Leela grinned back. “On another day, I would tell you that your ego is big enough already,” she teased. “Today I will remind you that the first steps of the ritual happened even before I returned.” She leaned into Romana’s embrace, the simple and so good pressure of her arms. Romana’s body was not warm, of course, but of the two coldnesses of Time Lords, Leela was used to this one. The warmth in Romana’s voice was enough to keep Leela glowing inside. “I have loved you for so long, Romana.”
Leela’s tongue poked through her teeth for a moment in her giddiness. “Do not say that about my clever tribe in front of Narvin–he may faint,” she said. “And if kisses are your idea of over-achieving,” she slid her hands into the beautiful golden softness of Romana’s hair, longer now than when Leela had last seen her, “then I would have you live for little else.”
Leela had none of Romana’s worries about stopping. She kissed Romana again, sighing against her lips, and again, and one time more, before she settled into that hug.
Oh, neither of them could stop smiling. Leela had no idea that Romana had so many smiles to give. Perhaps, Leela thought, the idea making her dizzy like popping bubbles at the top of her spine, Romana had saved all those smiles for now. Perhaps every smile Romana should have smiled through those sad and angry years, every smile she had hoarded like a dragon with its gold, perhaps they were all Leela’s now. Even as Romana spoke of gifts, Leela could not imagine a better gift than that one.
Leela bit her lip. Romana might stop her, but she might also laugh first. Leela would do stupider things than this one, if it would make Romana laugh.
“I do not have furs or a tent,” she agreed, “but I do have arms.”
With Hound strength and quickness, Leela lifted Romana from the ground–not cradling her as Leela had seen brides carried in the silly stories of her distant ancestors, but tossing Romana over her shoulder. In the few steps to one of the sofas by the wall, Leela stole the communicator from Romana’s pocket. Leela sat, letting Romana slide so they were sitting in a beautiful tangle, Romana mostly in Leela’s lap, her legs over Leela’s.
Leela turned her attention to that communicator in her hand. It had only one button; Leela only had to think to make it work. “Narvin,” she called into it, “you are needed–a terrible human savage is carrying your President away. She says that you should bring us a TARDIS. If you come quickly, I may not hug you when you get here, but I do not promise. We are in the big room with all the sky.”
Leela slipped the communicator back into Romana’s pocket. “There,” she said, very well satisfied with all the universe.
“And I with you.” Romana said, brushing her thumb over her chest, where her heart was safely nestled. “I just needed more time to see it. Forgive me my hesitations. As you’re always saying, we Time Lords are terribly out of touch with ourselves.”
She couldn’t help but mirror Leela’s smiles as they danced to a rhythm that was entirely their own. Braxiatel would have wanted to paint them, freeze them, capture them in any way he could, too afraid of losing the moment to remember to live through it. All she wants to do is be worthy of them- Leela gives them away so easily, wears her love and her hate and her heart on her sleeve for all to see, but these ones were special, they were for her.
The ground disappearing from underneath her feet was entirely unexpected. Her yelp of surprise quickly turned into a bark of laughter and she tolerated the indignity until she got to the sofa. She sprawled against Leela, still shocked into giggles, as Leela left a message for Narvin.
“Leela,” she said, trying for reproachful and not quite managing it, “you’re the only person in the multiverse that can kidnap the President of Gallifrey and all her dominions like that and get away with it.”
Romana started to settle against her. Even without furs, Leela was warm, her blood running hot like always, and she smelt of the Gallifreyan outlands, the only part of her planet where she’d never belonged. It was, like always, a breath of fresh air for a stale world of people who never died, except when they did, and people who never changed, except when they died.
She might have closed her eyes and let Leela melt all the coldness out of her until Narvin came, but she wanted Leela’s laugh. She smiled, an idea forming in her mind. if Leela could have her mischief, so could she.
She scrambled out of her position so she could turn to face her. “Your President is merciful,” she informed her, with a impish grin, “but still requires punishment.”
Without further warning, she dove to Leela’s side, tickling her with all the restless energy she had left.
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