nathan "a dick is not worth it" drake (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sketchycharacter) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
thisavrou_log2016-08-01 09:34 pm
sketchycharacter) wrote in thisavrou_log2016-08-01 09:34 pm
Entry tags:
I know you were worth it
Who: Nathan Drake (sketchycharacter) and Elena Fisher (tearsinajar)
When: Early August
Where: The Safe Space
What: It's time for the talk.
Warnings: Some spoilers for Uncharted 4.
[Knowing this talk was coming—knowing for weeks that it would come when Elena was awake, when she was better, when they were ready to face up to all they haven't faced yet—doesn't make it any easier. When Nate checks the old journal to make sure the Polaroid is still safely tucked in its pages, he doesn't look at the subjects of the photo, and when he slides it into his messenger bag, he feels a sharp pang. This is digging up old memories that he tried to lay to rest a long time ago.
This is worth it. His marriage is worth it. Their fight had been painful for facing him with his worst losses, but also because it had confronted them with the fact that for all their supposed progress since coming back together in Yemen, they hadn't really dealt with anything that had pushed them apart in the first place. It was easier to focus on the now, thinking only of how things could be so right between them, than to take a hard look at how things had gone wrong.
Nate's not looking away anymore. He's not even blinking. (In the figurative sense. Not the literal because, well, come on.) He married Elena for a reason: he wants to spend the rest of his life with her. If they're going to get that far, dealing with the hard things is required. He'll do what it takes to make it work.
Her surgery is done and there are no immediate crises at hand, so now's the time. He'd sent her a text asking her to meet him at a particular time and place, and she'd replied, agreeing, which means there's no wiggling out of it. It occurs to him belatedly that he hadn't actually specified what he wanted to talk about, but she knows, right? She must know.
If she doesn't, well, she's about to find out. She's about to find out about a lot of things.
Nate takes a deep breath and heads out to have a talk with his wife.]
sketchycharacter) and Elena Fisher (tearsinajar)When: Early August
Where: The Safe Space
What: It's time for the talk.
Warnings: Some spoilers for Uncharted 4.
[Knowing this talk was coming—knowing for weeks that it would come when Elena was awake, when she was better, when they were ready to face up to all they haven't faced yet—doesn't make it any easier. When Nate checks the old journal to make sure the Polaroid is still safely tucked in its pages, he doesn't look at the subjects of the photo, and when he slides it into his messenger bag, he feels a sharp pang. This is digging up old memories that he tried to lay to rest a long time ago.
This is worth it. His marriage is worth it. Their fight had been painful for facing him with his worst losses, but also because it had confronted them with the fact that for all their supposed progress since coming back together in Yemen, they hadn't really dealt with anything that had pushed them apart in the first place. It was easier to focus on the now, thinking only of how things could be so right between them, than to take a hard look at how things had gone wrong.
Nate's not looking away anymore. He's not even blinking. (In the figurative sense. Not the literal because, well, come on.) He married Elena for a reason: he wants to spend the rest of his life with her. If they're going to get that far, dealing with the hard things is required. He'll do what it takes to make it work.
Her surgery is done and there are no immediate crises at hand, so now's the time. He'd sent her a text asking her to meet him at a particular time and place, and she'd replied, agreeing, which means there's no wiggling out of it. It occurs to him belatedly that he hadn't actually specified what he wanted to talk about, but she knows, right? She must know.
If she doesn't, well, she's about to find out. She's about to find out about a lot of things.
Nate takes a deep breath and heads out to have a talk with his wife.]
no subject
[He's completely serious. They both are. This is one of those big moments, those times you can't fuck up because they're going to stick with you forever, one way another. He can't afford any more mistakes, and that's okay, because he wants this—he wants to face the hard days, the trials, and all the good times too, as long as they do it together.
They're already married, and even if they wanted to have some kind of vow renewal ceremony, as far as he knows there are no priests on board the Moira, so what he does next isn't strictly necessary. But keeping his eyes on hers, Nate unloops the cord so the ring slides free and takes Elena's hand in his, sliding the ring just over her fingertip. He already asked the important, obvious question already, so—]
Elena Fisher, you want to grow old together?
no subject
Marriage counseling had been an option her friends had thrown at her but she'd felt too much shame and embarrassment at the fact that barely a year into it and her marriage was already failing.
Looking down at the ring held over her finger now, Elena finds herself back on the warm, sandy beach where they'd had their wedding. The water washes up quietly against the shore while the priest is speaking. They're under the arch, red petals scattered around, speaking vows. Elena would never forget the way he looked at her that day, so much emotion bared to her in his eyes alone when he'd spoken the words 'to love and to cherish'.
That had been one of the best days of her life, opening a new chapter with him at her side. ]
Yes. [ A thousand times, yes. ] Always and forever.
Now get that ring back on where it belongs, my finger's getting cold.
no subject
It had been a better place emotionally, too. They were completely happy and full of hope for the future and he'd say he was never more in love with her than he was then, except that what he feels for her is even deeper and more meaningful now, despite all they've gone through. Or maybe because of it.
He hadn't seen his crisis coming, what he would allow it to do to them. So maybe he should feel more trepidation now. But looking at his wife, all Nate can feel is absolute certainty that he is going to love her for the rest of his life, just as he promised.]
As you wish.
[And he's grinning as he slides the ring on her finger, unable to hold back, just as he'd grinned at her on their wedding day. But this time he doesn't have to wait for a priest to tell him when to kiss her; he's free to rise up from the floor, take her in his arms and do exactly that.]
no subject
They're going to make lemonade with this lemon life's thrown at them, they're going to make some real damn good lemonade. If it happens a third time, well, Elena's going to be making lemon drop shots with those lemons; here's hoping it never comes to that.
The ring slides on and the weight of it settles comfortably, is right where it belongs. Secure, solid, like his words and the look in his eye. She's grinning back, feeling like this hurdle is long behind them, and up she goes to meet him halfway for that kiss, her hands lifting to frame his face. ]
no subject
But the kiss they have in the Safe Space, lingering and intense and finally, finally in sync, is a damn close second.
Nate's grinning as he pulls away. His arms still around her and he's not inclined to remove them.]
You think we should get out of here? Because I don't think they expect these rooms to be used for making out.
[And he really wants to continue along those lines.]
no subject
We could. And I don't think that's ever stopped anyone before.
[ Words that are out there and her hands tug him back down to meet her mouth, already parting to press in for a deep embrace, just as intense as the first one. Elena couldn't help it; she's alive, she'd survived the surgery, she'd survived cryostasis, and her marriage was back on track now to feeling right again. They wouldn't look back, they only had the future to look forward to.
It was a moment worth getting in an extra kiss or three, in her opinion. She was allowed to do whatever it took to feel alive again, and that included kissing her husband until either of them absolutely needed to come up for air. ]
no subject
[But it's not this time. Expectations be damned, he kisses her back deeply, wrapping his arms even tighter around her. It has to be a tight embrace, because everything that matters—and she is everything—nearly slipped away from him before. Whatever happens in the future, it probably won't be easy, but Nate doesn't planet to let her go ever again.
Eventually, of course, the kiss does have to end, even if it's not because some staffer has arrived to awkwardly break it up. He beams at his wife and tucks some stray hair behind her ear.]
Hey. I love you.
no subject
I love you too. More than you'll ever know, cowboy.
[ When he tucks her hair behind her ear, it's the little gestures that he does with her that she loves the most. They're heartfelt, endearing, they make her stomach twist in a good way and Elena hopes that he'll never stop. Too bad he doesn't have any long hair for her to tuck back, all she can do it brush her fingers along his hair line, graze his temple. ]
Let's head out, see what they got to eat.
[ Or they can find some place to lay low for an hour or two. ]
no subject
Yeah. Let's go.
[He can't help himself—he leans in for one more quick kiss, a peck, and steps back to take her hand. He doesn't plan on letting go for a long, long time.]