. It’s really cozy in here, Dave.”

His eyebrows furrowed and he shifted a little in his chair the best he could without disturbing her. “Really? You don’t find it a little… hobbled together?”

She shook her head, that wistfulness showing in her eyes again. “It’s absolutely perfect, and it’s absolutely you. I have a place I stay, on the castle grounds, but since I travel a lot for my job, I’m never really there to make it mine. I don’t have any place I can actually call home. So this…” she looked around again, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “This is really refreshing to see. Thank you again for inviting me to stay.”

Warmth blossomed in Dave’s chest at her remark at the same time something sad tugged at him at the thought of Rory not having any place to call home. “Do you, have any family? If you don’t mind my asking,” he added quickly when he saw the little smile fall off her face.

“It’s alright… I left home when I was young to train so I could try to become one of the Jacks. It was hard where I grew up, our village was very poor, and I was raised by my aunt when my parents passed away when I was a child. The Jacks always looked so impressive and important when they came through our local tavern. They would talk about their adventures and shared comradery, and I wanted that for myself, since my aunt and I never had the best relationship. It was really hard on her to lose her brother, and she never wanted to have children of her own, so taking care of me was an added burden in a poor town. I send her some money every month but rarely visit anymore. It’s easier that way.”

Dave fought the urge to hold her close again. He’d grown up in a loving household as the only child of his two mums, and he had a grandmum to spoil him. He couldn’t imagine the loneliness Rory grew up feeling, what she felt now. “I’m sorry to hear that… It sounds like joining the Jacks worked out well for you, at least.”

“It’s keeps me busy,” she said with a nod, a little lost in thoughts as she shifted on his hand. Then, pain shot across her face as she bumped her leg the wrong way, and a muttered curse escaped her lips just as the kettle started to whistle.

Kicking himself for not getting right to the doctoring up bit when she obviously needed it, he lowered his hand onto the little wooden table before him. “Let’s get a look at that leg. I’ll get the tea.”

He offered support with his other hand, and she took it, wrapping her arms around his pointer finger in a tight hug as she limped off his hand to sit on the table’s surface, leaning against the soft blanket he’d laid out. Once he felt certain she was comfortable, he stood and crossed the room to remove the teapot from the heat. The whistling slowly died down. He set it far enough away from her that she couldn’t accidentally burn herself but still offer some warmth. Then he poured himself a cup of the ache-soothing tea. Its sweet aroma filled the air, tantalizing and relaxing.

Biting his lip, Dave cast around for something she could use as a cup, but she waved her arms at him to get his attention. “I have a travel cup,” she said, unsheathing her sword to lay it beside her so she could get her bag off her shoulders. He couldn’t believe she walked around carrying those things all the time. She dug through before giving a cry of success as she pulled out her little mug. “Never know when you might need a drink from a stream or something,” she explained with a smile.

She rose to her feet despite his gasp of protest and limped over to his tea. “Do you mind if I scoop it out of yours?”

“Not at all,” Dave said a little hurriedly, dropping down to sit on the rug and lean against his chair so he wouldn’t hover over her as much. “As long as it’s not too hot.”

He watched as she stood on her tip toes to lean over the top, and scoop some of the fragrant liquid into her own cup. “Ohh, this is so warm,” she said appreciatively, pausing to hug the sides of his teacup and soak in its warmth. “If I wasn’t so exhausted, I’d be tempted to sink right into this teacup. It’d be the hottest bath I’ve ever taken.”

Dave felt his face flush as he tried not to picture that. It was difficult.

He cleared his throat. “Sounds like it’d be better than lugging warm water over to fill a tub,” he agreed. Then, to quickly change the subject, he gestured toward the bandage supplies he’d brought over. “If you need to use any of that, let me know.”

“Thanks.” Rory gave his teacup one last longing look, then limped back over to sit up against the blanket again. She took a sip of her tea, her face brightening as she looked back up at him. “This tea is absolutely delicious! It feels soothing already.”

Dave smiled, reaching for his own cup to take a sip. He tried again not to think of how perfectly Rory would fit inside it, as delicate as the teacup herself. “Um, yes – thanks – it’s from a shop in the village. He always makes great tea. He’s got one to help with anything. This one is great for anti-inflammation and aches.”

“Mm, perfect. Well, I guess I better finally take a look at this thing.” She set her cup to the side and started rolling up her pant leg.

Two dark, deep bruises engulfed her lower leg. Dave gasped involuntarily, setting his own cup down to lean closer, worry churning in his stomach. He narrowed his eyes, pushing up his glasses to get a clearer look, and the worry changed into anger as he realized the deep bruising looked a lot like in the shape of two giant fingers.

“What happened when I was out?” he breathed, trying to control his anger so Rory wouldn’t pick up on it or feel uncomfortable. “I came to just as you were running up his arm at the end.” He longed to comfort her but felt so lumbering and large next to her when she was injured, so he leaned back to give her space instead.

Rory winced, shifting it so she could examine the bruising on her calf. “He backhanded me against the wall,” she said nonchalantly, but a little bit of that past fear crept into her voice. “I tried to get up to fight but he got a hold of me by this leg and dragged me back. He was going to snap it, but I got a lucky hit in after Maeve distracted him.”

Dave thought back to himself pulling her, but he had made sure to be very careful, even in the beginning. Richard must have been raging angry, putting pressure on her delicate leg on purpose to scare and hurt her. He could have snapped it. Dave felt a rush of gratitude that the little girl had been there to help Rory.

“I’d call that more than luck,” he said, pride coloring his words. She was a force to be reckoned with.

His eyes caught on the bruising on her face from the fight, the wraps on her forearms he hadn’t asked her about yet, and the trickles of dried blood down her neck. That must have been when that horrible man had gotten his hands on her. Dave wished he’d been a little rougher with the man after he attempted to hurt Rory, the man deserved it. But even in his fury, the grabbing and the smacking felt horrible to do to such small creatures, so he’d reigned in the desperation he’d felt when he wanted to protect her.

“You have a lot of wounds to clean up.”

“You look a little roughed up yourself,” Rory said with a grin, but her own worry shone through the smile. “Your lip is still split, but the swelling has gone down some. You still have a bruise across your temple. How are you feeling?”

Dave took a moment to check in, taking a couple more sips of the tea while it remained hot. “Very achy. Very tired.”

Rory laughed – a loud, cheerful laugh – that warmed him better than the tea ever could. She raised an eyebrow. “I feel exactly the same. But Dave, I’ve gotta say, for someone who’s a pacifist and self-declared ‘terrible at fighting,’ you were such a badass today.” She grinned, leaning back into the blanket to look up at him better, her eyes sparkling. “But seeing you on the human world made you seem even more ginormous for some reason. The way you tore the entire roof off that house without any effort?!” Her eyes widened. “That was incredible! You should’ve seen the look on their faces!”

“Oh, trust me, it was just as terrifying for me, too,” he replied jokingly with a grimace. “Nothing should be that breakable. I see why we have separate worlds. Everything down there is just so… Fragile.” Moving around the outskirts of the villages had been scary enough for him as he tried to navigate without causing too much damage. He couldn’t imagine going into a human village. He’d stick out like a sore thumb; it’d be so embarrassing.

Rory looked at him fondly. “That’s one of the reasons you’re so incredible, Dave. You are such a thoughtful person, and so careful and kind. I’m sorry everyone has been afraid of you, but once they get over the shock, they’re realize just how grateful they are to you for helping them escape Richard and those men. You’re as much of a hero as me. You deserve recognition and praise for your help.” She leaned forward, gesturing for him to lay his hand down in front of her so she could rest her own atop his finger. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Dave didn’t think he could go so far as to call himself a hero, but it did help to hear that Rory noticed his discomfort growing after being around the other frightened humans. He’d been starting to feel like an awful person or a horrible monster, but the way Rory kept her hand on his washed all that fear away. She trusted him, and that was all that mattered.

“Do you need help wrapping your leg?” He winced with a sudden thought, “Do you think it’s broken?”

She shook her head, still keeping her hand on his. “Not broken – I’ve broken enough bones to know what that feels like. The bone and muscles are just bruised, maybe a little fractured. Nothing a wrap and rest won’t fix.” She eyed his teacup, and a look of embarrassment crossed her face. “Actually… Dave… My entire body feels like one giant bruise. I was joking about that bath at first but – would it be alright if I did? Take a tea bath? Maybe it’d help with the swelling and bruising.”

Dave blinked, a flush of his own warming his cheeks. “Oh – of course, uhm, yes – that makes sense to me. These herbs are great medicinally as tea or baths, I suppose…” His words trailed off as she watched him with a soft smile as he fumbled over himself. “I’ll just, er, fetch you a new cup!”

She took her hand back and Dave all but shot up, then kicked himself for the fast movement. Rory didn’t seem to mind though; she just started to dig through her bag to find more wrap material she must’ve packed just in case.

He left for the kitchen, looking through the cupboards until he found the delicate China cup with roses and leaves painted across it, and gold bordering its edges. He had a whole set gifted to him from his other mum. She told him everyone should have a nice set of China for guests, and it made tea drinking more enjoyable. Dave never had a reason to share his cups before, as he was never one to invite guests over, but Rory’s visit more than warranted the good China.

As an afterthought, Dave grabbed one of his soft washcloths for her to use as a towel, and slivered off a piece of the goat’s milk and honey soap he had on the counter. His heart thudded heavily in his chest for some reason by the time he came back with all his gathered supplies.

“Here you go,” he said, setting everything down beside her on the little table. The fire crackled welcoming in front of them and the candles flittered their low light even as the sunrise began to color the sky pink in the darkness. “I brought you some of my soap, and this washcloth to dry off with. If you had an extra pair of clothes, I could wash the dirty ones for you…”

She smiled up at him, a little softness coming over her that Dave could only guess came from feeling shy. He’d never seen Rory be shy about anything. “I do have an extra pair, but there’s no need to wash these for me, I’ll get to them later today, but thank you.” She stood up, keeping her right leg stiff as she walked toward the cup. Her eyebrows rose as she took in the designs. “This is beautiful… I never really drank out of China before. Or bathed in it either, I guess,” she added with a grin.

Dave brought the teapot back over and carefully filled her cup, steam rising. It had cooled down to be perfectly hot enough for melting muscle knots and aches. He added more tea, and the water turned a warm auburn color, some of the herbs and blue and purple flower petals escaping to float at the top. Dave had to admit that it looked really relaxing, and wished he could sink into his own cup like her.

She stepped closer, giving it an appreciative look over as well. “It smells and looks so good, thank you very much Dave!” Rory said, already tugging her hair loose from the ponytail to shake it out and run her fingers through it. She caught his gaze on her, and her smile grew. “This is perfect.”

Dave stood again, taking a step back to give her space again. “No problem at all, Rory. I hope it helps you feel better. I’ll just – um – I’ll be outside to give you some privacy. There’s a separate restroom outside my bedroom for washing up and the like. I’ll just… Take this with me and do some freshening up.” He leaned over her to get his tea. “Just, give me a shout when you’re finished – if you’d like.”

With as much grace as he could manage, and with one last look just as Rory started to unlace her overshirt, Dave all but ran out of the room. What was wrong with him?

It was some time later, after he washed up and put on his bedclothes, that he heard her small voice rise up from the living room. “…Dave?”

“Is it safe to enter?” he asked from inside his bedroom.

A small laugh, then, “Yes, no worries, I’m all decent.”

He opened his bedroom door slowly before padding into the room to find Rory sitting beside the teacup. She wore a new outfit, but without the overclothes on top, with just a white undershirt and a new pair of brown britches to sleep in, and no stockings on her bare feet. Her dark blonde hair hung far past her shoulders, damp and long. As he came closer, she pulled the washcloth up to rub at her head one more time to attempt to dry her hair more.

The washcloth had been the smallest he could find, but next to her it was less towel-size and more blanket-size. He tried not to think of what she’d looked like wrapped in it after getting out of the teacup. He mentally scolded himself – why did he feel so strongly about her, and what did it mean? When did it happen?

“Could you help me wrap my leg?” Her question came innocent enough, but his nerves shot through him, and his heart started to race again. So much for the relaxing tea. She gestured to the wrap material laid out beside her. “I’m having a hard time wrapping the whole thing.”

He paused behind his chair, then moved around it to sink back onto the soft rug again. “How does it feel now? Did the tea bath help?” he asked softly, adjusting his glasses to get a better look at her leg.

A smile lit up her face, and the freckles that speckled her face looked like little constellations. “Actually, it really did help! My body doesn’t ache as bad, and I think the bruising has gone down as well.”

Her leg indeed looked a less angry purple, and when she tilted her chin up, he saw the cut on her throat looked clean and a healthy pink. “That’s fantastic,” he breathed, some of that worry fading away to see her on the mend.

“How about you?” she asked, tilting her head up at him. “Does your head feel better?”

“Oh – yes, it does.” He sank down a little lower to avoid towering. The tea really helped, his temples no longer throbbed, and his aches had lessened now to only leave him tired from the day’s events.

“That’s good,” Rory said with a smile as she leaned back against her teacup. “Sorry to ask for your help. I’m normally good at wrapping, it’s basic field training. But it hurts to bend over my leg to get to it.”

Dave shook his head to chase away her concerns. “No problem at all. I’d be happy to… Just… Let me know if I’m not being gentle enough – please.” He looked at the bandage supplies and her fragile leg and suddenly the simple task seemed daunting.

She raised her leg up in the air so he could more easily get to it, and he carefully unwrapped her white bandage material until he was ready. Holding his breath, Dave leaned in even closer, a slight jolt passing through him as he just barely brushed the soft skin on her leg with a finger before he started the wrap.

With how large the bruising was, he had to wrap down her entire lower leg, from beneath her knee to her ankle. Then, as carefully as possible, he ripped the bandage, using a small piece of his own bandage tape he’d left on the table. No matter how small he tried to tear it, the piece of his tape stuck out large and bulky on her leg, but it would hold. Then, he grabbed her grey top wrap and went over it again to keep the bandage material safe.

With that done, he raised his pointer finger to delicately under her leg so she could rest it as he looked over his handiwork. It would have to do – at least the wrap would keep her leg protected while also prevent swelling. He brushed a finger down it without thinking, then froze, risking a glance down at Rory.

She didn’t seem to mind, just watched with a tired smile on her lips. Her arms held slightly pink scratches down them, and he frowned in thought as he slowly lowered her leg back down. “What are those scratches from?” he asked, keeping his voice low due to how close he still was to her.

“Ugh,” she bemoaned, glaring at her arms. “Grass! Evil, weedy, sharp, giant grass.”

His eyebrows rose. “Yikes. Sorry your visit to the giant world hasn’t been the most welcoming.”

“Well, some of it has,” she remarked. “And that makes it worth it.” Before Dave could even register what that meant, she leaned forward, frowning at his lower face. “Your lip still looks angry. Did you put any medicine on it?”

“Oh,” Dave said sheepishly, “I’d forgotten.” It still hurt, but in light of everything else that happened today, a cut lip was the least of his concerns.

Ignoring his protest, Rory got up and hobbled over to the medical supplies he’d gathered earlier. She perused the salves and creams until she spotted a small container of pain and healing salve. Then she pushed it toward Dave, waving off his help until she got it close enough. “Could you get this open for me?” she finally asked, brushing her hair back from her face.

Giving her a confused look, Dave reached down and undid the lid. “What are you - ?”

“Lean down,” she said gently, cutting off his question. “I’ll put this on for you.”

Dave’s eyebrows rose. “Oh… You don’ have to do that.”

“Lean down, Dave,” she repeated, her smile growing as she crossed her arms. “Or I’ll have to climb you, and you wouldn’t want me to hurt my leg again, now, would you?”

That made him react quicker. He didn’t doubt for a moment that her statement was just a bluff; she absolutely would try to climb him if he didn’t listen.

Crossing his arms to lay them on the coffee table, Dave rested his chin atop them to get comfortable and to be more at eyelevel with her. “Is this alright?” he asked, resigned, letting some joking grievance color his tone.

“Perfect.” She stepped closer, coming right up to his face, and tilted her head in thought as she looked him over. Then she turned back and sunk her hand into the ivory cream, scooping some out before facing him again. “Geesh, having a big tub of antibacterial and pain cream would be helpful,” she remarked as she came a little closer, laughter dancing in her eyes. “I think I’ll come over for a visit and roll around in it every time I finish an adventure. I always need a bucket of the stuff after.”

A part of Dave panged at the thought of Rory all beat up after each journey. ‘She’s always there to help everyone and save the day, but who’s there to help her at the end of it?’ But he knew she wanted to keep the conversation light right now, so he cracked a small grin. “You’re welcome to it anytime.”

Then their jokes faded to concentration as Rory carefully rose her hand up and smeared the cream onto the middle of his split, swollen bottom lip. He’d cleaned it up in his washroom, but it still stung. Now the cream worked immediately to soothe the pain. Dave held his breath, every sense focused on the small touch as Rory gently rubbed it in until the cream melted into his skin. She smelled like honey and roses. Her undershirt showed off the gold necklace she wore, resting just between her collar bones.

Her hazel eyes flickered up to meet his as she dropped her hand, a slight pink blushing her cheeks. “Feel better?”

Dave blinked a few times, trying to focus on her question and not her proximity. “…Yes,” he breathed, afraid of talking any louder. “Much. Thank you.”

Her gaze rose to the bruise across his face and temple, and she frowned. “I wish I could do something for your bruise. You said the tea helped with your pain, at least?”

He nodded slightly. “Yes, but I feel even better because of you.”

Rory took in a breath, holding his gaze a second longer, then stepped back. “I wanted to do what I could to repay you for your help,” she said with a shrug. “But I don’t think I’ll ever be able to repay you for everything you’ve done.”

“There’s no need for any repayment.” Dave watched her hold a hand over her mouth with a sudden yawn, and felt one come on himself. “Would you like to get some rest? I know it’s early morning by now, but I figure we should still sleep while we can.”

“Gods yes!” Rory said. “I am utterly exhausted.” She stumbled a little on her leg, and Dave sat back up and reached out to offer her some support. “You need some rest, too. I told the queen in my letter that I will be back to explain things tomorrow. I figured that would buy us a day to actually rest.”

Dave thought back to Richard’s abandoned cabin and his horses in the field. He probably should still make it to the councilmembers later today while Rory still rested. He didn’t want to chance an alarm being raised. But he could take some time now to get some sleep before worrying about all of that.

“That sounds like a good plan,” he agreed. “You’re welcome to sleep in this blanket if you’d like. It’s next to the fireplace and should stay warm for a while.”

Dave started to take his hand away, but Rory kept her grip around his finger. He looked back down in surprise, and she suddenly looked a little sheepish again.

“Actually… Dave…” she leaned more weight on him to keep it off her leg with a wince. “Would it be alright if I… slept with you…?” She looked up to meet his gaze, that shyness settling on her features once more. Then she shook her head, sputtering out, “I’m being ridiculous. We just met a few days ago and here I am, encroaching on your space and dragging you in on adventures you never wanted to go on that get you hurt. And now I’m not even leaving you alone so you can sleep.”

Dave’s mouth fell open a little bit through her words before he snapped it shut again in surprise. “No, it’s okay – It’s just that, I figured even though you’ve been more than tolerable around me, I might still be a bit much after everything that’s happened. Y’know, Richard’s was traumatic for everyone, but you took the brunt of it. And I’m sure even though you know I’d never hurt you, there was a moment you believed I could… At that house.”

He grimaced at the memory of the look of betrayal on her face. She’d forgiven him already, but he still felt awful about it, and suspected the fear still lingered for her. The whole event was going to take time to recover from, especially for her. He didn’t want to rush her into anything that might make her feel uncomfortable, so he figured it would be best to give her some space.

“How do you do that?” Rory asked, her eyebrows pinching together in a frown as a soft touch of wonder crossed her face.

“…Do what?” his voice came out even lower to match her almost whisper.

“See right through me?” She brought her other hand up to squeeze the finger she leaned against. “I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone care enough to get to know me. I’ve always felt like an actress playing the right part to everyone, but you see right through it to how I really feel. It’s true, I am still a little jumpy after the event, and I thought it would make things difficult to be around you… But… I see now it’s just the opposite. I realize you make me feel safe. I can’t explain it.”

Without overthinking it, Dave cupped his hand around her, and when she didn’t protest, he carefully scooped her up, so she no longer had to put any weight on her leg at all. She gripped his thumb as he brought her closer.

“I can’t explain it either,” he all but whispered, letting some truth finally come out. “I feel like my life has brightened since you’ve arrived. Well, it’s certainly gotten more chaotic,” he chuckled. “But so much brighter. I don’t know what that means. I’m a little frightened by it.”

“Me too,” Rory admitted as she held his gaze. This is the magic of late-night talks fueled by exhaustion. Truths are easier to admit. “I’ve never felt like this with anyone else. And I’m not quick to feel feelings like this. I don’t even think I should say what I’m feeling because it doesn’t make sense.”

It couldn’t make sense. Not for them. They were literally from two different worlds. But Dave longed to make it make sense. “I’ve never felt this way before either,” he breathed.

Rory held his gaze. Then shook her head. “We don’t have to think about it right now or try to make sense of it. Let’s get some rest and deal with everything tomorrow.”

Dave felt a pang go through him at the thought of the morning rays exposing their secrets to reality’s critical eye. He didn’t want to think about that. Right now, he could only stay in the moment and enjoy what time he had with her.

Tucking her close and grabbing the blue blanket, Dave carried her with him into his bedroom to get the sleep they both craved. “Would you like to sleep on the side table, then?” Dave asked Rory as he took of his glasses and placed them next to the blanket for the night.

Much to his surprise, Rory piped up, “…I thought, maybe, if it was okay with you – that I…” she kneaded her hands nervously, making Dave pause to wait carefully for her response. “…Sleep on you?” She grimaced, “Gods, that sounds needy. I only mean because riding in your pocket made me realize that listening to your heartbeat calms my worried thoughts, and I was hoping it’d do the same to help me fall asleep tonight.”

Dave knew how difficult it was for her to ask since she was used to never showing her emotions or asking for help. He didn’t want her to feel embarrassed in the slightest. “Oh, thank goodness, that would help me sleep better, too,” he said, holding her carefully as he sunk onto the bed.

She watched him warily, eyebrow raising, still holding his thumb for stability as she sat in his palm. “Really?” she said, her tone laced with suspicion. “It would?”

He nodded. “Truthfully, I was afraid I was going to lose you two times today. I know I’ll sleep better knowing you’re safe.”

She smiled thankfully at him, and Dave was grateful he avoided her feeling any sense of insecurity. Rory deserved a chance to let her guard down. As gracefully as he could, Dave laid down on his back and settled his hand on his chest for Rory to step off onto. He froze as her bare feet pressed delicately against the fabric of his green cotton sleep shirt, not wanting to knock her off-balance. She made it over to the left side of his chest, trying to hide another yawn as she laid down.

It felt like his whole heart was there, outside of his chest. “Is that… comfortable enough? I can grab the blanket for you to lay on instead – for more padding.” He kept his voice low but could still feel the rumbling undertone in his chest.

“Hm? Mm.” She waved him off, curling up into a small ball. Dave took that as a no thanks about the blanket and decided not to bother her anymore. “Thanks, Dave,” she murmured sleepily.

And so, with Rory curled on his chest, gently rising and falling with his every breath, and his blankets tucked up around them both, Dave brought his hand up to cover and hold her as she drifted off. It was in the last moments when Rory reached out in her sleep to hug his thumb that Dave finally fell asleep at last.

#always reblogging this

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