itinere | Open : Well, isn't this a relief?

There had been more than a few moments when Venus had threatened to lose hope. She is strong: she knows that. She showed that. It's just that things were so very grim for a while there: no power, food that was difficult to come by, things that chewed other things, all of it could get a lady down.

But, now that things are looking better, well, so is Venus. Now that the sky is back (and as strange as that is and things are just ... better. Showers are so very nice, and so is being able to cook. Between helping Derek to get the fitness center back into order and getting her apartment back into order (though she misses having a reason to sleep with Derek every night), Venus is busy. But when she has a bag of homemade food (chicken and potato salad), she ventures toward the garage where she knows Adam works. She wants to see him! She's missed him! She's worried. So, she hopes he's there. She hopes he's all right.

She hopes they've all come out the other side of all this insanity all right.

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"Do I need to pull you back in?" She asks, smiling. "I can do that, though I won't pull too hard lest you decide that that really is the best for you. You will know that better than I would, you know?"

She doesn't let go of him, though, gazing back at him. "And that would, admittedly, upset me. However, know that I will not and cannot give up on you. You are quite lovely."

"Only if you want to." Derek says, but the way he says it coupled with the way he's looking at her, clearly says that he hopes she does. Derek adores her in so many ways. If he screwed things up with her, he'd be... he has no idea what he'd be, but it wouldn't be good. He wants Venus. And in a way, he needs her.

He dips his head, grinning a bit, amazed that she can get him to grin even now when he's talking about his fears, when he's in this head space. "You're beautiful too, pretty girl. Inside and out."

"I love that you think so, lover," Venus replies, giving him a sweet smile. "So, with that established, we'll just hold on to each other, shall we? Just as tight or as loosely as we want and we'll just beat that fear back with a big stick."

And they'll, she likes to think, be just fine.

Honestly, he loves the way Venus thinks, the way she says things just right in that softly spoken drawl that she has. Beat the fear back with a big stick. Yeah, that sounds like a good plan in theory. He really hopes that they both can do that with their own fears, both separate and together.

He smirks, his lips pulling into a small grin as he leans in to steal a soft, sweet kiss from Venus's lips. One of his hands rests at the side of her neck as they kiss. Then he closes his eyes and just rests their brows together.

"You wanna relax on the couch and watch a movie, pretty girl?" He asks her.

"I think that sounds wonderful," she tells him, relishing the feel and the smell of him so close. His very presence makes her feel safer, and that really is saying something, isn't it?

"Though," she adds, a twinkle in her eye when she leans just that little bit back, "I can't promise not to try to take advantage of you."

"You know I think I'm okay with that." Derek grins then and stands, taking Venus's hand and pulling her to her feet with him. He can't help himself but to steal another quick kiss before he picks up both of their glasses of wine and heads to the living room with them.

"What kind of movie you in the mood for?" He asks, setting the glasses on the coffee table.

"Something light and funny," she decides. "Nothing too heavy after all we've been through." Sitting, she curls against him, shoes kicked off so that she can pull her legs up and lean in.

"If that sounds all right by you, that is."

Once they're settled on the couch, Derek with his arm slung over the back of the couch around Venus's shoulders, he turns on the TV and flips through the channels. How in the world this place gets Earth TV channels, he'll never understand. The same way it gets Pandora radio stations on his iPod and sports stations at that sports bar in town.

He finally smirks and lands on The Waterboy, a favorite of his. It's already about ten minutes in, but when they stay on that station, it magically starts over. Really, this place.

"Football, comedy and romance. Can't go wrong with this one." He tells her, waiting to see if she wants him to keep looking for something else.

"Really," Venus replies, grinning at him. She isn't a fan of Adam Sandler, really, finding him crass. But she loves Derek, so she will watch this to see what he sees in it. To see what it is she might have missed. She settles more comfortably against him and swivels her gaze between Derek and the screen.

Derek laughs at all the corny jokes. Really, this is one the the more tame Adam Sandler flicks. It's mostly poking fun at college football. Plus it has the Fonz in it, Henry Winkler, which Derek figures you can never go wrong with. His mom used to love Happy Days. When Derek was tired or sick he'd curl up on the couch and zone out to the TV show with her.

There are lots of moments when Derek quotes the film along with the actors, saying their lines just the way they say them. He's seen this movie a few times, it's true.

"Once football is back in season," He says, somewhere in the last half of the film. "we should go to that sports bar in town. I don't know how but they seem to get sports from home there."

"If they have fried pickles, I will be happy to accompany you there," she tells him, entirely charmed by his overt and deeply-felt enjoyment of the film. "What are your favorite teams?" she asks, curious, massaging the muscles at the back of his neck. Hopefully, he doesn't mind her asking while the movie goes on.

He's seen this movie often enough that he doesn't need to pay all that much attention to it. Even so, if Venus wants to talk, he really doesn't mind. He's here with her and for her. She's more important than anything, the most important.

"I like the Giants for football." Derek says, leaning his head forward to give her access to his neck for as much and as long as she wants. "Red Sox on baseball. Spurs on basketball. I usually pick the underdog on any other game and root for them." He'd told her he likes sports. Well, now she knows.

"The underdog, mm?" she asks, pressing kisses along the corded muscle of his neck. She likes that about him, actually. How his kindness even stretches into choosing a sports team. "I know precious little about sports. You'll have to teach me."

Does that sound like a come-on? It totally is one, in case there's any doubt.

Derek grins at that, the movie fading into the background with the conversation and the way she touches and kisses him. It feels good. She feels good. The grin is because he's seen those words for the come-on they are. That makes his insides spark to life just because it's an amazing thing to be wanted and to want in return.

"I'll teach you all about them." He tosses back, every bit as flirtatious. "My best friend back home, she's always saying all sports metaphors are sexy or sex related. Hard to listen to any sports announcers now and not hear the naughty end of things."

"Is that so?" Venus asks, amused by that idea. "Well, that will make it more interesting, certainly."

There isn't much room, but she gets closer, still, legs draped over Derek's lap. "Though I do think that you could get at least to second base right now, lover."

Ha!

Open : Well, isn't this a relief?

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