Time passed differently here. Davis had to await a disaster call to go on duty again, but every moment he was with Chloe he knew he could easily forget it. They were alone and without the connections to the outside world that a communications expert like her needed like food. They hadn't really thought about food all the way into that night either.

His home? was cut off from everything else, a two hour walk away from good eats. There were no worries about neighbors pounding on the walls demanding quiet, she grinned. Leave it to her to find the silver lining.

She'd just had a grueling flight though and eventually she was actually sleeping, making a slow whuffling sound into his chest. He put her cheek on the fluffed pillow, didn't want her to bruise when he slid out from over her, fumbling in the dark, stepping out into the dark night. He'd said they would make their way back once; but this time would be different. Every time it was different, but he refused to think of that now.

Regardless of what she thought, he would change it. But first he had to rouse her, preferably by crawling in next to her. She noticed that. "Come with me, just for a second?"

"I'm happy where I am." She murmured, curling cat-like into him. (Since when had she learned that?). He was clothed, thank god. It couldn't be too hard, but it was. She had disturbingly grabby fingers and a soft mouth.

"This is much better." she whispered, like it was a dirty word, kissing the movement out of his throat and he had to stop her. Had to. Had to.

He leapt up, gathered the two ends of his collar back together, hands moving in dazed slowness. Thoughts. Sentient thoughts.

"Just trust me okay? I have to show you something." He couldn't betray his resolution now. He smoothed the sweaty hair away from her ear and held out his hand. "Please?"

"Stop with that face. You've won. You might as well cover my eyes while you're at it." She grumbled.

She took his hand finally, fingers curling into it. He guided them; closed them over the shutter pull and she didn't pull right away. She looked so small with the shirt hanging over her shoulder. Vulnerable, like he could have broken her if he ever pushed to hard. "Okay."

She yanked back on the rope and squinted at the shower of red falling all around her. Rose petals, red as blood. Right outside, the slow strum of guitar strings came to life. There were three voices, bass and tenor, a little rough around the edges. /Recuerda aquella tarde que yo te conoci/

She turned back to him, eyes comically wide, accusing. "You just had the last word, didn't you? Romance forsooth!"
He shrugged, eyebrows perking and hands sweating. Wait for it.

/Olle esta canzion lleva alma corazon y vida…/
There were three mariachis, mustached and in wide brimmed hats, amiable enough that they agreed to trouping on out in the middle of the night for a few Soles. She was a pretty girl? They'd asked. They didn't know the half of it.

/Alma para conquistarte, Corazon para quererte y vida para vivirla junta a ti./
Chloe closed her eyes, tapped her fingers to the beat of the solo. She was eclectic; he'd noticed that sharing rides with her to Isis sometimes.

He wanted to learn all those things, too, whatever this thing between them ended up being. He tried to keep back the rustle of sound from the gravel on his knee.

"You're going to ask me to marry you." She was kneeling on level with him, knees scraping on the dirt.

"How--?"

"Heart, Soul and Life. Intermediate Spanish. We special coverage reporters need diverse educations." Her voice wasn't light and flirting, it was frail.

"And…will you..?" She hadn't even opened her eyes yet, and the impending words froze in his throat.

What did this look like to her, like he wanted the white dress, a pretty girl on his arm, the flashing camera? Like he wanted to grab onto her with two hands and not let her go? Chloe was his riddle and half the time he didn't know how to hold on to that answer.

When you find love hold onto it, he'd told her once and maybe he was holding on too tight, too soon. She wanted him, he knew that, but maybe she didn't want forever. She'd just gotten out of that.

(He didn't want perfect. He wasn't Jimmy.) He'd wanted to say 'It's out there. It's open.' in a less dramatic way than letting her find him. Something she could enjoy for once. He didn't want her to cry.

Her cheek was wet when her lips hit his and there wasn't really another explanation. She kissed him harder and he couldn't breathe. She'd done this before. This part of them was easy, but he wanted the more complex to part to be too. He drew a hand along her cheek, slid it between her insistent lips and his. She wasn't saying a word now, ducking her head into his neck to avoid his eyes.

"You don't have to answer today or tomorrow. I just thought it would be nice…" His stomach did a slow turn on itself and this was another one of their moments.

It felt like she had been waiting since forever.

"What else did you think I meant by that ring?" The tentative, almost cobweb-like weight of her hands felt extra sharp and extra real. "I do." She blinked fast and didn't turn her away, kept them fixed on his face. "Say something?"

He understood the fear in her eyes then. Not of losing everything; but having it all. She wasn't running and he wasn't waiting and this meant something. He remembered what if was like to smile.

The music had long since fallen into a confused jumble but the universe had shrunken, narrowed into this microcosm of their moment.

His arms barely caught up to hold her tight and she didn't squirm this time, didn't try to wriggle herself closer so that he would lose his mind and they could forget what it all meant. Her hands drew up his back and stayed there like they were content to rest there forever.

There were many things Davis would remember that night.

The gist was simple. He'd waited. She had. They weren't waiting any longer.

Endnotes:

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Eager for more Chlavis?The Among Us Virtual Season, better known as the Chlavis Show has premiered, with Trace, by moi. It won't be posted here, so follow the link and watch our comm and youtube channel for more. .