The Long Walk Home, Pt 4

[m_k_tksa 0]

Maec awoke to feeling a warm weight across his chest. Na really uncomfortable. More unexpected than anything since it didn't appear to be part of the blankets surrounding him. It took a moment more to realize that the soft puffs of warm air against his neck was someone's breathing. He opened his eyes and carefully turned his head to see Morgana sleeping soundly nestled next to him. It was her arm he felt draped on his chest and her face nestled next to him on the pillow. Maec froze, gulping down the huge lump in his throat that had nothing to do with his illness. There was nothing he could but stare at her sleeping so peacefully. The soft rise and fall of her chest as she rested. The way that her eye lashes fluttered against her cheek while in REM sleep. Her long brown hair spread out against her shoulders and pillow. Her lips curled into a content smile. Elements! He was afraid to move and disturb her.

 

When he could na bare to na touch her any longer, he reached up slowly and brushed a strand of hair from her face, then rested his hand on her arm stretched across his chest. Three years ago he’d watched her sleep peacefully in his bed after another very early morning wake call. She’d looked so…peaceful then. Now, he had a whole different thought, with her snuggled against him like this. Elements do na wake, fhaen. Stay...here. But she did wake, blinking and wiping the sleep from her eyes. She propped herself up on an elbow, glancing confusedly around. "Au were asleep." He offered.

 

"Hann'yyo Kheinsa Obvious." Morgana leaned up over him and peered at the bedside chrono. "How are au feeling?"

 

Distracted with Morgana leaning over him, her body pressed against his, Maec stumbled in his response. "Uh...fine."

 

"Hungry?"

 

By Fire this is na fair. Maec stared up at Morgana as she reached over him and grabbed her multicorder from the bedside table. "Naaaa.."

 

Morgana rested her hand against his forehead. "Au's fever seems to have broken....finally." She turned on her multicorder and scanned him. Maec remained frozen in place. She was still close to him to trust himself na to do something stupid."Ie, looks like au are showing definite signs of improvement." She sighed softly, mercifully sitting up then climbing out of the bed. He watched her feeble attempt to straighten her rumpled clothing as she departed for the kitchen. "Au need to eat something."

 

"I'm na hungry." Maec sat up and carefully moved to the edge of the bed. He was still dizzy, but less so than he was earlier and was na longer sure of the dizziness should be attributed to the illness or something else. He also did na feel the same chill running through his body as earlier. In fact, quite the opposite.

 

"Maenak's orders. Au will eat." Morgana smirked, apparently making herself in home in his kitchen. "Why do au na get freshened up and I'll make au something to eat."

 

"Men do na 'freshen' up." Maec mumbled, standing slowly and then shuffling to the refresher.

 

"Whatever." Morgana called out as he disappeared. "Men! Ha! Verruls the lot of them!"

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Morgana waited until he was well out of sight and ear shot before she exhaled a well deserved sigh of relief. Ie, she had been worried about him. Very much so. Even though the multicorder readings had indicated that Maec's illness was indeed a simple infection, she still could na stop worrying about him. He had slept so soundly, even when she had given him re more doses, he refused to wake for more than a groggy few seconds. The sleep would do him good, but why did he have to sleep like the dead?

 

She'd curled up beside him for her own comfort, watching him fidget in his sleep with unknown nightmares. For hours she stared at him, even poked his shoulder a few times just to make sure he might be able to be rousted. She imagined that he'd find a few unexplained bruises when he finished in the refresher..and considering her anger had abated, the poking bruises to his arm was probably the closest she’d get to bashing his head in for his earlier comments. His behavior also left her wondering if he slept this soundly when he was well. A girl could have some fun with that.

 

By the time he had returned, dressed in fresh clothes, Morgana had made the final touches on a mild hlai'vna soup, toasted bread and fragrant tea. "Sit" she ordered, setting re bowls down on the dining table. "Come and eat. We need to get some food in au. And I will na be picking au up off the floor if au pass out from lack of nutrition."

 

"Au cooked?" Maec seemed hesitant as he took a seat. A dubiously look was plastered across his face as he stared at his bowl.

 

"Ie, I cooked." Morgana's io brow raised. "Why do au seem so surprised?"

 

Morgana was having a difficult time reading his expression. Either he was surprised or he was teasing her. "I did na know that a Ksa knew how to cook."

 

"Just because my dear youngest rinam Kalicia has a tendency to set fire to the heating appliance just by bowling water does na mean the rest of us are inept. I'll have au know that Lannisal and I are very well versed in the culinary arts. As well as my mother and father."

 

He dipped his spoon into the bowl and carefully inspected the contents. He looked as if he was afraid she was trying to poison him or that something was still alive in the bowl. Finally he took a tentative sip from the spoon, "Ummm..." He looked pleasantly surprised, staring at the bowl with a look of shock. He took another slurp from the bowl. "Mmmhmmm...Morgana, this is menkha. This is actually very menkha."

 

"I told au.” She answered flatly. He seemed to ignore her sarcastic tone. “Glad au like it." Morgana lightened up and laughed softly as she watched him devour the soup as if he was starving man. "And I thought au said au weren't hungry?"

 

"I did na know I was." He smiled up at her. "Just like I did na know au knew how to cook."

 

Morgana blushed, pretending to find her tea interesting. She had been thinking about his admission know for hours. She wanted to ask him about it, but did na know how to bring it up. She fidgeted nervously, "How are au feeling?"

 

"Better, hann'yyo. And au asked me that earlier."

 

"Llienn'yyo." Morgana bit her lip. "Maec...um..." she scratched her pointed ear. "Um...about what au said earlier..." He glanced up, looking at her in a way that made her cheeks feel like they were on fire. "...about na wanting to tell Kalicia."

 

"Ie, well I did na mean to..." Maec looked embarrassed, absentmindedly dipping his toast into the broth. He frowned, looking as if he was trying to remember what he'd said during his feverish rantings.

 

"Why do au na wish to tell my rinam?" She tilted her head, watching him.

 

"I do na know."

 

"Ie au do. And I want to know why."

 

"Honestly, I do na think I could bare listening to her gloat about...us when I've..."

 

"Au what?" Morgana offered, leaning forward to lay a hand on his. Maec flinched, pulling his hand away. She smiled shyly at him. She wanted to reach out to touch his hand again. Instead she pulled it away. "I do na blame au. I do na exactly relish the idea of telling her either. Taking ownership over our...um...friendship." Morgana felt like the butterflies in her stomach were plotting against her again.

 

"Friendship now is it?"

 

"Well, what would au call it?" Morgana looked startled.

 

"Well...I....uh..." he stalled, looking up at her. An uncomfortable silence settled between them.

 

Morgana counted to ten silently before breaking in "See! Au do na know either. Ha!" She pushed back from the table, snatching his empty bowl and her full bowl away, hauling them to the kitchen. She dropped them with a clang into the recycler. "We haven’t physically seen each other in three years. We exchange letters, ie. And we talk in communiqués but we fight more like adversaries than..."

 

"Than what?" Unexpectedly, Maec had followed her. Morgana jumped when she heard his voice near her ear. He stood behind her, grabbed the back of her arms and held her closed to him for a moment. Was he trying to egg her on? Trying to aggravate her into admitting something?

 

"…than friends." She smirked. I am na going to be the io to say it. Or at least be the first io.

 

"So we are competitors?"

 

"Well, na really that either. Acquaintances.” She teased him. “But I do enjoy au’s efforts to be friendly, so I would rather think of au as such."

 

"Oh, well it's nice to know that au do na see me as anything more than a friend." Maec growled, pulling back.

 

"Well, that didn’t come out the way I wanted it to sound. And why are au getting so cranky?" She turned to face him and shifting slightly away so that they no longer touched. So this Maenak was na menkha with flirting. Elements.

 

"I am na. And au started it." Maec leaned back with a sour look on his face.

 

"Au do na hear what au want and au get all...pouty on me." Morgana smirked. "Maybe au need a nap." She pushed him back towards the door of his bedroom. That's it, na more. I am na getting involved in io of these battles of will with him tonight. I'm far too tired and he's still far too sick. "Au protested getting treatment. Au fuss at me like a child. Au scowl. What’s next? Au will throw things at me? I swear au are my worse patient ever."

 

"Do na attempt to change the subject, Khera. We're na finished with this conversation," Maec growled, dug his heals in and stared up at her.

 

The use of her private name made her jittery, so she decided to throw it right back at him. "Na, Rulon, e'lev, I think we are. It's time for au's nap." Her tone had been snarky, but the words she used had obviously surprised Maec. He looked rather shocked. Not only had she used his private name for the first time in several years, but had used a very private term of endearment for ios beloved. E’lev. If he had know that she had actually *meant* both terms, he would probably pass out again. The snarky tone however was meant to temper the meaning so he would na see the seriousness in her vocabulary choice. "Say that again."

 

Oops. Io look at him and suddenly she thought her plan backfire. And there was na way she could take it back if he didn’t buy her story. "Say what?" Morgana did the next best thing. She played dumb.

 

"What au just said."

 

"Nap time?" She managed to push him back towards his bed. She pushed him down and grabbed the blankets at the foot of the bed.

 

"Na, the other part." He stood back up in defiance.

 

"What other part?" She pushed him back down again, looking aggravated with him. She was also using the blankets as a shield.

 

"The part where au said my name." Maec stood back up and refusing to let her push him any further. Grabbing her wrist, he yanked the blankets from her then pulled her closer so that she stood nose to nose with him.

 

"I did na say au's name." Morgana continued to play dumb.

 

"Au did too." Maec smiled wolfishly at her.

 

"Au must have been hallucinating, e'lev." Morgana rolled her eyes. Then froze. Oh Elements...I didn't. Tell me I didn't just say that. She looked up at Maec who's expression now matched what she imagined to be her own. Shock. Oh Elements...I did! Morgana gulped, feeling her face burning. This time there had been na snarky tone in order to downplay her slip of the tongue. She had quite obviously meant to call him 'beloved'. And he knew!

 

Morgana watched as Maec gulped too, wide eyed. "That's......what I thought au said. Khera." He stared into her eyes for the longest time before cupping her face in his hands…….

Edited May 29, 2008 by m_k_tksa