An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 2/4
Fandom: The Expanse (TV)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Camina Drummer/Jim Holden/Naomi Nagata, Camina Drummer/Naomi Nagata, Jim Holden/Naomi Nagata, Camina Drummer/Jim Holden
Characters: Naomi Nagata, Jim Holden (The Expanse), Camina Drummer
Additional Tags: Polyamory, OT3
Series: Part 2 of will grow kinder
Summary:
Turns out-- overthrowing a political agenda can be a good relationship-building activity.
Or: Holden, Naomi and Drummer navigate the complexities of war strategies, political negotiations, and most of all their interpersonal relationship.
THE EXPANSE EXCHANGE IS COMPLETE (for me anyways). Finished this yesterday but wanted some time to think of a title and fine tune it! I got @trcunning who I can’t... tag for some reason, and had requested Drummer/Naomi/Holden! I combined “home decorating” with “praise” and I REALLY love how it turned out and I hope you do too!
Special thanks to @the-roci for putting this together and finally giving me the kick in the pants I needed to write draolden, and to @silver-89 for helping me put my ideas together and reading it over!
Also on AO3 if you’d like to review!
The air cycler’s gentle humming is just different enough from the Roci that Naomi can tell the difference. She can hear it over the water running in the en suite. Over Jim’s soft breathing in her ear. It’s enough to itch at her mind that she’s somewhere new.
At least she’s in good company.
Jim hums as he snuggles into her. “She promised me a towel ages ago.”
“Maybe she’s just washing some of that Earther sweat off her skin,” Naomi jokes, turning her head to kiss his forehead. He snorts.
“She really said that, didn’t she?”
Naomi’s incredibly grateful—and reassured—to hear the teasing tone in his own sleepy voice. She runs her fingers through his damp, curling hair. “Give her time. You take some getting used to.”
“‘S what I keep hearing.”
The door across from the bed slides open, the dim light inside silhouetting Camina’s lithe form. She gazes at them for a moment, expression hidden in shadow. The light flicks off. And a damp towel lands on Holden’s face. As he jolts up from Naomi’s side, sputtering—to Naomi’s own surprised laughter—Camina slowly crosses to them, taking her time. She’s still going through her PT; her normally sauntering gait when away from her official post of Head of Medina Station still slightly stiff. Jim shakes his head before using the offending towel to finally clean himself up.
“I no forget you, Jimmy,” she singsongs, sitting on the edge of the brand new, big enough for the three of them—and freshly christened—bed. Now that she’s close enough, Naomi can see she’s pulled on a tank top, some panties. All Naomi had thrown on was Jim’s discarded shirt. Camina must pick up on it, given the way her eyes linger on the garment as she hands Naomi a towel of her own, shooting Naomi a pointed look. “Was I gone too long? Was he complaining that I was gone too long?”
Naomi smiles, stretching now that Jim no longer lays on half her body. The shirt inches up over her thighs, and she feels two pairs of eyes watching the movement. She smirks at them before starting to clean herself up. “Just a little.”
Jim huffs and breaks his gaze from her little show to toss his towel into the recycler. “This was fun until I had two people picking on me,” he grumbles, waving a hand between the two of them.
Camina drapes herself over his back, her arms looping around his neck. “Oh come on, Jimmy…” She presses her lips to the hollow behind his ear, Jim sighing—happily, this time—and closing his eyes. She nips the same spot earning a side eye from him. “You know we do it with love.”
Jim glares at her, but Naomi sees his hand rest on her thigh anyway as he turns to meet her eyes. Her heart skips a beat. Even after the last few hours… the last few weeks… seeing two of the people she loves most be as casually intimate with each other as they are with her is still thrilling. She hadn’t been sure this would work… and yet it might.
“Her, I believe,” Jim states, nodding towards Naomi. “You, I think, just enjoy getting under my skin, even when it’s in your own bed.”
“Our bed,” Naomi reminds him, sitting up to turn his face towards her, to kiss him slow and deep. He hums into the kiss and she feels the rumble all the way to her toes. When she pulls back, she sees Camina watching them. Her gaze is not jealous, not sad. Mischievous, smug… and a little hungry. Naomi meets her eyes for just a moment before looking back to Jim, to run a finger down his jaw. “Our very nice bed that you picked out for our new rooms on Medina, right, Camina?”
“Hm?” Naomi shoots her a look over Jim’s shoulder and Camina clears her throat. “Yeah. Course. Thank you for the very nice… bed. It’s very…” She smirks at Naomi, rests her cheek against she side of his head, her mouth right by his ear. “Big.”
Jim blinks, his eyes moving in Camina’s direction, even if he can’t see her. “We’re… still talking about the bed… right?”
Camina simply hums low and long into his ear, and Naomi sees him shiver as his eyes fall closed again. She lays back down, content to watch whatever Drummer has planned for their Earther. She takes one of Jim’s hands in hers. He gives her fingers a light squeeze.
“Mmhm, still talk about bed,” Camina whispers, trailing a hand up to his hair. She tangles her fingers in his dark almost-curls, and he leans into her touch. “And the pillows, blankets… soft and luxurious and perfect for grabbing.”
Jim’s eyebrows draw together, but his eyes don’t open. Naomi can read the confusion all the way into his inner monologue. He’s always been an open book to her. To anyone. Still, she’d been surprised when he’d responded to her opening up to him about lingering feelings for Camina with telling her about attraction of his own. When he’d suggested they give this a try. Giving Drummer what she’s wanted. Encouraging Naomi to have what she’s realized she wanted. Maybe he has some pages she should read more closely.
Introspection doesn’t stop Camina from complimenting the… furniture.
Her free hand trails down Jim’s arm. The one Naomi also holds. “The frame is sturdy and strong. Can support all three of us.”
The corner’s of Jim’s mouth twitch. “Can try anyway. The way you go at it, it might—”
Camina nips the shell of his ear, stopping his teasing in its tracks. “Need to learn how to shut your pashang mouth and listen, Earther.”
Holden cracks an eye open to look down at Naomi. She smiles at him, brushes her thumb over his knuckles. “You do, honey.”
He sighs. Closes his eye again. “‘Kay.”
Camina smirks at Naomi. He isn’t getting it.
Naomi shrugs. He will.
Jim shivers as Camina’s fingers trace over his chest, his abs. “Mattress firm, comfortable… great to be on top of…” Naomi watches her hand slowly slip lower. Inching down with every word, Jim leaning back unconsciously. “Mi think it gonna last for a very, very long time…” At the last word, Camina strokes her hand over him, earning a startled hiss.
Taking advantage of Jim’s distraction and her hand in his hair, Camina turns his face to hers and crushes her mouth to his. Naomi pushes up onto her elbows, watching with rapt attention, keeping Jim’s hand in hers. Their kiss is different from the kiss she’d shared with Holden earlier. Where Naomi had poured love into each brush of their lips, Camina drips lust and wanting. It’s still early for them. Still new, like these rooms and the furniture. She wants them to feel the same way for each other that she feels for them. Still… Her heart skips a beat, her body warms. She doesn’t think they’ll actually go again tonight… but she wouldn’t say no, after this little show.
When Jim and Camina finally break apart, they’re panting, flushed, beautiful. Distracting. It takes Naomi a moment to realize that Camina’s hand had shifted back to his stomach. There won’t be another round tonight. Jim gazes at Camina, and she gazes at his lips. All Naomi hears is their breathing and the air cyclers. Until Camina finally blinks and meets Jim’s gaze.
“You did good, Holden,” she whispers with a tiny nod. “It’s good. Thank you.”
Jim smiles. Camina tries not to, and fails. Naomi can’t help but smile. This will work. They will.
Camina takes one last chance to stretch her legs, retrieving Jim’s briefs for him—so he’s not the only naked one—before the three of them shuffle around and settle in for the night. They end up where they’d been: Jim in the middle, Naomi culled up against his front while Camina spoons him. All of them able to touch each other, their legs tangled together in a way that’s slightly strange but entirely right. After a chorus of good nights, kisses to various body parts, and a few moments, all Naomi can hear again are those air cyclers. Jim and Camina’s breathing. She closes her eyes, lets herself be lulled into a doze by the combined sounds of life.
Until Jim yelps, jolts, startles Naomi awake. She raises an eyebrow, and he glares over his shoulder. Camina’s head appears behind his, grin smug and pleased.
“Forgot to tell him about this ass. How you keep your hands off it?”
Naomi snorts. “Can’t say it’s not a challenge.”
Jim scoffs. “She pinched me.”
“You’ll live, inya baby,” Camina teases. But there’s an affection in her tone that takes out any bite. She kisses his temple before settling behind him. “Got more planned for that ass than a pinch.”
Jim scoffs again, shakes his head. Naomi catches the ghost of a smile as he too settles back in. Naomi snuggles close against him, nuzzling his neck as she reaches over him to brush her fingers over Camina’s hip. She feels Camina rest a hand on Jim’s side under her arm. Jim’s arm drapes over Naomi, fingers tracing shapes on her back. They all touch, trying to stay connected even in sleep.
Jim drifts off first, his breath evening out as it brushes her cheek. Camina soon follows him. But Naomi lies in their embrace, relishes in their touches. The two people who loved her and let her go and welcomed her back. The people she loves and never wants to let go of.
If she’s lucky, she’ll never have to. For once, she thinks she’s lucky.
Naomi finally falls asleep minutes later, lulled by new air cyclers and a duet of soft, even breathing.
