Archive of Our Own

Everyone is born without the ability to see color. Everyone is also born with, at the very least, one soulmate. These two facts are intertwined. Color is only obtained by someone claiming you as a soulmate. Someone that you in turn would claim too, in the matching way. The most common bonds are generally romantic soulmates but people also have soulmates in that ride or die friend, or the child they've claimed that isn't biologically theirs or siblings banding together in an abusive home. Friendship bonds can even change to become romantic and gain more colors.

People used to put stock in the colors you got meaning something about the relationship you'd have with that person but nowadays it's regarded in the same line of thought as astrology and crystals.

As life goes on, people are generally expected to have at least one soulmate claim by the time they're in their thirty's. Anyone without colors by this time, depending on culture and religion, is at best considered weird, or at worse considered damned or a monster. It's not policed, and the world is set up so you can navigate it even without color, but people over this age tend to keep not being able to see colors close to their chest. Others don't always react well.

Bobby Nash is 50 years old and still does not see a single color.

It's been almost 4 months since Bobby asked Athena out on that first date and they're both in the middle of a call when the thought comes to him. Athena is simply doing her job, completely at ease as she stands by her patrol car talking with a colleague, but she looks radiant in the setting suns glow, like a goddess on mortal ground, even without color. And it's as he looks at her, stunning as always, that he thinks "I could see myself with her forever." It's not him admitting he's in love with her—for the first time in decades, there's the faint spark of hope that he's found someone who could be a soulmate and he thinks if he lets himself give into the feeling, and admit it right now, and Athena doesn't see more colors, it will break his heart. He's in his 50's now—if he hasn't found a soulmate by now, of any kind, then maybe he really is damned and doesn't deserve one and is destined to see in gray-scale for his whole life. But he'll do anything to make her happy so even if he never sees color, Bobby will remain by her side for as long as she'll have him. She's given him so much she doesn't even realize and there aren't the words to say it.

(It's not unheard of for people to end up with someone who's not a soulmate—hell, both Athena and his spouses weren't. It's never meant that you loved them any less, just that they're not part of your soul in that way.)

Hen's voice calling over to Chim breaks him out of his thoughts and pulls his eyes away from staring at Athena and back to wrapping up the call. This thing between them is still secret, still thrilling in the sneaking around and safe in the privacy—Athena wouldn't be happy though, if he gave them away because he couldn't stop staring at her with what he is sure is a completely besotted look on his face.

But, if he's being completely honest with himself, he doesn't want this to be hidden away anymore—this is something serious for him now and he wants to be able to kiss and hold her whenever he gets the urge. Wants to tell the world that he is the luckiest man alive because Athena Grant said yes to going on date with him and wanted to keep doing so.

He'll bring it up to her soon, see where she's at but right now, he'll enjoy every moment he can with her.

So naturally, as soon as he thinks that, they don't manage to spend any meaningful time together, aside from brief glances at the other at the few scenes they have together and the text messages and calls. The week ends up feeling like an eternity—it's strange to Bobby, the wanting his week to pass quickly so that he can meet up with a partner. He hasn't had that feeling since he and Marcy were first together, but Athena is making him come alive again, in so many ways and he finds himself wanting and not feeling terrible for it for the first time in ages.

They've made plans for this weekend—Michael has the kids this week and by some miracle of the scheduling gods, neither of them are scheduled for shifts, so Athena is coming round his apartment Friday after dinner with her family, then returning home Sunday evening, in time for her kids to be dropped back off. It'll be the first time Athena's been able to stay for more than just one night since they started dating and he's looking forward to it, to being able to to take his time with her in a way he's been craving since they first kissed.

Friday rolls around finally—between the heat and the calls, it felt like the week would never end but knowing he'll be spending the whole weekend with Athena is giving him the strength to make it through this shift. The hottest day of the year so far has lead to a never ending pressure cooker of calls and people have seemingly all lost their minds. Just when he thinks he's seen it all, there's always something else that is somehow more ridiculous than the last.

Respite comes in the form of Athena's cruiser pulling up and he makes his way through the crowd of firefighters to meet her in-between the engines. She's all beauty and temptation, looking as breathtaking as always, with a swing in her hips that never fails to drive him crazy.

Her voice is sultry and flirty when she speaks. "A DWP worker says the likely cause was frayed cables. Days like this, they get overheated, start to smolder."

"Yeah they do." His voice deepens in response to her. She's as hot as the day is and he's desperate to touch her, have her burn against him.

"And with the buildup of combustibles getting trapped underground, when that manhole cover got pulled..."

"Oxygen rushed in, and boom."

"Yeah, boom." And with a quick glance to check no-one's close enough to spot them, she's shoving him against the side of the engine, pulling him down to kiss hard and he goes down with her, more than happy to submit to this woman for anything she wants. It's reckless and stupid to be doing this out in the open like this, both on a call and in public where anyone could catch them but with Athena's weight against him and the fire in his veins, he finds himself not caring. He's missed her so damn much and she's definitely missed him if this kiss is anything to go by. It turns filthy in seconds, her tongue demanding entry and he opens up for her, groaning as she scratches her nails down his nape. He grasps her back tighter and she rolls her hips into his in response—all the blood travels south so quickly, he's surprised he's still upright, even leaning against something.

As much as he'd love to continue this, unfortunately they do have jobs to do, and she must be thinking the same thing as she softens her kiss and draws back slowly, keeping their foreheads touching and breaths mingling.

"Missed you too." He can't help but murmur into the space between them.

Athena's face lights up as she smiles and his heart races faster from that more than what they were just doing. She's so beautiful, it always makes his breath catch. He constantly thinks to himself that if he is ever lucky enough to see color, seeing Athena in color will absolutely ruin him—he can't imagine being able to ever look away from her. It's hard enough as is.

She takes a step back and his arms fall from around her, as he straightens up. They're still closer than people who are just colleagues or friends would be, but it's far enough for them to breath and not get carried away again.

"It's been a long, hot week, and people have been stupider than normal. I needed a pick me up." She smirks up at him and actually no, the distance between them is not enough because it takes everything in him not to bend back down and kiss her senseless.

"Well, glad to be of assistance then." His voice comes out rougher than he'd meant it too, but it's worth it for the way her eyes darken and how she bites her lip. They stare at each other for what feels like an age but must only be seconds, the tension between them threatening to boil over once more.

He's just about to reach out for her again when there's a shout in the distance, and Bobby can't place the voice, but it breaks them out of the spell they found themselves in and Athena takes another step back with a little laugh under her breath. She's still got a small smile on her face when she looks up at him.

"We should probably get back to work, Captain. Today has been a day."

He chuckles—that's one way of putting it. "That it has. Tell me about it tonight?"

"Before or after I have my way with you?" She purrs at him.

'Good God Athena', he thinks as he groans and heat flushes up his face. He's not going to be able to think about anything else now for the rest of the shift—Bobby's never been so grateful to be doing a half day in his life.

She just laughs at his reaction, stepping close to press a gentle kiss to his cheek. "See you tonight baby."

And with that, she slips her aviators back on and heads back to her cruiser, hips swaying. Bobby just stands there for a moment, staring after her as she walks away, trying to will the blood in his body back to the appropriate places. It takes longer than he would like to admit.

There's movement to his left and he snaps back to reality—there's still work to do and still a shift to finish. If there's an extra spring in his step, well then, that's his business.

Bobby's not expecting to get basically jumped the moment he shuts his door after her, but that's what happens—bag down, jacket thrown off and Athena throwing her arms up around his neck, fingers scratching over his nape the way she knows drives him crazy, lips crashing into his. It's painful, but in the way that spreads heat through his veins and straight to his cock. They're still learning new things that make the other tick, but they both enjoy where the passion and roughness toe the line of pain.

His hands go to her thighs so her can pick her up and press her firmly against the wall and her legs wrap around him automatically. The noise she makes into his mouth when he rolls his hips into her is sinful. God, but he would give up seeing colors forever if it meant he could hear this sound again and again.

Lips drag from her mouth, her jaw, her ear to her neck as he nips and bites and kisses what exposed skin he can reach, her moans spurring him on further. It's only now that he pays notice to what she's wearing—a dark, silky, thin strap dress, slit in the side, that has bunched up between them. Holding her tighter with one arm, it doesn't take much for him to slide the other hand over her thigh and ass to underneath the dress and over soft skin. Bobby doesn't encounter underwear as his hand cups over her ass and he can't help but moan into her neck and roll his hips hard into her again.

"Fuck, 'Thena, you weren't wearing underwear the whole way here?" He gasps out.

Athena laughs softly at him, the way she always does when she gets him to swear, pulling slightly at his hair. "Not the whole way—I took them off in the car when I got here and shoved them in my bag. I was gonna wear a matching set, but it doesn't hit the same way without color. So, I just went without."

He can't help the way he grasps her tighter to him as he pants against her neck, grinding his cock against her core. Matching his pace, she rolls her hips in time with him—between that, and the noises she's making nearly has him coming undone there on the spot.

"God, you are stunning." Knowing that she's completely bare under her dress, he just has to taste her. Adjusting his arms slightly so she won't fall, he moves them to his bedroom and lowers her backwards onto his bed and climbs on top of her. Her legs stay wrapped around him as his mouth finds hers again—Athena's tongue presses to his lips and he opens without thought, submitting to this beautiful woman under him. The kiss is filthy and wet, their tongues sliding over each other briefly before he lets Athena slip her tongue in deep.

Bobby could easily spend hours just kissing Athena, just as he could spend hours eating her out, which reminds him, he has a plan right now.

Breaking the kiss reluctantly, he slides down the bed enough so that he's in the cradle of Athena's thighs, head by her hip. She's a vision like this, spread out on his bed with her dress pooled around her waist and her chest heaving—he wants nothing more than to take her apart with his mouth. He remembers the first time he edged her, not to the extent that he had wanted to, but back and forth to the edge a couple of times. When he'd finally let her come, she'd clamped down on his head with her thighs hard enough he could just about make out the scream she let out as she gushed over his face. Between that, and the unexpectedly erotic lack of oxygen, he'd come hard in his boxers without so much as a stroke from either of them. Athena had been mortified when she'd recovered enough to think straight, but when he told her he'd come untouched from the whole thing, it seemed to settle something in her. The more time he spends with her, the more he learns how the years of little to no intimacy from someone who was supposed to love her romantically has wounded her, and how she learned not to think about those needs and desires. He swears that as long as they're together, he will make sure she never feels undesired or unwanted.

This weekend, he'll do the same again for her, but this time he will take his time with it until she's begging for it, or she takes what she wants from him. Either way, they'll both enjoy it. But right now, they haven't spent nearly enough time with each other like this and he wants to see how quickly he can get her to come on his tongue.

Moving the rest of her dress out of the way, he lowers his face down and licks a strip through her folds, loving how wet she is already and the taste of her. His tongue laps at her, gathering as much of her slick as he can, needing to fill his mouth with her taste when Athena pulls at his hair and lets out a whine above him—he doesn't want to keep her waiting so he licks up to her clit and sucks hard, sliding two fingers into her core at the same time. When they first started having sex, he'd been worried about her not being prepped enough before entering her, but that had only lasted a couple of times before she made incredibly clear to him that she liked the stretch and burn of it, how it felt to be around him, and she especially liked the reaction from him when she was clenched tight around his fingers or cock.

It's the same now, she's warm and tight and wet around his fingers and the feeling always drives him insane. He lets out a moan against her clit when she deliberately clenches her walls around him, which in turn, causes her to moan at the vibrations in a delightful feedback loop.

Pumping his fingers in and out, making sure to catch that spot inside her that drives her wild, he alternates between sucking and licking her clit, waiting for her to tighten up in the way that signals she's close.

Her thighs wrap around his head as she lets out a particularly loud keening noise and he knows she's almost there. Speeding up his fingers in the way he knows she likes, he gives Athena a long, hard suck on her clit and she shouts his name as she comes, making a mess of his face. He lets her ride out the wave as she rocks into his face, sucking gently as she comes back down, only pulling away when her legs fall down and she taps at his head from the over-stimulation. Unable to resist one last taste, he swipes his tongue over her folds before pulling back and sitting back on his legs to watch Athena.

She's got an arm flung over her eyes as the other is grasping the sheets for dear life. Her chest is rising rapidly and he takes a moment to admire the way her nipples have pebbled under the silk of her dress.

Kissing her thighs, he makes his way back to her core to leave one last kiss there for now, delighting at the way she laughs his name breathlessly, before carrying on to leave a brief couple of kisses to her stomach. Shifting so he can reach, he places kisses on the covered parts of her right breast, circling round till he reaches her nipple. She gasps as he sucks gently before bringing up his hand to the other to roll it slowly between his finger and thumb and she writhes underneath him. Bobby loves how responsive Athena is, loves the way she gets noisy and can't hold it in, loves the way she arches and pushes into him like she can't get close enough. He swaps fingers and mouth and teases her just that little bit longer before going back up to kiss her again. She immediately threads her hands through his hair and deepens the kiss, trying to lick the taste of herself right out of his mouth.

(The first time he'd gone down on her, afterwards he'd instinctively gone to wipe his face and avoided kissing her, years of doing the same with Marcy kicking in like muscle memory. Marcy had never liked the taste of herself after, and had even thought it weird that he'd liked kissing her after she'd gone down on him, so he'd simply gotten out of the habit of kissing after oral. Athena, on the other hand, had almost shyly admitted she'd rarely received oral, let alone been kissed after and wanted to know what it was like. So he had kissed her softly, so she could back out if she hadn’t liked it. The softness had lasted all of two seconds, before it was like a switch had been flicked inside her and she practically devoured him, chasing the taste of herself in his mouth. She'd followed it up by returning the favor, swallowing him down and then letting him taste himself. It had been a relief as much as it was a turn on, to know that she enjoyed this form of intimacy as much as he did, that they could share this simple thing together and enjoy it. There were so many things like this that they shared, both small and large things that they had never been able to enjoy with another partner, or moments that just highlighted how well they worked together, how they complimented each other. It all made him feel deep in his bones that Athena was it. She is the one for him, soulmates and colors be damned. (He tries not to dwell on the thought, doesn't want to cement it or claim her, because it really will break what's left of his heart if she's not his soulmate.))

They break apart for air, foreheads touching, breathing into each others mouths.

"Hey baby." Athena gasps into the space between them.

He beams at her. "Hey, yourself."

"You are far too good at that."

He nuzzles her nose. "Is that a complaint I hear? I could always stop." That's a lie. He couldn't stop if his life depended on it. Being between her thighs is the third closest thing to heaven, the second being buried deep in her and the first is kissing her.

She swats playfully at his arm, immediately calling his bluff. "No you couldn't."

"No, I really couldn't." He dips his head into the crook of her neck to nip gently at the skin there, careful not to leave a lasting mark. Athena groans under him.

Then, before he can even blink, Athena has flipped them over so she's sitting on top of him, settling down firmly over his crotch. The weight of her on him reminds him that he's painfully hard and has been since he realized she wasn't wearing underwear. His hips buck into her helplessly, desperate for relief. She rolls her hips into him and they gasp together at the feeling.

"Athena, please." He begs. He needs to be inside of her like he needs air to breathe. She doesn't keep him waiting long. Shifting enough that she can reach the fastening of his jeans, Athena tears them open and yanks them down, taking his underwear with them. He shimmies enough to help her pull them down over his hips and then he's awkwardly kicking them off as she pulls her dress off over her head and soon there is blessed skin to skin contact. Athena is warm and wet as she rolls herself over him briefly before she slips her hand in-between them so she can grasp at his cock.

He can't decide what he wants to watch more — the way she moves her hand up and down his cock, or over her naked skin and the way her breasts move as she does. In the end, it doesn't matter because after a few moments of teasing him, she's rising up and directing him into her, taking all of him in with a roll of her hips. They both groan and his eyes slip shut briefly at the sensation. As good as she feels on his fingers, having her on his cock is divine. She always takes him so well, like he's supposed to be there, like puzzle pieces fitting perfectly together.

They stay like that for a moment, just enjoying the sensation of being joined before the need to move takes them both, Athena rolling her hips as Bobby snaps his into her. The pace they set is hard and rough, the way it often is when they haven’t had the time to be together. Softer rounds will come later, but right now they need to remind themselves of the others touch.

Athena shoves her hands underneath his shirt, bunching it up, evidently too impatient to unbutton it, digging small crescent marks into his chest as her fucks into her. The sting of her nails feels good and he relishes the way he knows it will leave a mark.

Bobby slides his hands up her thighs, enjoying the softness of her skin, before sliding one hand up to her breast, rolling the nipple with his thumb whilst with the other hand, he places his thumb against the hood of her clit. Every thrust brushes them together and Athena moans, deep and low above him.

She’s getting close again, by the way he can feel her tighten around him, so he lets her ride him as she needs to, making sure he keeps the pressure on her clit. His other hand tightens its hold on her breast, thumb still rolling gently over her nipple.

He can feel his own release creeping up on him, heat building low in his stomach as she rocks faster on him, his name chanted under her breath like it's the only thing she can say. He's too far gone himself to get words out coherently, only a half breathed whisper of her name escaping his lips with each thrust.

Then, like a dam being broken, Athena cries out loudly, clamping down hard on him as she comes, nails digging in harder in his chest. It's the trigger he needed to finish, as he fucks her hard through her orgasm and straight into his own.

Their hips rolls together through the aftershocks, before Athena takes her hands from under his shirt and slumps down on top of him. Bobby slides his arms from under her to hold her tight and she melts in his embrace. They lie like that for a short moment catching their breath, and Bobby enjoys the closeness of it, tangled up as they are as he remains inside her.

Athena makes a soft noise as she shifts, inadvertently rocking into him and he groans, oversensitive in the best way.

She moves off of him, not going far, just curling up into his side, leg flung over his. His arms come over to hold her tight.

It’s moments like this that make him wish he could see color. He longs to see how the lights pouring in from his window play on her skin, would love to see how candlelight shimmers on her face. He wants to know what Athena looks like when she blushes, how far the flush goes. Wants to know what colors the marks they leave on each other are and track how they fade. Wants to see the contrast between her skin and his bedsheets. Wants to see the color of her lipstick against his skin.

Bobby also wants to know what her favorite color is, how it looks on her. Wants to know what her favorite flowers are and what they look like in full bloom. He wants. He wants so much it should feel all consuming, like a craving, like he's chasing a high. But it doesn't, not with her. Instead, it's like she's keeping him tethered, giving him space on solid ground.

The silence that sits between them is comfortable and if it wasn’t for the fact that he knows that they both have at least one more round in them, tension humming under their skin, he could quite happily fall asleep right now.

“So, how was your day? You had all the crazy too?”

“What?” He cannot for the life of him think of what she means. His breathing is back to normal but none of the blood has gone back to his head.

She laughs. “Well, I didn’t get to tell you about my day before I had my way with you, so now I’m asking you after.”

Warmth floods through him as he remembers. “Oh so you've completely had your way with me then? All done for the night?” His voice comes out deep and husky and she shivers in response.

Athena slides her hands around him and tugs and he moves easily, letting her pull him until he's hovering over her. “Not even in the slightest Captain.”

They don't talk about their day, until much, much later.

They spend their weekend together like this; curled up on his sofa, catching up on the shows she loves so much, or in his kitchen preparing food together, telling each other more and more things about themselves, or fucking on any available surface they can manage. (They manage a lot. Bobby doesn't think there's a surface in his apartment left untouched.) Throughout it all, Bobby can't help but think to himself that he never wants this to end. He wants to be able to carry being with Athena like a badge of honor and proclaim to everyone that he's hers. Wants this feeling of love and joy and rightness to last, for as long as Athena will have him.

It doesn't last. The bubble bursts.

He slumps down on the end of his bed, like a puppet that's had its strings cut, all the excitement and energy he had from seeing Athena dissipating like smoke. He shouldn't have pushed. He shouldn't have fucking pushed.

If he'd kept his mouth shut, he could have kept this thing with Athena the way they were going. Yes, it was killing him to keep it secret and it was becoming more of a struggle to hide how he feels about her off of his face, but between the choice of that or not having her in his life, there is no choice. But he pushed and wanted too much from her and now this is probably it for them and their friendship too—she's ashamed of him, of being with him. As much as it hurt, he's not surprised by it—he is not a good man, as much as he tries to pretend otherwise, and even though he's sober, he is still an addict and an alcoholic that killed his family and 145 other people and that will never go away. Bobby doesn't blame Athena for feeling that way — even Marcy in the end had been ashamed of who he was, as much as she said she loved him and she forgave him, it was always there in her face, in the silence after the kids had gone to sleep, in the way they were falling apart long before the fire. He is a ticking time bomb that ruins everything he loves and cares for and if he somehow doesn't manage to ruin or kill them, then they don't come back for him or can't bear to stay with him — he was deluding himself in thinking that this relationship with Athena would be any different. Athena is a good, good woman who deserves the world. Bobby is not a man that is allowed good things. He should have learned this by now. He is damned. Color will be forever out of his reach.

There's the sound of dishes being moved about his kitchen and he figures Athena is taking the food with her when she leaves. It'd be a shame for it to go to waste otherwise. God knows his appetite is nowhere to be seen right now.

A few moments later his front door opens and shuts closed, and the sobs that had been burning in his lungs since he entered his bedroom force their way up.

He stays there on the end of his bed crying, until he can't anymore. And all he does then is simply fall backwards so he can stare at the ceiling until he falls asleep.

When he wakes up, he unsurprisingly feels like shit—his face feels horrible where his tears dried, he's dehydrated, his head hurts and his back is complaining at him and he knows he's going to regret falling asleep like he did for the next couple of days.

Sitting up makes him feel every single one of his 50 years of age. He sits there for a moment, face in his hands in the dark of his apartment, feeling sorry for himself. His chest aches, like he's been hollowed out and he itches for a drink, to help stop the downwards spiral his head is going in. He should call Wendall, but he won't right now. If the urge doesn't pass by the morning, then he will, but right now he'll ride it out by himself. He can do this. He has to be able to do this.

Slowly, he makes his way to the bathroom to freshen up and then back into the kitchen for a glass of water, which he drains in seconds. The dishes that Athena had gotten out have been tidied up and put away. The flowers he brought her are no longer sitting on the side nor in the trash, which means that she must have taken them with her too. Which is something at least — that she's either keeping them or not being cruel enough to throw them away where he can see.

His phone chirps from his pocket and he automatically pulls it out, hoping that it's Athena but it's only the 118 A-shift group chat, requesting what they would like for meals this week. He scrolls through, making a note of what they've agreed on, already mentally preparing what he'll need to sort out, grateful for the distraction.

There are no messages from Athena. It hurts, like a knife under the ribs. They haven't gone a single day since starting this relationship without messaging the other, even if that message was simply to say they'd gotten home safe.

Opening their chat, his thumb hovers hesitantly over the keyboard. He wants to message her, just to check that she did get home okay but her silence feels like an answer and boundary all in one.

His phone locks with a click.

He tries to comfort himself with the thought that it's unlikely anything happened to her, but even if it did, she can take care of herself. It doesn't work as well as he hopes.

He goes back to planning meals for the 118. There's no chance he's going to be able to get back to sleep right now and he needs to do something to keep his mind occupied. It takes him less time than he'd hoped, even with purposely dragging it out, so he moves on to the next best thing which is baking. Baking is something he's always enjoyed, both for the end product and for the thought that has to go into the process. It keeps him nicely out of his head, away from spiraling and cravings. Most of the time. Tonight, it's not enough to stop him thinking about Athena, how she loved watching him in the kitchen or how the batch of muffins he made without thinking are her favorites. Doesn’t stop the brief tears that well up when he opens his fridge for the milk to find that she had put away his half of the food she brought. But he keeps going, if only for something to keep his hands busy.

It's a long night, and it's creeping into dawn when he calls it, too tired to safely keep going. He stumbles through the motions of getting ready for bed, sets an alarm for a few hours time, simultaneously grateful and annoyed that he doesn't have work in the morning, and passes out in bed.

When Bobby wakes, he still feels awful, although moderately better than last night, but the day is long and he struggles through. He hopes that the rest of the week gets better.

It doesn't. Not at first.

It ends up being a long, long week for him. He doesn't slip, doesn't find himself in a bottle and has enough of a handle on things that he doesn't need to call Wendall just yet but his mood doesn't improve, his temper coming out on calls and at the firehouse. He knows his team is worried about him, but there's little he can do about it right now. Him and Athena haven't said a word to each other this whole time, not even professionally—somehow every call they've ended up on, Athena is never the officer on scene. It makes him beside himself with worry and eats at him, terrified that something had happened to her until he overhears Hen talking with her on the phone, Hen complaining that the officers on scenes have been far too green lately and that she's missed Athena. It isn't the same as seeing her and speaking in person, but he'll take what he can get. It settles something in him enough that his anger simmers down and the last of the week is easier, if not for him then at least everyone around him.

Bobby's on the phone, being told who was chosen to be the representative of the 118 for the charity calendar when in-between one blink and the next, his vision changes and what once was gray, is now partially alive with color. Everything is so vivid now, distracting in its liveliness and beauty, that he forgets for a moment the person on the phone.

Who has claimed him? Who has sat and thought to themselves so resolutely that "Yes, this is someone I want in my life in this permanent, life-altering way, because he means that much to me."

Tears well up in his eyes. He has no idea who it could be. Athena? God, he hopes it's Athena. But he's not holding his breath on that. After their last conversation at his apartment, hearing she's ashamed of him, and the painful silence and space between them now, he can't possibly be what she wants or need, not like that. Not like someone who's part of your soul.

Who could it be though? His team are some of the best people he's ever worked with, and even though he's just joined them, Eddie is slotting into that place too—he would consider them all good, dear friends but nothing has changed recently between any of them. Not for something like this.

"-tain Nash? Are you still there?" The voice on the phone is sharp, cutting through the ramble of his thoughts and where they've spiraled to and he remembers what he was doing before he was blindsided.

"Sorry, something came up. What were you saying?"

The caller rattles off a load of details, and he takes them down numbly, before putting the phone down. He's happy for Chim, he really is—Bobby knew he didn't stand a chance at winning, not really, especially against the others competing, but this thing with Athena had him feeling good about himself—but that's taking a backseat right now to the fact that he can see colors. Not all of them—4 of the squares on the color reference sheet are still shades of gray, but the others are now vivid color.

Rising from his chair, he makes his way over to the board to feel the braille and read the text that identifies each color.

Red, pink, purple, and brown. Those are the colors he can see now. Someone has given him this. This and the knowledge that they are not his only soulmate. There is at least one other person out that that will choose him the way he will choose them, the way he's been chosen by someone not even 5 minutes ago.

The sob that's been sitting at the back of his throat forces it way out and he has to slam his hands over his face to contain it.

50 years of never seeing color, of never being able to see the world in all its beauty, of believing more and more that he was damned, and a monster, never being able to see his kids properly—what their eyes and hair truly looked like. Someone has given him this. He can look at a photo of his children and be able to see them closer to how they should have looked to him. It burns him up inside to know that he never got to see them in color whilst they were alive, but he at least has this now.

The tears pour down his face, despite his best efforts to stop them so he lets himself feel it, just for this moment.

It takes a couple of minutes before the sobbing subsides and he calms down enough to pull himself together. The team are expecting dinner to be cooked anytime soon, and he needs to tell them that Chim won the place in the calendar, so he makes his way to the tiny bathroom off the side of his office and splashes his face with cold water and pats it dry. A quick glance in the mirror shows that he doesn't look like he's just had a small breakdown in his office, but then he gets distracted by seeing himself in color for the first time. It's bizarre—he knows that his hair is brown, that his eyes are hazel, having been told this by people in his life, but it's one thing to know something, and another to experience it. He almost loses a few moments just staring, taking in what he looks like, when he can hear Buck's voice, loudly trying to come up with a nickname for Eddie still.

With a sigh, he forces himself back into some semblance of calm, and thinks about the reactions he's about to get from everyone with Chim as their calendar rep.

Athena's voice cuts through the uproar of the others—he imagines he'd be able to make her voice out in a crowd of a million so attuned to her he is. He steps over to meet her in the middle, curious and hopeful for what she wants to say. When he glances at her though, he thinks his heart might stop. If he thought she was a vision beforehand, seeing her now with color, is breathtaking. The light shimmers on her skin and she glows, ethereal, with lips red from makeup—it keeps catching his eye and he wants nothing more than to kiss the color off. He wishes he could.

Her hand is warm and slightly clammy when she rests it on his bicep, like she's nervous, which confuses him for a brief moment until she's apologizing and then firmly cradling his head to pull him down for a kiss.

Fireworks explode in his chest. His brave, beautiful Athena, taking such a leap to meet him where he's at. He knows it's hard for her to be vulnerable and exposed but for her to do this, to kiss him in front of his team, and her best friend and announce what they are to each other in the most obvious way, it heals that wound sitting in his heart. Bobby loves her so much—and this time, it is him admitting it, no more skirting around the feeling. He hopes, more than anything, that the colors he can now see are from Athena, because he wants to be able to give her this back, either her last pieces or even one more to the art and wonder that is the world. Bobby wants to be her soulmate it's like an ache in his soul.

She pulls back slightly, with a tiny gasp, eyes locked onto his and the warmth in her beautiful brown eyes could fuel him for months.

The smile on his face feels like it won't ever budge as he murmurs in the space between them "Alright." and leans back down to kiss her again.

Just a quick, small kiss because he can feel the others drilling holes into the side of his skull as they stare at him.

He turns to face them. “What are you all looking at? There’s no more announcements.”

Hen swivels to the others, hands out. “Pay up.” Buck and Chim groan loudly, before they start to dig in their pockets.

“Wait a minute, wait a minute, you knew?”

Hen gives him a look like she thinks he may be a little stupid. “Sir, first you two were happy at the same time, then you were both pissed off at the same time. It wasn’t hard to figure out.”

Athena takes a few steps towards Hen, hesitant. “And, uh, you good with this?”

“Girl, I’m just mad at myself for not fixing you up in the first place.” Bobby relaxes — he hadn’t been nervous, necessarily, about Hen knowing about them, but she was Athena’s best friend long before he was her Captain and friend. To have her approval, that Hen thinks Bobby is worthy of being with Athena, eases the anxiety in him.

Hen and Athena share a laugh before Hen turns back round to Buck and Chim to claim her money.

“Staying for dinner?” He hopes so. He wants to spend as much time with Athena as he can, now that they’re not hiding.

“I don't know. Are you cooking?” She asks him, that flirty tone coming out that always has him weak in the knees.

“Yeah.” Bobby holds his hand out for her to take, because he can do that now. She takes it immediately and he’s so happy he feels like he could burst.

“Then I'm staying.”

“Good.” He looks at her. "Could we talk after dinner? Nothing bad I promise. I just need to tell you something without the whole team prying."

She looks apprehensive but nods. "After dinner then."

And with that, leaving Hen and Chim to talk, he takes Athena over to properly introduce her to Eddie. They've seen each other on a couple of calls since Eddie started but never been formally introduced. Bobby'll find out what she thinks of Eddie later, but he's already had a better first impression than Buck did, and even if she won't admit it, Athena's got a soft spot for Buck now, so Eddie's chances at getting her approval look good.

He wanders over to the kitchen, getting ready to start dinner, but the color of everything is disorientating, so he finds himself taking longer than he normally would to pull things out.

Bobby ends up thoroughly distracted, because he doesn't notice Buck sliding up next to him, leaning back on the counter. He definitely doesn't jump when Buck speaks. Not even a little. Buck laughs at him.

"So... You and Athena, huh?"

He can't help the smile that comes over his face. "Yeah."

"I gotta say, I did not see that coming"

A laugh startles its way out of him. "I'd gathered that from the 20 you and Chim both lost to Hen." He's not even mad about it. If someone had told him a few months ago that he'd have the balls to ask her out on a date, and she would accept and then carry on dating him, he'd have thought them insane. But here he is, and Athena kissed him in front of his whole team. He feels a little giddy. Between the kiss and the colors, it feels a like a dream—if it is, he doesn't ever want to wake up.

Buck does at least have the decency to look sheepish though. "No offense to you Cap but Athena is..." Buck trails off.

"Out of my league?"

Buck shakes his head. "Out of everyone's league." There's a small smile on Buck's face as he looks at Bobby. It's strange, looking at him—seeing him partially in color. Almost like a paint by numbers that someone hasn't finished yet. "But you're happier now. And she looks it too."

"She deserves it."

"You both do." Buck jumps up from where he's been leaning. "Now I'm starving, so let me help—you still have so much you gotta show me."

Dinner goes well—Buck's picking up on things quickly, even if he's nowhere near the stage Bobby would let him cook dinner meals by himself. It's nice. His team and Athena are set up at the table—they're all playfully ribbing Chim about being in the calendar, and Hen's definitely trying to get as much information out of Athena as she can.

Seeing them all together like this, settles something in him and for the first time in too long, he feel at peace.

Once dinner is finished, his team clear the table and clean up for him as is the norm, leaving him alone at the table with Athena. He can't stop staring at her—she's even more beautiful in color than he could have ever imagined and he's still fascinated by how the lights and colors of the firehouse play across her skin. He's going to have to be pulled away from her to stop looking.

"You're staring." There's a little smirk on her face as she looks at him.

"You're beautiful." he responds, and it flusters her—he can't get over how she's always taken aback when he compliments her. Michael may be a good man, and a good father, but he was not a good partner and the damage he did to Athena’s self-esteem over the years runs deep—Bobby can only hope to ease that as much as he can.

"Flatterer." She takes his hand from where it's resting on the table and holds it gently. "You said you needed to talk—you wanna do it here whilst they're all distracted in the kitchen?"

He laughs softly. "Being distracted won't keep that lot from eavesdropping. And I’d rather this be private."

And, as if to prove his point, there's a chorus of wolf-whistles and cheers behind him—he's fairly certain Chim even yells "Get it Cap" which he's choosing to ignore right now.

"Fair enough." And then with that, she's dragging him out of his chair, towards his office, and it does absolutely nothing to calm the ruckus behind them, in the same way that pouring gasoline on a fire does nothing to put it out. He cannot find it in him to care. He feels like he's about to burst from happiness.

The door to his office closes shut with a soft sound that echoes in the silence between them and he leads Athena to sit with him on the small sofa. She follows him down, hand still in his, and shuffles purposefully so that her knee is touching his. At this rate, the smile on his face is never going to leave and his heart is going to be doing cartwheels until the end of time.

"So, what was so private that we had to escape to your office to talk about?"

Looking into her eyes, amazed by the shades of brown, he squeezes her hand in his. Takes a deep breath. "I can see color now. My first colors. And not every color, but most of them."

He watches as what looks like hope bloom across her face. "You do?" There's no disgust or concern on her face, nothing to suggest that she's horrified that he's never had a soulmate. No signs that she thinks he's a monster or damaged. Just pure hope and he finds words tumbling out of his mouth, desperate to let her know how he feels.

"Yeah, as of about 5, maybe 10 minutes before you arrived. I couldn't say for certain how long, because I was suddenly distracted by how everything looked, and wondering who it was that claimed me as a soulmate. And I hoped more than anything it was you and I was terrified it wasn't. So when you came up and kissed me, in front of my team, I knew it was you and I had no choice but to be brave too and admit it to myself—that I want to be your soulmate."

Bobby can see her eyes water up, the beginning of tears forming at her lashes. He knows they're happy tears and his own eyes water in response. When was the last time he was honestly this truly happy? He can't remember.

"Bobby, I..." Athena trails off, looking down at her fingers playing with his. "I sat in my car for at least 20 minutes trying to work up the courage to come in and see you. To make things right. And I was thinking of what Michael had said to me, that I deserve to be happy. So I let myself feel it, and finally admit to myself that I want this with you — a proper relationship, and to be with you and kiss and hold you whenever I want. No more hiding or sneaking around. You have made me feel more myself and more seen than I have done in years and when I was thinking that, all that came to me was that I want us to be soulmates." She looks up from their joined fingers then, and there's a small, rueful smile on her face. "And then as soon as I let myself accept that, I had to work up all the courage I had mustered again because I was terrified that just because I wanted us to be soulmates, didn't mean you did, even if you wanted things to be more serious between us. The idea that you wouldn't get colors with me... was so daunting, but then I thought that even if I never got my last colors and you wanted to be together then I want to be with you. If you'd still have me. And you do. Despite how I hurt you. I got my last colors because of you."

"Athena..."

"I should apologize, more than with just a kiss."

"Athena, there's no need, it's -"

"No Bobby, I do need to. And I need to explain. I hurt you, and not in a way that should just be kissed better. I told you I was ashamed of you. That's not right." She sighs and takes his other hand in hers, holds them both tightly, and her gaze drops back to their hands. "I was ashamed of myself. And of being happy — not with you or with us. It's just... I had been so torn up about Michael and I getting divorced, and even though part of the reason we got married was because my biological clock was running out, I still loved him. He was the person I was going to spend the rest of my life with. And then a few months later after we split, you asked me out and it's been some of the best months of my life." Athena pauses for a second, and he knows she's putting her thoughts together, to make the words come out the way she needs them to. "I was barely separated from him, and I wasn't looking for anything resembling a relationship. I just wanted to find out what space for myself would look like. Then you came along, and it was fun but somewhere along the line it got serious for me too. But what did it say about me as a person, that I fell out of love with Michael so quickly after how much I fought for him, how much I said I loved him, but I still fell into another serious relationship so quickly afterwards? I wasn't ready to admit that I'd probably fallen out of love with him a long time ago — I hadn’t wanted to accept it at the time, because I didn't want to break my family up and it felt like giving up on them. And I was scared of getting hurt again. To give myself to someone, in such a way that it would break my heart if they decided they didn't want me anymore or..." She takes a deep shuddering breath, eyes still firmly on their joined hands. There's a deep need to comfort her, but he knows that she won't accept it until she's said all she needs to.

"Then there's the way that people at work would say things when they thought I couldn't hear them. That I had turned Michael gay, it was my fault for being the way that I am, that it was a miracle he managed to stay that long. But then the talking changed to how quickly it seemed like I'd moved on because I was happier and must have been getting some and that it was unbecoming. And it didn't make me feel... dirty really, but it lingered in the back of my head.

"On top of that, I could already hear my mother and her disappointment of me being the first person in our family to divorce—yet another thing for her to scold me about. She wasn't happy I'd married him in the first place, and to prove her right by divorcing him just made it worse. It was never because I was ashamed of you or being with you but I lashed out because I felt vulnerable and scared—that's not fair on you. I'm so sorry Bobby."

She finally looks up at him and her beautiful brown eyes are full of tears. Bobby wants nothing more than to kiss them off of her face and kiss her until she's smiling again, but he needs to meet her spoken apology with words in response. That's not stopping him from taking her hands and bringing them to his lips however. He hates that there was all of this in the back of her head, that it made her feel ashamed of herself. He'd known at the beginning of them dating that she wanted to keep it quiet as it was so soon after her getting divorced, and he'd agreed to it because that had made sense —he wanted to take things slowly too, see where it could go with her and not have the people in their life interfere. God knows his team means well, but they would not have given them the space they needed, and heaven forbid it hadn't worked out, they would have very awkwardly tried to fix it. But he couldn't have imagined the extent to which this had sat with Athena and hurt her.

"I won't lie and say it didn't hurt when you said that. I wish that I hadn't pushed and just gave you the space you needed to talk about it, but you coming up and kissing me in front of my team more than made up for what you said. And besides that, you chose me and gave me both color, and the knowledge that I have at least one other soulmate. I have spent my 50 years of life in gray-scale and after everything with my family before, I believed I was damned to never see color and that would be okay because I would deserve it. But because of you, I can. I can look at a picture of my kids and see them closer to how I should have been able to in life. You have given me so much, I can barely put it into words."

He pulls her closer, moving so that their legs tangle between them and squeezes her hands. "Thank you." He says, trying to get all the love he feels for her into the words as much as he can.

She surges up to him and kisses him with the same ferocity that usually ends up with them shedding clothes and on the nearest available surface, which he is normally all for but they are in his very unlocked office, and his team barely knock on the best of days even if the door is shut, let alone when they think they can be nosy about about something.

That being said, he isn't opposed at all to doing something with Athena in his office—another day though.

He slides his hands from hers to her waist to hold her gently, and she softens the kiss to something tamer and pulls away gently, although she doesn't go far—just stays with her legs tangled with his, arms over his shoulders and forehead resting on his. It's nice, this comfort and intimacy, the enjoyment of being in the other persons space and just existing with one another.

"You really are something else Bobby Nash." She smiles at him and he can't help the grin that blooms on his face in response.

"Right back at you, Athena Grant." He nuzzles his nose against hers, delighting in how her smile widens. "Now, I should call the Chief and let him know I'm going to need a week off and a course to attend." For the general public, having time off school or work and attending a course on sensory acclimatization after getting colors, either for the first time or any time after, is voluntary, so long as it doesn't interfere negatively with your life. For anyone in emergency services, and other select fields, attendance is mandatory. It wouldn't do to have your emergency personnel distracted when they should be saving your life. For the first time in however long though, Bobby doesn't mind the forced downtime, especially knowing Athena will spend it with him when she can.

Athena's gaze on him turns sultry at his words. "A whole week, huh? I bet I could think of a few things that'll help you with colors."

The memory of Athena mentioning a matched set of underwear comes to mind, and he groans softly. "I bet you could."

She presses a gentle kiss to his lips and sits back, untangling from him slightly. Not far, just enough that they can look at each other properly. "We good though?"

He hates the insecurity he can hear in her voice and he wishes he could just kiss it out of her. "We're more than good."

"I'm glad." She tangles her fingers in his again and warmth fills his chest at the easy intimacy. "You need a lift back home? Driving'll be a bitch with all the new color."

"Yeah, that would be great—cooking was hard enough. I didn't even think about how I was getting home."

"Okay, you call the Chief and get your time off. I'll head back upstairs and wait with Hen. You want me to tell the others that you'll be off?"

"Nah, I can do it when I come up. Thank you."

"Not a problem." She leans forward again to kiss him gently again, and Bobby chases her lips when she pulls away, not wanting to give up the contact just yet. She indulges him with a long, slow kiss that has his heart beating rapidly in his chest and a fire start burning in his veins and he wants to just stay here, in this moment, and spend as long as he can kissing her. But he knows they have to be a little responsible right now, and once Athena takes him back to his apartment, they can indulge themselves more. At least until Athena has to go home.

He behaves himself this time when she pulls back, not giving in to the temptation that is kissing Athena, and lets her stand up, reluctantly letting their fingers untangle.

"See you in a minute, baby. Call your Chief."

One phone call to Chief Alonzo later, complete with congratulations and mandatory two day course booked, Bobby is officially off of work for the next seven days, and not to be called in for anything. After packing everything away in his office that needs to be and getting changed, he heads to the locker room to grab his things, before heading back upstairs to Athena and his team.

Buck notices him first, calling out over to him. "Cap, you're out of uniform?"

"Yeah, turns out getting colors makes concentrating difficult, so the Chief is giving me a week off." Bobby makes sure to word it so it doesn’t sound like these are his first colors — he knows the team wouldn’t think less of him for it, but the worry is still there. He couldn’t bear it if they looked at him differently.

There's a beat of silence before they erupt in cheers, coming over to congratulate him — Hen, notably is still sitting at the table with Athena, big grin on her face, like she already knew. He guesses that now they’re out in the open about their relationship, Athena’s caught her best friend up on the details. He’s glad she can now. Bobby only hopes she leaves out the more intimate parts — he still has to work with Hen and be able to look her in the eyes.

He puts up with the congratulatory hugs and thumps for a moment before it’s too much and he pulls back.

“Alright that's enough you guys.” It would sound more put out if he didn't have a giant grin on his face. The others step back a little bit, all looking happy for him. “I’ll be back in a week, so Chim is in charge for the rest of this shift and the next two so I want you all on your best behavior.”

There’s a chorus of agreement and goodbyes, and he spots Athena saying her goodbyes to Hen before walking over to him to take his hand again.

With that, they’re leaving the firehouse.

Athena bundles him into the front of her cruiser — she has to go back to her station and get changed out of her uniform, seeing as she came to the firehouse straight after her shift had finished—and he's grateful for the opportunity to just sit and shut his eyes. There's a headache that's been building at the base of his skull since he got off the phone to his Chief and everything has become a bit too much to look at, but he wouldn't change it for the world. Every time they come to a stop, Athena squeezes his hand firmly and runs her thumb over the back and his heart flutters each time. She's his soulmate! She chose him and he chose her and they're soulmates and he can see color.

The drive doesn't take too long thankfully, and before he knows it, he's being nudged out of the cruiser and into Athena's car.

"I'll be back in a moment baby. Just rest for now and I'll get you home." She presses a gentle kiss on his lips and he leans into it as much as he can before she has to leave. He watches as she walks into the precinct with a grin on his face. There's people milling about, just going about their business but a number of them know Athena and definitely noticed her kissing him. Bobby loves her so fucking much—she really is the bravest person he knows. He can only imagine the gossip that's going to be sparked now, and Athena—who he's learning that as much as she gives the impression she doesn't, does in fact worry about how she's perceived — decided that being open about them being together was worth whatever people would say. The giddy feeling from earlier bubbles back in his chest. If this really is a dream, he prays to God that he doesn't wake up.

There's a bang and a loud shout nearby and his headache painfully reminds him it's still there so he does as Athena had asked, closes his eyes and rests.

The feeling of fingers carding gently through his hair wakes him up and it takes him a moment to register that it's Athena. He must have fallen asleep because they're no longer at Athena's precinct but in the parking lot to his apartment. He’s pushing instinctively into her hand before he can think to do otherwise, wanting more of her touch.

There’s the soft sound of Athena’s laugh and his chest fills with warmth. He loves the sound of her laugh. “Hey baby. You awake now?”

“Just about. Was I out long?”

“Not really. We’ve only been here a couple of minutes.” She strokes through his hair a little firmer and it feels like heaven. “How’s your head?”

“It’s better. Though I don’t think I'm up for watching anything on T.V right now.” He pauses. “How’d you know I had a headache? I didn’t say anything.”

“It's what happens when you get your first colors. Nobody ever thinks to mention it though.”

“That makes sense. Everything is so much brighter now.” He means it literally, everything is so much more than it was but it’s also true - his life is so much brighter with Athena in it, even before he could see color.

“It’ll feel like that for a short while. We should get you in some lower light for now, and some more rest.”

“Will you stay with me? At least for a little bit?”

“Of course.”

Athena has Bobby up and in his apartment in short time, stripped and in sleepwear before he can even really think about what’s happening. He’s tucked into bed and she cuddles up next to him, fingers stroking through his hair again.

“That feels good.” He stares up at her, sure that he looks as besotted as he feels.

“You keep staring at me.”

“You keep being beautiful.”

She turns her face away, bashful, but he can see(!) the way a subtle flush spreads over her cheeks.

“I mean it Athena. You were beautiful beyond words when I couldn’t see color. But now?” He raises a hand to cup her cheek, thumb gently stroking her skin.” Now, you… your skin is…” he trails off, unable to find words.

“Bobby Nash, if you're about to compare my skin to food, I will push you out of this bed, headache be damned.”

Bobby laughs. “God, no, I wouldn't.” He nudges her face with his hand so she's facing him again, making sure to catch her eyes. “But I really do mean it. You are beautiful. The way your skin is warm and rich and how the light plays off it makes you look ethereal.” He places a kiss next to each eye. “Your eyes sparkle so brightly.” Another kiss goes to her lips. “Your lipstick has been been distracting me the whole time I've been able to see the color on you. But it suits you.” Two more kisses go on her cheeks. “ And it was only a subtle thing, but the flush in your face is adorable.”

“Bobby…” she goes to turn her head aside again but he holds her firmly.

“If you tell me to stop, I will but I want you to hear this.”

She doesn’t answer, but she doesn’t pull away either.

He trails his fingers down from her cheek, down her jaw and he feels her shudder underneath his fingertips. He carries on to her bicep, squeezing her shoulder briefly on the way down.

“Your arms, which I’ve seen take down men 3 times your size, hold me tight and keep me grounded. And give your kids a safe place to go to.” His hand goes further down, to tangle his fingers in hers. “Your hands are soft and touch me gently, like I’m something precious, but also drive me so crazy, I want to beg for you.” Moving slightly, he untangles their fingers to move his hand up her shirt, to rest there on her stomach.

He hears a short, stuttered breath from Athena, before she’s tucking her face into the crook of his neck.

“Please don’t hide from me.”

She takes a large, shuddering breath, tickling his neck. “I’m not, I promise. It’s just a lot to take. It’s been a long, long time, if ever, that I’ve had someone look at me and honestly like all that they’ve seen of me. I don’t know what to do with the feeling.”

Bobby rolls so he’s on his side, dislodging Athena a little, but it means that they can face each other. He nuzzles his nose against hers and she smiles at him.

“I think you just need to feel it. Although, that does make me feel like I’ve not been doing a good job of showing you this whole time.”

“You have. It’s just different, hearing it out loud. And you’re my soulmate, so you have to mean it, and that feels surreal.”

“I know what you mean. I keep thinking this is a dream and I’ll wake up. But it’s not. It’s real and we chose each other.”

Her grin widens and it’s like sunshine breaking through clouds. God, he loves her.

“We did.” She leans forward to kiss him and he’s already moving to meet her halfway. They kiss slow and deep, the kind of kissing that doesn’t lead to anything more, just kissing to be close, wrapped up in each other.

It feels like they’ve barely been kissing for any time at all, when they have to pull apart to breath. They linger there together in the silence for a moment before Athena speaks again.

“The day after your course, will you have dinner with me?”

“Yeah, of course I will. You want me to order takeout? Or cook something for you?”

She shakes her head. “No, Bobby will you go out and have dinner with me?”

Oh. Oh. “Like a date?”

“Yes, a date.”

He presses forward and kisses her, needing her to know how he feels.

When Bobby pulls back, Athena leans her forehead against his. “I take it that’s a yes?”

“Absolutely.”

“Then it's a date.”