For a timeless moment we just stared at each other. Then she swept me into her arms, and we were kissing. It was desperate, wanton, needy. But all I felt was a pure joy. She did still want me. I wanted to dance, to shout, to tell the world. We broke apart, faces flushed, and stared each other. I felt my mouth stretch into a smile. Everything was going to be alright.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Her voice rose near the end. "You almost got yourself killed!"
I stared, flummoxed. I opened my mouth, closed it. Finally I came up with something intelligent: "I- what?"
"You almost died! I - Jesus Christ!" She dropped me, then turned in a sharp circle, pacing. I ported down to the ground, absently, but I still felt off balance from her reaction. She came back to me, her hands gripping my arms hard. "You never do that again, understand! Damn you, do you understand me?" I could feel her arms trembling like she wanted to shake me.
I was starting to get angry. No. I was starting to get furious. How - how
dare
she react like this. I could have handled rejection, but getting mad at me for saving her? A small part of me tried to pull back, but it was a futile effort. Being collared the past few weeks, the sleep deprivation, the uncertainty, and now this? It was too much. I exploded.
I ported away from her, contemptuously sweeping her arms aside as she stumbled. "What was I thinking! I was thinking of you!" Her mouth opened, but I overrode her. "No! No, you listen to me. It was my fault! It was all my fault! She was going to kill you, and it was the only way, so I did it, ok?" I turned away, blinking back tears. This was like the island all over again, a trainwreck that I couldn't seem to stop. "I knew I'd lost you! I couldn't let you die too!"
Her voice was hard. "Dammit, Port-"
I felt my rage spike. I whirled on her, shouting her down. "No! Enough! I saw your face, Refill! You believed that lying whore, you thought I was playing you, so why do you care? Why do you fucking care-"
"Because I love you, goddammit! I love - uh. Um." I stared at her as she stammered to a stop. She was slowly turning an interesting shade of red. I felt oddly detached from reality. She started trying to explain. "I - I mean, I know it's too soon, and we haven't really known each other long, but, um. Oh god."
I love you.
My rage was gone, drained away like it had never existed. Absently, I ported directly in front of her, and she stopped talking, staring at me like a deer in headlights. I reached up, slowly, gently, and cradled her face. My voice was calm. "Refill."
She gulped. "Y-yes?"
So far, Refill had been the one that had pursued me. She'd made the first moves. She'd committed 100% to our relationship. Sure, I'd been an active participant, but only a reactionary one. And that just wasn't fair. It wasn't healthy. She deserved better.
So I looked up at her, and I let what I was feeling show on my face. I let her see that I cared. I let her see that I wanted her just as much as she wanted me. I let her see that I thought her accidental confession was fucking adorable. I let her see my love.
I guided her down, forehead to forehead. "Even if it is too soon, I don't care. I love you too." And then I kissed her, for the first time like she'd always kissed me. I poured everything into it - my feelings, my passions, my resolve, what I felt for her, for us. Her arms came around me, and it was a perfect, timeless moment. I wished it could last forever. I wished it could end right now so I could rip her clothes off.
"Ahem."
It's funny how some things are universal. For example, despite having never heard that voice before, I somehow knew - with 100% certainty - that it belonged to a mother. Now, it wasn't
my
mother. Which left one obvious possibility. One incredibly awkward, cringing, never-going-to-live-this-down possibility.
Hello, Refill's mom.
* * *
I wondered if I'd ever be a normal color again. My only consolation was that Refill was an even brighter shade.
I tried to wrench my thoughts into some sort of order. Meeting the parents. Manners. Shit, I'd never had to do this kind of thing as a villain, and I'd been too busy training to do it as a teenager. I decided to go for the basics. Introductions. I started to lift my hand, at which point I realized I was holding tightly to Refill. I started to let go, realized I didn't want to, started to transfer hands, and realized that everyone was silent and staring at me, and froze.
She saved me by stepping forward and smiling brightly at me. "Hello, dear. I'm Emily's mother, but call me Abbey. She's told us so much about you, it's wonderful to finally meet you in person." I scanned her quickly. In her mid-forties, a small enough gap from my age that I mentally squirmed a bit. Not really that similar to Refill - er, Emily - but I could see the resemblance. Not in any particular features, but in how she held herself and the expression on her face.
For a second, I wondered what she'd told them.