Nic’s orgasm only intensified Lem’s and dragged it out, that deep sensation of him pulsing inside of her enhanced her own pleasure. The timing made her feel deeply connected to him as well, like they were getting back in sync somehow. At least sharing something on the same level. It was beautiful, and Lem’s chest felt full as her lips found his again, legs still locked around him as they both came down from it all. She gave him a few breathy kisses, pulling her hands in to cup Nic’s face, then just nudged her forehead against his and let them breathe and recover. She wanted to stay right there, with Nic inside of her, for the rest of the day. It was too bad everything would end up sticky and itchy and annoying if she tried. “Thank you,” she whispered eventually, her eyes still closed. “For everything. I wouldn’t have made it without you.” Lem didn’t want to remind him of terrible times or anything while they were trying to enjoy the afterglow, but she felt that gratitude so deeply, she had to let some of it out or she would burst.
They would be a mess afterwards, but Nic didn’t care. Whenever they felt like moving, they could always jump in the shower and then crawl back in bed again. With clean sheets of course. But for now, Nic just wanted to hold her and enjoy this closeness that they’d both been without for so long. He kissed her gently, then nuzzled her nose as they rested against each other, enjoying the moment. His eyes opened a moment after Lem spoke, her words pulling at his heart. He was glad that he could be there for her, but hated that he’d also been the one to bring her such grief in the first place. “Thank you for forgiving me,” he whispered. He wanted to say more, but it had already been said—how much he missed her, how sorry he was, but most of all how glad he was to have her back.
Part of Lem wanted to dismiss that, because she knew that Nic had only been doing what he thought was right, what needed to be done for the greater good. But that action had caused her a lot of pain, so Lem understood why he felt the guilt he did. She hadn’t really blamed him during all the badness, just the whole situation that was out of their hands, so forgiving Nic hadn’t been hard for her, but that didn’t make it insignificant. She hugged him tighter and pressed a soft kiss against his lips, then ducked her head in to nuzzle against the crook of his neck, letting out a soft sigh. There might still be issues to sort through, things to get back on the same page about, but she felt like that would be easier now that they’d reconnected this way. It was reassuring to Lem -- if their feelings could survive all this crap, this had to be real, and therefore worth preserving.