Zari Tarazi (![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} thedragongirl) wrote in ![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} momadness_log,@ 2021-12-18 17:21:00 |
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What: Two nerds hanging out in a lab
Where: Ray's Lab
When: December 14 into December 15
Status/Warnings: Completed via GDocs/Low
While Ray worked on whatever next brilliant thing he was concentrating on, Zari sat on the far end of the bench, back against the wall and legs up so that she was pressing her feet lightly against his hip and thigh. Her normal stream of delightful chatter had made way for a companionable silence. Half of her attention was on her phone, the other half alert for whatever tool he might request from her side of the workspace. She didn't have to turn and look for it either, just reached out and pulled it from its spot and handed it over. Her rate of accuracy was nearly perfect, and even when she handed him something "wrong", it turned out to be exactly what he needed anyway.
Only when it looked like he'd finished the latest bit of complicated surgery and had set his tools to the side to examine his work did she take the opportunity to poke his thigh with her toe. "Hey, what do you want for Christmas?"
His back was starting to protest at the angle he was leaning over the workbench, but he was determined to finish fixing the cold gun. It had been languishing in the corner of his room aboard the Waverider for months. Somehow he’d never had the time to fix it between missions as he’d been too caught up researching the Totems, and before that, rebuilding the ATOM suit. But here he had plenty of time, so he was finally getting around to refurbishing Leonard’s gun. Zari had proven to be a fantastic lab assistant, knowing which tools he needed almost without him having to ask. Having her company kept him more relaxed and in turn more efficient too.
The little nudge to his thigh made him smile and he stretched as he looked toward Z. "Oh… I haven’t really thought about it yet. Maybe some books. Do you know what you’d like?"
If her legs hadn't been in the way and she hadn't been comfortable as she was, that smile would have sorely tempted her to lean in and kiss him. Shoulder, cheek, neck, lips, it wouldn't have mattered. It was a thing they could do now. Did do now. A little flutter went through her stomach at the idea, the reality. Her nose wrinkled while her eyes danced in open affection. "If you're not more specific, I'll get you a book on coal. But I have a feeling you'd like that too."
Zari laughed and set her phone aside. Her gaze drifted to the weapon, and she thought instantly of Mick, even though the two guns were nothing alike. It made her a little melancholy that she'd never met Leonard Snart. She was a sucker for a good redemption story. Her arm wrapped loosely around her knee, where she'd crooked one of them a little more, and she centered her attention on him once more. "It's not really my holiday, but I'll tell you what I'd want anyway: dinner out. With you. A whole evening. Someplace quiet. Think the holly-jolly big guy would have a problem with that?"
He took a moment, smiling softly in reaction to the affection in her gaze, and knowing his own expression held a similar sentiment. Some days he couldn’t quite believe his good fortune that Zari and he were both here and he’d somehow managed to become her boyfriend. She looked adorable in his knit sweater, which was much too big for her of course; but the emerald hue really suited her. "Actually that would be interesting, but I’ll have a think and look up some titles for you. Would that be alright?"
Ray slipped the smaller tools back in their case as Zari set down her phone, and ran his fingers over the barrel of the gun almost reverently before shifting slightly on the bench so his body was facing her more. "I don’t think he’d have a problem with that at all." If it were possible, his smile was even brighter than it had been before she’d told him her desire. "Maybe we could go to the City for dinner, spend the night and have Brunch somewhere too?" As the suggestion passed his lips, uncertainty settled in his chest, and he dropped his gaze to her feet briefly before looking back up at her. "If you’d like… and do you think Zee is okay with us?"
Did she know him or did she know him? She could have rolled her eyes and called him a teasing name, but instead she nodded once with a small hum of ascent. For just a second, she was almost a little jealous of RayRay's latest project, but it turned on a dime as his counteroffer dropped something hot and shivery through her insides. Zari had just about worked herself up to the point where she abandoned her comfortable position so she could launch herself at him and kiss him breathless, but his last question stopped her in her mental and physical tracks. "What?" Confusion made her voice quiet and drew her brows together as she stared at him. Hurt clouded her eyes a heartbeat later. "Is she… okay with us? Where—where is this coming from?"
"Oh! No, I don’t mean…" Ray registered the hurt in her eyes more than anything, and he kicked himself for blurting out his internal questions without warning. Turning fully to face her, he carefully took her hands in his, brushing his thumbs over their backs. "I just meant that she made me promise I’d look out for you, be here if you needed me, and I’m not entirely sure if this was what she had in mind?" He smiled then, realizing that his concerns really were sounding ridiculous as he spoke them aloud. "I almost expected her to pop out of the totem to give me the shovel talk when I suggested we spend the night together in the city, because I meant more than cuddling and falling asleep together. If you’re not there yet, that’s okay, don’t feel any pressure on that front. Sorry, just blurted all this out, info dump."
His fingers wrapped around her hands felt nice, and the idea that he wanted to be with her like that did too, but she couldn't completely dismiss the worry and concern that had taken root in her heart. She finally moved her legs so they were on either side of the bench, allowing her to sit forward and really search his face. "Is that something you need? To talk to her? Because I can't do this if you're having doubts. I can't do this if you're not real with me. So if you want me to bring her out, I will, because you make me happy, and I really want this to work."
Mirroring her position, Ray looked at their joined hands for a moment after her close read of his expression. Shaking his head, he lifted his gaze to meet hers, a small smile brightening his expression. "I don’t need to speak to her. It’s just my brain, overthinking and coming up with imaginary scenarios." Shuffling closer so their knees touched, he continued; "I’m not having any doubts, and I want you to know that you make me really happy too. I wouldn’t even consider us sleeping together if I wasn’t."
The oversized sleeves of his sweater slipped lower, until it fell across Ray's wrists, and there was something in the action that seemed like an apt analogy. It didn't stick around long enough for Zari to really examine it though. More than likely it was something dumb anyway. For just a moment, she got a little lost in the soft browns in Ray's dark eyes. The urge to kiss him came over her again, and she really was close enough that the distance wasn't exactly prohibitive anymore. It took the patience and restraint of a saint, but she managed to ignore the zings of electricity sparking at every point where they were touching. This might have been the longest time she'd dated someone and not have the relationship turn to sex. It was nice, feeling each other out emotionally slowly like this. Her teeth caught on her lower lip for a moment, chewing it lightly as she considered what he'd just said. In the end, she tilted her head a little, because her curiosity would inevitably win out over most things. "Imagining what kind of scenarios?"
Ray was so grateful that Zari hadn't minded taking things slowly, though he hadn't imagined her to be anything but understanding and gracious about it. When the sleeves fell over his hands, a warmth seemed to radiate between the two of them which had nothing to do with temperature, and he found himself leaning in close with a kiss. Giving in to the temptation that Z had also felt. "Usually good scenarios. I don't know why my brain decided to question my own intentions via Zee. But I'll never hurt you intentionally, and I really do want to be with you completely. If you'll have me?"
Just that tiny brush of their lips was enough to make her go all melty inside, her eyelids fluttering shut. It's not like this was their first kiss, but every single one was precious, because there was a whole world and timeline where she never would have experienced this. She loved Nora, even for as little time as they'd been able to get to know one another, and she loved Nora and Ray together, thought they were really well suited for each other, but this Ray—Zari's Ray—was her own. Her smile was as real as it could be as she nudged her nose against the side of his and just breathed him in for a second. "Of course I'll have you. I mean, you've supporte moi et toutes mes bêtises, alors pourquoi—" Z pulled back, startled. Her brow furled in confusion and annoyance. "Pourquoi je parle français? Oh, mon Dieu, c'est plus de la merde de portail?"
Z wasn't the only one who felt melty after their kiss, though every single one left Ray buzzing. He chuckled a little at her words, before he even registered that they weren’t spoken in English. "I wouldn’t call anything in relation to you nonsense, Zari." Ray’s smile turned a little bewildered when she pulled away and her next -French- words had his eyebrows lifting quizzically. Though his expression swiftly matched hers as he let show how thoroughly fed up he was with the Portal's shenanigans. "Bien sûr. J'en ai assez de ses bêtises. Je suis tenté de déménager au Phare à plein temps." It was a decision he'd been pondering for a few weeks, most days he felt as if he was banging his head against a wall when it came to making any progress in understanding the portal. He was sure that the team at the facility would be fine without him.
She squinted at him for a second. "Je ne sais pas si vous vous moquez de moi en me parlant en français, ou si vous êtes également affecté." Then Z waved her hand and shook her head, because at this point it hardly mattered in the face of his other pronouncement. Her earlier insecurity couldn't hold a candle to the disappointment that bloomed in her chest at the idea of not having him around and close. "Tu veux partir?"
"J'essaye de parler Anglais.." Ray shook his head, with a frustrated sigh. The portal really was doing a number on them all this month. His nosedive into melancholy yesterday was testament to that, and Zari had been a comfort then, he couldn’t bear to see the uncertainty in her eyes now. "Juste le laboratoire. Je ne veux pas m'éloigner de toi.." Ray twined their fingers together, wondering if he should ask the question that had just popped into his head. "A moins que tu ne veuilles déménager avec moi?."
Her eyes got large, and then she laughed—mostly at herself. "Parfois, c'est comme si vous pouviez lire dans mes pensées." She leaned in and kissed him again, long and lingering. It wouldn't have taken much to climb into his lap, but she liked his hand wrapped around hers too much. This was good. This was the best. "Mais il est tard. Nous devrions dormir, surtout si nous avons une journée complète de français demain. Je vais devoir annuler mes réunions, ce qui est vraiment pénible." Her nose wrinkled, and she chuckled again. "Mes priorités sont si grandes, je sais. Parlons-en plus quand on pourra parler en anglais, parce que, oui, ça m'intéresse, mais c'est ridicule."
Ray’s eyes closed as they kissed and he couldn’t help the smile afterward, he hadn’t registered how late it had gotten until Zari mentioned sleep. But as soon as she did, his body seemed to decide that yes, he was tired. Giving a little nod, he moved to stand, helping Z to her feet as he did. Cosmo, who’d been asleep in his lab-bed, roused as he heard their movement and padded over to follow them upstairs. Picking up the cold gun— because leaving that in a semi-public place was a very bad idea— Ray shouldered the weapon and offered Zari his free hand."Chez toi ou chez moi?"
She took his hand and melted against his arm with a happy sigh. That fluttery feeling in her chest was just something she had to live with now, she guessed. And later, much much later, she'd go into the Totem and talk to Zee. If not to put his mind at ease, then to at least tell her about this development and how much she'd grown to really care about her former teammate. Z knew down to the roots of her soul that Zari wouldn't care, would be happy for her, and that's all that mattered. She smiled up at Ray and then pressed a kiss to his shoulder. "N'importe où avec vous est parfait."