Life in General

"Doon! Dinner is ready now!" Lina hollered from the kitchen from her post over a pan of potatoes which were sizzling nicely.

"I'll be there in a few minutes!" He yelled back, busy over a cluttered bench of wires, old springs, and broken lightbulbs. "I just figured out how this works!" Lina sighed, wiping her oily hands on her apron. Doon was clearly in one of his 'Concentration Modes' as Lina had named them, and wouldn't be out for a while.

"Suit yourself! It's your fault if your fried potatoes are cold when you come out!" She yelled, playing her last card. Lina heard odd silence from Doon's workroom, the one room in their house where he spent most of his time. Lina gave a smug smile to herself and removed her apron, revealing a pale blue shirt and comfortable shorts. Her long, mahogany hair was braided to halfway down her back and the contented smile on her face was a perfect reflection of the peace she felt within. Picking up her plate, she made her way leisurely to the living room, prepared for the familiar set of arms suddenly wrapped around her body.

"Lina Mayfleet fights dirty. Who knew?" She heard Doon's voice mutter into her ear; a small smile spread across her face.

"I wasn't fighting dirty. I was merely taking advantage of your weaknesses, potato-lover." She muttered back, placing the plate of food on the floor and turning to face her husband, wrapping her arms languidly around his neck.

"How do you know my weaknesses? Do you have a list?" He said, placing his lean arms around her waist and touching his forehead to hers.

"Well, I'm thinking me, potatoes, mechanics, me, tinkering, me… oh, I nearly forgot, me." She said, grinning at Doon's amused expression. He smiled and bent to press his lips against hers, but before his kiss, he stopped, just a few centimetres from Lina's face.

"I didn't know you knew so much." He whispered, and kissed her soundly on the lips. Lina was not disappointed; it seemed to her that every time she and Doon kissed, something was different… something made the tingles that ran down her body seem more electric every time, and something made the warmth that she felt seem more heated. Either they were getting better at kissing, or Lina was becoming more and more delusional.

Lina and Doon were past the awkward stages of their teen years, messing around behind the bookshelves of the Ark, when Lizzie was jealous that they had fallen in love and she hadn't; when the only people who knew about them were Lizzie, and Edward, the librarian. Yet they had not forgotten that they were best friends; that Doon knew every one of Lina's messenger routes, and Lina could always find Doon, even when he wasn't in his usual haunts. They knew each other so well that sometimes it seemed that they were one person; one seamless being.

"So." Lina said breathlessly, after breaking the kiss. "I think that these potatoes are already cold, but they should still taste good." She murmured, picking up her dinner and making her way to the living room of their house, seating herself in one of the armchairs by the fire. A moment later, Doon joined her, sitting down in his armchair, slyly glancing her way and smirking slightly, knowing full well that his hair was sticking up, and knowing that it was bothering Lina – a mental itch that wouldn't go away until the problem was solved.

The two sat, side by side long after they had finished their dinner, talking quietly, until Lina began to fall asleep. Slowly, she drifted off into a daze, her eyes slowly closing and her body relaxing. Bit by bit, so as not to disturb Lina, Doon raised himself from his chair and picked lifted her from her chair, scooping her up bridal-style. Quietly and trying not to jolt her he made his way from there to their bedroom.

Gently laying her on their bed, Doon stroked her hair softly, looking at her face which was still encapsulated in the depths of sleep. Doon and Lina's love consisted mostly of dry humour and the friendship that only their experiences could bring. But every now and then, they would look at each other in a different way; a way that was always there, quietly existing in their lives.

Coincidentally, Lina's eyes opened slightly, and she smiled, reaching up her arms as does a child who wishes to be cuddled. Instead of picking her up, he sank down beside her and wrapped his arms around her, feeling that overwhelming protectiveness that only a best friend can feel. In response to his touch she snaked her arms up around his neck and kissed him swiftly on the lips, snuggling deeper into his chest and quickly falling asleep. Doon drew in a deep, slightly ragged breath, knowing full well that all these years later, she could still have that effect on him.

They had been there for a little while, and Doon had just started to doze off, when he felt her shift slightly in the welcome prison of his arms, and looked down to see her eyes open and her mouth quirked in that mischievous smile he loved so much.

"What?" He asked, starting to become suspicious that something was up. Her smile widened.

"Your hair's still sticking up!" She giggled, and proceeded to mess it up even more, rubbing her hands through his thick dark locks and laughing like a maniac. Doon's lips kept twitching as a tried in vain not to smile, but his inner happiness won out in the end, and their joined laughter pealed throughout the room. After a while it died away and was replaced by soothing silence. Lina broke it by saying, "I never thought I would be this happy…", her hands still buried in his hair, her eyes staring off into the distance in a dreamy state.

"Neither." was his reply. "But look where we are now?" She smiled at his ever-present depth and wisdom.

"Of course, you're right" She said, shifting her body closer to his. "By the way, I have a request."

He brought his gaze to hers and shrugged. "You know I'd give you everything." Lina smiled at the heartfelt endearment, and gently stroked the side of his face.

"But, you see, I don't need everything in this request, I just need one thing." She said, and Doon leaned into her hand and sighed.

"Then tell me." She smiled and brought her face a hair's breadth from his.

"Love me, Doon."

"Your wish is my command" He uttered in mock seriousness, pulling Lina atop his body as her laughter grew.

YAY FLUFF!

You know what to do, click the button and show me the love (wow, that sounds so dirty when I say it like that…)

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it :D

Love ReverseQueen xxx