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[fic] The Nearness of You
AUTHOR: hermonthis
FANDOM: Storm Hawks
CHARACTERS: Piper, Dark Ace
GENRE: humour/romance
FREE SONG: Norah Jones - The Nearness of You
LINK: FFN

A/N: I wrote this when I was in a blue funk to cheer me up. It's utterly ridiculous, and yet somewhat true. The first stages of courtship: realizing the world is crazy. I kept laughing my head off because I was typing and listening to Bryan Adams simultaneously. Rock ballads FTW! Go read, have fun. XD

SUMMARY: "And if I cannot touch you with my skin, I can love you with my eyes."

The Nearness of You

There are few women the Dark Ace has loved. His mother, his sister, his Master, and her.

It is in the way she sways her hips, her body flowing freely like a fish through water; that makes him stare in her direction longer than he means to. She is young and green, and radiates eagerness. Her dark brown skin and high-pitched giggles remind of a fresh green sprig, testing the boundaries of budding adulthood and responsibility. She wears that responsibility well.

It is how he walks into a room, always in style. There is a hint of a swagger in his step, and he oozes masculine confidence and pride, but the truth is in his eyes. Bright with fire, dark in flame, she easily imagines a fast-burning hole in the center of her chest if he should ever look her way.

He remembers what it was like to be twenty-two.

She wonders if anyone has ever run her hands through his thick, black hair. He is tall, and logic says Piper would have to stand on tiptoe if she ever wanted to kiss his lips.

It’s been a long time since he’s touched a woman’s cheek. Dried her tears. Whispered into her skin and made her tremble. He wants to sweep her off her feet and make her swoon; to slide his Switchblade alongside her spluttering Heliscooter in mid-air, and rescue her from that wretched aircraft. He’d lean towards her, and she will fall onto his shoulder and into his one-arm embrace and take her joyriding –

There is no proof, but she knows that if he took off his gloves and wrapped them around her body, her veins would instantly set on fire.

How did she ever become attracted to older men?

Why in the world was it him?

That particular man.

That one.

Why?

He watches her at the reunion, full of Sky Knights and squadrons and red punch juice and god-awful party favors. He sits back on the sofa, one leg propped in the air by the other with a definite air of aloofness about him. Dark Ace hasn’t made up his mind whether the party is a hit or miss, but with an hour already past he is sure that the real fun will start once Suzy Lu has broken into the secret water cooler hidden in the back. Socializing isn’t for him, he leaves that to the rookies, but he will talk to Carver of the Red Eagles and make up for lost time. There isn’t much really in the realm of news, they just had drinks two weeks ago at a local pub with some of the other guys.

Holding a drink in one hand, Piper glides through the small crowds of two and three individuals, aware of his presence all the time. She circles the Condor with unconscious grace, familiar with the ship’s layout and her outer deck. The windows reflect the light of the setting sun and bathe the main decks with warm tones of recreation and relaxation.

She can feel his eyes watching her even as she saunters over to Starling, and laughs when Aerrow unintentionally makes a joke. They are close to the couch now, and if she looks out sideways just enough, she can see the front of his chest.

Carver has just passed him another drink, and they clink bottles in the air, toasting good health, prosperity, good looks and thick hair. Piper has to bite her tongue to stop herself from snorting out loud. There is the slightest movement of his head and he is sure she is watching him. Just as he wanted her to.

When Billy Rex and a Screaming Queen start to take off their clothes, Piper knows it’s time to go outside for a breather. Chuckling from the punch bowl, she tells Aerrow that she’s going to take a walk and he nods easily, saying he might join her later on – but first he has to make sure Finn doesn’t get himself into trouble.

The wind whips around her face, forcing her bangs into her eyes and Piper removes her headband to readjust her hair more securely. It’s chilly up here, she miscalculated the temperature, but Piper takes a few deep breaths, clearing her stuffy lungs with the refreshingly cold air and wraps her arms around her body.

There are a few other squadrons up on deck with her, but they’re all too engrossed in their own conversations to say hello, although one or two do acknowledge her with a nod or a smile as she walks past them. She makes her way to the side of the Condor, where the walkways are so narrow that only two people can cross them shoulder-to-shoulder. Leaning her elbows on the edge on the railing, Piper allows her mind to wander freely. And as she is closing her eyes, someone says,

“Mind if I join you?”

Facing the vast expanse of cloud cover in front of her, the corners of her mouth curl up into a smile and she replies,

“Sure.”

She doesn’t turn her head to see who it is, but hears the heavy clank of his boots on the metal walkway. Dark Ace leans on the railing just as she does and turns his head to look at her. He’s going to play this casual. Her eyes are focused on the evening clouds, dark blue and purple with the onset of evening, and he thinks that with her blue hair and orange eyes, she fits the landscape perfectly.

“You like the sunset?” She shrugs her shoulders but still doesn’t look at him. Piper is feeling playful, and she’ll make sure that he knows it.

“Sure.”

“Do you come here often?”

“Yeah, I do.” There is a sound of the Condor’s engines picking up more speed, and a sudden gust of wind blasts itself into her face, making the edges of her eyes water. Piper blinks rapidly to clear them away, but doesn’t help much.

“So…” He says, not sure where to take this conversation. He straightens his spine a little more, thinking she wants more formality and he frowns when he sees her blinking her eyes furiously. He’s not that bad at social skills, was he? Were those tears in her eyes? Something in his body language must have alerted her for she turned around, bringing the back of one hand to her face.

“Sorry,” she mumbles, “something’s in my eyes.” Piper lets out a weak chuckle, trying to wipe the grit away with the tips of her fingers; so much for playfulness. “Just a moment- ” In a flash, he presents a handkerchief in front of her, whipping it out of one of his secret pockets, and she blinks at him in confusion before taking is graciously. Dark Ace sighs inwardly, it’s not the same as sweeping her off her feet, but it’ll have to do for now.

“Oh geez,” she’s saying, half exasperated with herself, “It’s still stuck in my eye – really stuck – I can’t see- ” By this time, Piper is pressing the square piece of white cloth so close to her face and moving around so much on deck that he has to take a step back to give her more room. Nervously, he looks around for spectators, realizing someone might misinterpret the scene wrong, take him aside and lecture him.

“I can’t get it out- ” The girl’s hopping about now, shaking her head furiously and even from where he’s standing, he can see definite wet parts on his handkerchief. What the hell did that girl do? Get a piece of glass in her eye? If she keeps pressing that hard, she’s probably poke something out of stupidity.

Feeling impatient, he steps forward and places a firm grip on her wrists, stopping her from rotating on the spot. Gently, he lowers her arms with one hand and tilts her chin up with the other. He is aware of how close they are and a little thrill of excitement prickles down his spine, but he stores it away quietly, saving the sensation for another time, and focuses on her face. She is still blinking rapidly, her left eye squinting in pain and leaking tears. Disgraceful.

“Are you always this careless?” he starts, “Are you always doing this?” He prattles on and mildly reprimands her for something that is completely out of her control. She just happened to get a piece of sand or dirt or maybe a piece of cloud into her eyes; it wasn’t as if she was asking for it. Her heart is beating fast, the sound of a drum pounding loudly in her ears, and she wonders if he can feel the heat radiating from her skin and the quickening pulse of her throat.

He does notice.

And he wonders if she’s aware that he is standing right over her, his face in a mask of contempt and frustration as he wipes the tears and grit from her face and how they’re the only two people on this side of the deck and that the burnished orange of the sun has melted away to the dusky evening – the wind is colder than ever, and yes, he can see her throat quivering but he’s trying hard not to notice.

It’s chilly up here.

“You’re shaking,” he remarks with the authority of his age, taking a half-step away. Blinking the last of the dust away, she looks down and immediately feels sweep across her back, making her shiver up the spine. On the other hand, her eyes aren’t as sore anymore and she can see clearly now instead of stumbling around on deck like a half-blind wombat. Piper feels young against him when they’re like this, but she intends to fight it down until they’re both on equal ground.

He assumes she will want to go inside soon and spare herself further humiliation. Come on, he says, nodding towards the stern of the airship and almost reaches out, intending to place a hand on the small of her back to guide her. He would love nothing more than to do that, but she shakes her head, smiles, and says she’d like to stay up on deck a little longer.

“You’re crazy.”

She laughs and leans back against the railing casually, making him raise an eyebrow at her. She loves looking into those bright red eyes, and now that they’re focused solely on her, she feels as if she can take on anything.

“You’re going to get sick.”

She smiles. “I know.”

“You’re a stubborn girl.”

She laughs.

“I know.”

And in that little moment, their secret red curtains drop and they stare at each other, now laid bare. It’s crazy, these feelings that he has for her, these flirtations that she’s allowing with him, not to mention their age difference and their past enmity. They’ve sprouted out of nowhere; suddenly appearing like a poppy seed until it grew into a bright red and black flower and now they’re standing on deck, an untamed wind about their faces, and arguing about grit in her eyes.

“Thank you for wiping- ” He steps closer and pulls one of her arms away from the ledge. Silly girl, she might fall overboard into the abyss. Then, who would save her? Most probably him.

He smiles. “You’re welcome.”



* * *
A/N: No, Dark Ace doesn't have a sister. And yes, I made that up.