xp_logs | Nathan and Moira, Friday morning (Reply)

He makes her breakfast in bed. To make up for being a doofus.

Moira groaned and rolled over, batting at the sunlight irritably. _Someone_ had opened up the shades. _Someone_ was going to die a horrible, painful, messy death. Once she rolled out of bed, that was. First chance to sleep in in days and here was the sun, rudely waking her before she wanted to be up. Pain, lots and lots of pain for everyone.

Nathan poked his head in the bedroom door, carefully keeping the tray out of sight. "Morning," he called softly as she sat up, rubbing her eyes and glaring at him sleepily. "Orange juice or grapefruit?" he went on, finally coming in.

"Wha' an' wha'?" she said, blinking. There would be no tracking well until she had her coffee.

"Do you want orange juice or grapefruit?" he said meekly, bringing the tray over to the bed. "I have the coffee, too. But you need vitamin C. And orange juice goes well with french toast."

He had made her breakfast. In bed. Moira stared at it for a few seconds and then him. "Ye cooked?" she asked, a smile peeking out amid the sleep-filled face and the messed up hair.

"French toast," Nathan said, "with maple syrup. And bacon. And fruit! I didn't forget the fruit." As she shifted over, he set the tray down beside her. "The coffee's almost done."

She whimpered at him pitifully.

"Two minutes," he promised, bending over her and trying not to wince as he kissed her on the cheek. "You eat. I'll be right back with it."

"Did ye tape those ribs?" she called, leaning over to watch him walk back to the kitchenette. "If ye dinnae, I'm goin' ta throw somethin' at ye."

"I did, I promise," he called back over his shoulder as he went out to get the coffee. He filled two cups, then a glass of orange juice, and came back into the bedroom, giving her the latter and one of the forner. "You're not eating," he protested lightly, sitting down beside her and stealing a strip of bacon.

"Coffee!"

"Jamaica Blue Mountain," Nathan corrected her. "Coffee of the gods."

She reached for it, growling slightly. No one got in the way between her and coffee, that was for certain.

"I was saving it," he said, watching her take a long, rapturous sip. "For special occasions. Or times when I needed to grovel."

"For last night?" She really didn't need to ask.

Nathan nodded. "For not shielding the link," he said, "and for forgiving me for that and helping me talk to Askani." He reached down the link in a gentle caress. "Thank you."

Moira paused long enough in her drinking to lean over and kiss him gently. "Yer lucky yer cute," she teased, leaning against him. "I know some o' tha' anger was from all th' weirdness comin' down th' link. Tha' an' ye were bein' stupid."

"Trust me, this morning I'm kind of regretting the whole thing," Nathan said with a brief chuckle. "I feel like I'm sixty. Nothing like picking a fight with someone who's younger, faster, and half-cybernetic."

She rolled her eyes at him but smiled at the same time. "Doofus."

"I know. And I'm damned lucky you love me anyway." He stole another strip of bacon. Good thing he'd made enough for both of them. "Aren't you going to eat your French toast while it's warm?" he asked her.

"Coffee!" She shook it at him but reached for the fork anyway. "Dinnae give me tha' look, me ulcer is goin' away."

"You still need to eat," he insisted, stretching out beside her and leaned back against the pillows with a sigh. "You know how I said I wasn't going to complain?"

"Mmmhmm. Remember it quite clearly in fact." The french toast, even slightly cooled, was rather good.

"Well, I'm still not going to complain. But I really want to." His ribs hurt and his pride hurt and he was feeling oddly unsettled, even with Askani's promise that they'd be a little more careful about just how much they crowded into his consciousness in future.

Spearing a piece of the french toast, Moira leaned over and silently offered him a bit. "Everythin's goin' ta be okay, ye know tha'."

He took a bite, chewed it thoughtfully. "That turned out okay," he said, then smiled crookedly. "Hopefully life will emulate the French toast."

Giggling, she left her food alone and curled up next to him, taking care not to poke any sore spots. "It will, promise." She waved her left hand at him, the diamond sparkling in the sun. It never left her hand unless she was in the lab or taking a shower.

Nathan took her hand and kissed it. "But the ups and down are fun," he teased. "Right? Speaking of which, I'm a bit worried about how things will go in LA with Angelo this weekend. Anything you think I should be watching for, in terms of his reaction?"

"Make sure nothin's on fire, will ye?" she asked, thinking about it for a second. "An' make sure 'e doesnae overextend 'imself. 'e's still recoverin' from th' burns an' they did quite a number on 'ow 'is skin stretches."

"Wise and beautiful," Nathan said, kissing her on the cheek again. "Eat your French toast."