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Description
Two was hesitant to believe that things were going so well. They had worked hard and gone through hell, but nothing had really worked out like this for her before. The honeymoon seemed like a dream, a few weeks of no worries, bliss, preparation, hope. She’d had periods like that in her life before, but she didn’t put much faith in making plans. That had never really turned out well for her before.

The honeymoon ended and they went to the real world, but... things were fine. They stayed with her sister while they built their house, the place that was going to be their home ‒ that was hard to accept. She didn’t know where all his optimism came from, but she loved seeing him like this, so she didn’t dare question it. He made plans for his work, plans for what he could do in his freetime, plans for their whole lives. She listened and it made her feel lighter, but she wasn’t sure if she ever really believed any of it. Every morning when she booted up, there was a tension to her, and she had to remember where she was and how much danger she was in. She kept waking up next to her husband in total safety. She kept meeting her sister, her brother in law, her niece. She connected with old friends and met new ones, she explored the town and the wastelands on her own, and... she didn’t have to be on guard.

Their house was completed and they moved in, Nos got to work almost immediately thanks to the high demand for alien technology. He was enjoying himself, and... so was she. As she played things by ear, she found a job of her own, and suddenly, she was invested in this world. Whether she meant to or not, she began to grow roots. Two woke up slow, and dreary, and... calm. She couldn’t stop smiling, she committed to long term projects, and she sat down with Nos and contributed when he talked about the future.

It took months, but for the first time in over a decade, Two went a day without fearing for her life.

Nos offered her his hand and she took it, letting him lift her from her seat at the hearth and spinning around.

“I love this song,” he purred, swaying with her in the middle of their living room. He hooked one arm around her back, folding his hand around hers. Warm light washed through the window, glinting off the cool metal of his face. She leaned into him, hovering higher, pressing her visor to his lips before resting her head on his shoulder. She couldn’t stop smiling as they danced.

“This is so much better than I thought it was going to be,” Two whispered.

“What? I’m not such a bad dancer.”

“No, not that,” she laughed, “living with you. I didn’t know I could be happy like this.”

He gave a low chuckle of his own, and she felt it rumble against her visor where she had it tucked against his neck. “You’re telling me. I mean, I knew living with you would be everything I wanted and more, but I never expected to feel like I belonged. It’s marvelous.”

“You... expected this?”

He twirled her around. “As long as I had you, I knew my life would be remarkable. You’ve made things work out that never should have,” he nuzzled the top of her head, “We’ve dealt with some terrible, awful shit, but now we’re here. I think we finally made it, my dear.”

“Yeah,” her voice caught, “I think ‒ I think we have.”

Nos slowed to a stop, all the warmth in the world in his voice. “What are you crying for, love?”

“I don’t know,” she beamed.

Nos stood back from her a bit to look into her visor. He lifted her hand, and though she lacked a palm, he pressed his lips to the undersides of her fingers. “You deserve this, Eve. This is the life you should have had from the beginning, but you’ve worked so hard, you’ve earned this and so much more.”

“This is real,” her voice wavered, but she hovered even higher to press her forehead against his, “This is my life now. I mean, I know we’ve lived here for a while, but ‒ ”

“I know,” Nos whispered. Two closed her eyeforms and held him closer. “We made it.”

Description
Two was hesitant to believe that things were going so well. They had worked hard and gone through hell, but nothing had really worked out like this for her before. The honeymoon seemed like a dream, a few weeks of no worries, bliss, preparation, hope. She’d had periods like that in her life before, but she didn’t put much faith in making plans. That had never really turned out well for her before.

The honeymoon ended and they went to the real world, but... things were fine. They stayed with her sister while they built their house, the place that was going to be their home ‒ that was hard to accept. She didn’t know where all his optimism came from, but she loved seeing him like this, so she didn’t dare question it. He made plans for his work, plans for what he could do in his freetime, plans for their whole lives. She listened and it made her feel lighter, but she wasn’t sure if she ever really believed any of it. Every morning when she booted up, there was a tension to her, and she had to remember where she was and how much danger she was in. She kept waking up next to her husband in total safety. She kept meeting her sister, her brother in law, her niece. She connected with old friends and met new ones, she explored the town and the wastelands on her own, and... she didn’t have to be on guard.

Their house was completed and they moved in, Nos got to work almost immediately thanks to the high demand for alien technology. He was enjoying himself, and... so was she. As she played things by ear, she found a job of her own, and suddenly, she was invested in this world. Whether she meant to or not, she began to grow roots. Two woke up slow, and dreary, and... calm. She couldn’t stop smiling, she committed to long term projects, and she sat down with Nos and contributed when he talked about the future.

It took months, but for the first time in over a decade, Two went a day without fearing for her life.

Nos offered her his hand and she took it, letting him lift her from her seat at the hearth and spinning around.

“I love this song,” he purred, swaying with her in the middle of their living room. He hooked one arm around her back, folding his hand around hers. Warm light washed through the window, glinting off the cool metal of his face. She leaned into him, hovering higher, pressing her visor to his lips before resting her head on his shoulder. She couldn’t stop smiling as they danced.

“This is so much better than I thought it was going to be,” Two whispered.

“What? I’m not such a bad dancer.”

“No, not that,” she laughed, “living with you. I didn’t know I could be happy like this.”

He gave a low chuckle of his own, and she felt it rumble against her visor where she had it tucked against his neck. “You’re telling me. I mean, I knew living with you would be everything I wanted and more, but I never expected to feel like I belonged. It’s marvelous.”

“You... expected this?”

He twirled her around. “As long as I had you, I knew my life would be remarkable. You’ve made things work out that never should have,” he nuzzled the top of her head, “We’ve dealt with some terrible, awful shit, but now we’re here. I think we finally made it, my dear.”

“Yeah,” her voice caught, “I think ‒ I think we have.”

Nos slowed to a stop, all the warmth in the world in his voice. “What are you crying for, love?”

“I don’t know,” she beamed.

Nos stood back from her a bit to look into her visor. He lifted her hand, and though she lacked a palm, he pressed his lips to the undersides of her fingers. “You deserve this, Eve. This is the life you should have had from the beginning, but you’ve worked so hard, you’ve earned this and so much more.”

“This is real,” her voice wavered, but she hovered even higher to press her forehead against his, “This is my life now. I mean, I know we’ve lived here for a while, but ‒ ”

“I know,” Nos whispered. Two closed her eyeforms and held him closer. “We made it.”