How Many Days?

[notyourcaptain]

Carolyn wasn't aware of how long she slept. A long time. The sleep was broken up by nightmares, brief moments of consciousness that quickly slipped away as her body forced her into rest. Maybe she was just that tired, maybe she just needed it. Or maybe the nightmares kept her from really resting as she should have been, so she slept longer to compensate.

Once or twice, she woke up to find Riddick at her bedside, one firm hand on her shoulder as though to keep her from levitating off the mattress. She was barely awake long enough to acknowledge him. The nightmares were awful and persistant - pitch black and full of viscous blood. She couldn't see anything, but she could hear everything, smell it, feel it, the tearing flesh, the cooling rock under her hands, the screeching and hissing. Now and then, a hand would come out of the dark and haul her to her feet, pulling her out of the dream.

When she finally came back to herself, rested but disoriented, it was dark outside and she had no sense of time, didn't know if it had been hours or days. The light at the ceiling still filled the apartment with a sickly glow and she turned slowly onto her back, finding herself achy and stiff, as though she'd been rigid and tense the whole time. She cleared her throat and blinked slowly, not even sure if Riddick had kept his word, if he had stayed by his side the whole time.

Comments

[seesblind]

He would tell her that they're real, but there are times he's unsure himself. With the dreams he'd had before coming to this place he doubts his own sanity sometimes. Furyans and Elementals, Necromongers and their creations. He's seen things he's only ever half-believed in, or more to the point he's spent a lifetime avoiding. But Fry has always pushed him, has always been what's real, even in another place just like this one. Her skin against his shows that, warm and damp with sweat, exactly how he remembers it. Riddick pushes up against her, his grip on her hip heavy. But he lets her take the final step, knowing that she has to be the one in control here, at least for these few minutes.

[notyourcaptain]

The weight and heat of the air around them is making her pant, so Carolyn takes a second to catch her breath, sitting up and focusing on his face. She's still stroking him gently, then pushing up onto her knees. There's a newfound steadiness and she blinks slowly, shifting until she can guide him to her, sinking down inch by inch until their hips are flush and he's buried in her. Carolyn swallows hard, shivering once as the waves of memories keep coming. They'd fought hard for this, fought hard to allow each other close. The crazy thing was, Carolyn got the sense that as well as they seemed to know one another because of their time in Gotham, it was that one long night on the planet that was the real source of understanding. She'd always known him that well - all their fighting and fucking that came after, that had been no more revealing than the moment he'd gripped her hand and pulled her stumbling through the canyon.

[seesblind]

How can you save her when you can't even be honest with yourself?. Words said to him in that other place, words he'd been fine with forgetting. Riddick knew this changed things, more than just the memories this meant he wasn't the one in control now. Not in the way he always has been.

He pulls her back toward him, his hips moving with hers at an almost painfully slow pace. Fingers curl behind her neck, tangling in the ends of her hair as he kisses her, losing some of the gentleness from before. It's need overwhelming control, a dangerous place to be.

[notyourcaptain]

"I need you-" she whispers as he pulled her close, her head turning when the kiss breaks so she's speaking in his ear. Her breath is hot and she's wound one bare leg around his hips, so that when she pulls tight he rocks against her and surely he can feel how wet she is. It makes her heart pound, and for a moment she isn't embarrassed to admit this very newly obvious fact. "Riddick, I need you."

[seesblind]

Riddick moves them again, flipping them in one swift movement, never pulling out or away from her. "Carolyn," he says her name again, a low grumble as he takes her hand, pushing it up over her head and holding it. She's beautiful and she feels amazing beneath him and against him. He knows how she feels, but even now, even remembering all that he does those are words he has difficulty with.

[notyourcaptain]

She's gasping and she has no idea how they got to where they are. The hand pinning her wrist to the bed is making her heart pound in her chest and she find herself smiling. She's pressed back into the bed, squirming under him, and she's smiling. They aren't even really moving together, but it doesn't seem to matter. Riddick is buried hilt deep and as much as she wants the friction, she doesn't want him to pull away. Instead she keeps her leg around his hips and rolls her own up, grinding against him without letting him pull out.

[seesblind]

It's frustrating to move like this, pressing into and rocking with her without ever pulling back or away. Frustrating, but also teasing in a way that makes his blood rush, his pulse pounding in his head. He can see the warmth in her with his goggles off, see the way she's reacting to him and to this. That's another type of rush, his breath faster as he circles his hips like she does, as much as he's desperate to pull out and push back in again. He isn't sure how long that continues, only knowing that he can't stand it any longer, his strength overcoming hers as he pulls back, drives back into her with a cry that's unexpected.

[notyourcaptain]

His cry is unexpected, and even though she should know better, his strength is as well. Their hips meet with enough force to drive the breath out of her and Carolyn gasps, back arching - with her hand pinned as it is. That's what sets the pace, though, and she claws at his back with her free hand, sinking into the blankets and the mattress as he fucks her, her own attempts to meet each thrust only half successful. Soon it's hard to keep her leg around his hips because her limbs are going sort of limp, heat and dizziness and the rising swell of orgasm making it very hard to think, much less keep a grip on anything.

[seesblind]

He might be fighting for control, but not so much that he can't be sure she breaks before him. This has been about her he tells himself even now. About Fry being safe, being here. Riddick usually doesn't lie to himself this much, but this is one time he seems unable to do anything else. His skin is hot, but so is hers, damp with sweat wherever they touch. He slows, he has to, shuddering with each thrust, unable to contain himself any longer.

[notyourcaptain]

The slower pace makes her whimper and Carolyn stretches to grab at the curve of his ass, fingers digging into hard muscle. Before it was too hard, too fast, and now it's too slow, not enough. She's damp with sweat, yes, verging on slick, and she can't get a good grip. Her other hand is still pinned and she wants him to move faster, needs to find release, but it all still feels so far off. No longer quite so swamped with memories, Carolyn can only focus on his bulk, on the weight of him between her thighs. She whispers his name again, forcing her eyes open in an attempt to meet his gaze, even anyone could ever really meet his eyes the way you'd meet anyone else's. They were unreadable, even when he had the goggles off, impenetrable.

[seesblind]

There's something in the way that she grabs at him that tells him what she wants. Riddick groans, letting go of her hand, bracing himself over her as he buried himself inside of her, again and again, pullingout as far as he can manage, each thrust coming faster than the last. It's that he's concentrating on, not the way that she's looking at him, not how she's meeting his eyes -- something he's never done except with her, except in that other place.

[notyourcaptain]

The impact of his hips is jerking her up the bed and the previously pinned hand finds the headboard to brace. Carolyn can't help the soft little cries that escape her at each thrust and soon she's the one who has to look away, eyes squeezing shut and back arching. He's filling her up, completely overwhelming her with heat and weight and friction and her chest heaves with ragged breath, sweat beginning to stick her to the sheets at her back.

[seesblind]

There's a point where it doesn't matter how much control he might have usually, it cracks and crumbles under the pressure. His cry is more like a roar, his fingers digging deep into the sheets as the inevitable takes him, rough and messy and complicated.

[notyourcaptain]

"Fuck!" The last couple thrusts actually hurt and she's shaking, but her climax is just barely out of her reach. Carolyn hooks an arm around his shoulders, holding herself to him as his hips jerk and he comes completely undone. It's startling and already Carolyn can tell he'll be unsettled by just how much he'd cut loose. She knows, now, because of these memories, that this is rare for him. That it sets him off balance every time.

[seesblind]

More than off balance, it makes him feel raw in a way he doesn’t know how to deal with. But he remembers before, remembers walking off on her, his cruelty in moments like these. His hips jerk again before he stops, resting against her entirely still. Riddick can’t move, won’t move, lest he break completely.

[notyourcaptain]

Arm still tight around his shoulders, she lets him rest against her and doesn't say a word. She's afraid to break the spell, afraid that if either of them moves, something will snap. In the past it's been him doing the walking away, but right now she isn't so sure this time. Her head actually aches a little, everything has come back to her so quickly, and Carolyn just wants to stay pinned like this until the tidal wave passes. Her fingers curl against the back of his head, her other hand clinging to his hip and all she came do is listen to the chorus of their ragged breath in the otherwise silent room.

[seesblind]

He wishes he could tell her that waves don’t break that way. That the second wave is what kills the most people, bigger and more powerful than the already destructive first. It’s far from over, the repercussions of what they remember sure to be felt for longer than either of them are prepared for.

It seems like an hour has passed when he moves, shifting beside her with a groan. Riddick knows it’s only been a few minutes, but time is dragging. He’s not sure yet if that’s good.

[notyourcaptain]

God damn, she's sore. Carolyn makes a face as she shifts, kicking way tangled blankets and shivering as cool air hits sweaty, heated skin. Slowly, she sits up, one hand smoothing up the inside of her own thigh where, she is fairly sure, there will be bruises in the morning. She glances at him, wondering at his silence, but not surprised. Instead of saying anything, she slides off the bed and disappears into the kitchen, only to reappear with two glasses of water. Standing on his side of the bed, she offers one to him wordlessly.

[seesblind]

He reaches out for a glass, shifting to lean up against the headboard. "Thanks."

He takes a long drink from the glass, the water grounding in a way he doesn't expect. Riddick is resisting now, resisting the urge to leave, or to try and make things right. Neither is the right thing to do, he knows that. Other than that, he's not sure what he should do and it's a strange place to be.

[notyourcaptain]

By the time Carolyn is sitting back on the bed, her glass is empty and she leans forward to set it just under the bedframe on the floor. "So-" she starts uncomfortably, wishing there were a better way to do this, but he doesn't seem to be about to talk and something needs to happen, "you don't have to stick around or anything, but if there's a way for us to figure out this whole...memories thing." Carolyn twists, stretching out on her side to look up at him. She needs a shower, badly, but first she needs to deal with this. "Can you handle that?"

[seesblind]

Talking. Now there's something that's never gotten him anywhere. Riddick likes figuring things out for himself, making the decisions and going, and if people don't agree or fall behind, that's on their heads. Only it changed saving Kyra from that triple-max and trying to save Fry on that planet. It's changed more with what has just happened and what they both remember. "What is there to figure out?"

[notyourcaptain]

Carolyn looks up at him with both eyebrows raised practically to her hairline. She stares for a moment, as though expecting him to laugh at his own joke, but he doesn't and she snorts out a vague sound of disbelief. "I shouldn't be surprised you're seriously asking me that question, but I am." Sitting up again, Carolyn wraps her arms loosely around bent legs, head still turned so she's facing him. "Riddick, Jesus. I mean, should I even still stay here?" Before tonight, it was a place to crash. Now, after sex, and these memories, they'd be living together.

[seesblind]

"You still need somewhere to stay. You still need to sleep." That hasn't changed, he knows that. He's also fairly sure this was a step too far too fast. Yet was there anywhere else to go with the two of them? Riddick shakes his head, answering his own question. "Do you have any other options?"

[notyourcaptain]

Carolyn heaves a sigh and slides to the edge of the bed so she can stand up, looking for her t-shirt. "I guess not." Wonderful. So she'll stay here because she has to. And they won't try and piece together these insane memories. The perfect arrangement.

[seesblind]

There is more, and he knows it. He knows they should try and sort out a place they can both live with. But he's going to avoid it as long as he can. "You can shower first."