A Soft Morning
Fandom: Andromeda Six
Pairing: Damon Reznor/Traveler
Rating: Teen
Summary: "You can be bad at something and still enjoy it." Astrea Peg'asi helps Damon learn something new.
Words: 2937
Additional Tags: Tilaari Traveler, Established Relationship, Fluff, Idiots In Love, Soft Damon Reznor, Anxiety, Friendship/Love, Dancing
Read on AO3
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Sunlight streamed through the enormous floor to ceiling windows, leaving the room glowing in its golden warmth. For a fleeting moment, Astrea Peg’asi thought she was in her room on Goldis, the verdant drapery and bedding eerily similar to what her mother had decorated their wing of the castle in, the dark tan stone of the walls a reflection of a world she no longer felt comfortable in. Fear choked her, genuine fear that the Andromeda Six… that her friends, that Damon, had all been a figment of her imagination. The thought was more horrifying than the things she’d already seen, the possibility that the people she’d come to love and trust, the family who knew her better than her blood, weren’t real.
Something shifted behind her, a muffled groan interrupting the terror that held her in its grip.
Glancing over her shoulder, she felt relief immediately at the sight of a tuft of ebony hair peeking out from the sea of green blankets. Astrea gathered the blankets around her, moving to rest on the pillows beside him. When he lifted his head, eyes still glazed over in sleep, she smiled at how beautiful he was.
Damon blinked at her, eyebrows pulling together as he came to terms with his surroundings. Then he shifted to stretch his arms over his head, the soft mattress compressing at the movement, a grin curling his lips. Sighing happily, she snuggled deeper into the comfort of the bed, resting a hand against his bare chest.
An arm snaked around her waist before she was pulled closer into a tight embrace, brain going foggy as cold lips pressed kisses against her neck and collarbone. Blush flared on her cheeks and across her chest, memories of the night before leaving her giddy.
“Good morning, sweetheart.” Damon nuzzled his face against the curve of her neck, warm breath ghosting along her skin, leaving gooseflesh behind. “Did you sleep well?”
Astrea inhaled sharply, a shiver running down her spine at his insistent touch. She’d slept extremely well, both because of the bed and Damon’s arms around her. She didn’t know it was possible to be as happy as she was lying there as the sun crested the sky.
But there was still a compulsion she couldn’t deny. One that said she needed to tease Damon as mercilessly as he did her. So she reached up to brush a finger over the dark circles under his eyes, noting that they were slightly less pronounced this morning. His bright eyes were studying her, pure mischief sparkling in their depths as he read every thought she’d ever had. With a sleepy grin on his face, he attempted to bite her finger until she pulled it away.
Folding her arm so she could rest her head against it, she rolled her eyes dramatically and let out a disgruntled sound. “Not at all. The bed is horrible and lumpy and there was this annoying snoring in my ears all night.”
Damon’s eyes widened, completely awake now, horror shadowing his face as he realized what she was implying. “Me? Snore? I think you’ve gone insane.”
“Hmm. Nope. It was definitely you.”
His eyes darkened, a dangerous look crossing his face as he stared at her. She should’ve been scared. Damon was dangerous, but all she felt was a thrill low in her stomach, knowing that she could ensure Damon’s mutual destruction without much difficulty.
“Take. That. Back.”
Astrea smirked, leaning close enough that their noses nearly touched. She could barely hold a laugh back when she finally spoke. “Make me.”
Damon’s eyes slanted, his hands tensing on her hips. Time passed in a slow heartbeat, then two. When his attack finally came, it was in the form of fingers dancing across her sides, tickling her until she was gasping for air. When he paused his onslaught to let her catch her breath, he waited for her to meet his gaze. “Are you ready to admit your lies?”
“Hmmm.” She tapped her chin playfully, barely smothering a smile. “No.”
Damon grabbed her by the waist and threw himself back against the pillows, pulling her on top of him, her breasts brushing his bare chest. He ducked his head to press kisses along her throat, relentless in his assault against every inch of available skin she offered. Her giggles bit off in a moan and he chuckled quietly, feeling his smile against her neck doing little to calm her racing heart.
When he pulled back, his eyes swept over her face, studying her every feature before his expression gentled, something she still wasn’t used to after the last few weeks together. His finger trailed over her cheek, staring in wonder and with some deeper emotion that she was terrified of. Because if he felt the way she did about him, it meant she still had something to lose.
“You’re stunning.”
She flushed at the words, turning away to hide her face. She felt laughter rumble in his chest as he circled his arms around her, holding her tightly.
“What’s wrong, Princess?”
“Nothing.” Her voice came out in a strangled chirp which only made him laugh harder.
“You’re also adorable when you get embarrassed.” His hands swept down her back, soft and gentle, leaving nothing but burning skin behind. “The skin glow doesn’t lie.”
“Shut up.”
Damon snorted, hands skimming along her sides, tickling her without even trying and she squirmed until she was out of bed and out of his reach. He groaned, head hitting the pillow beneath him but he was grinning when she faced him. “You’re the worst kind of tease.”
“You weren’t complaining about it last night.” Astrea placed her hands on her hips, watching as Damon sprawled among the blankets, refusing to budge from his warm and comfortable spot. It was almost cute to see him so comfortable on Tilaarin, to know that they were safe here away from the K’Merii. She still wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that she loved this new side of him. “Are you going to lay around all day?”
He smirked as he tucked his arms behind his head, eyes roaming across her body with zero shame. “What can I say? I have the best view on Tilaarin.”
She shouldn’t let him bait her, especially since he was so good at it, but with Damon, rationality usually took a backseat to whatever she was feeling at the time. So with a roll of her eyes, Astrea grabbed a pillow from the floor and threw it at him. He caught it before it smacked him in the face and laughed, tossing it to the side.
“You’ll have to try better than that, Princess.”
Another pillow followed the first, this one managing to glance off the top of his head before landing in the windowsill. Astrea covered her mouth, giggles bursting from her at the sight of his wide blue eyes, completely shocked that she managed to catch him off guard. That made two of them.
An evil smile curled his lips and quicker than her eyes could catch, he was across the bed, grabbing her by the waist, his bare chest pressing into her back, his lips at her neck without warning. She shivered despite his warmth, knowing what he was capable of and how impossible it was to say no to him.
“Damon!”
He laughed, a sound so free and happy that she couldn’t help but giggle in return when his arms came around her, turning her towards him and pulling her close. She reached out to brush his hair out of his face, smiling when their eyes met. The hard lines of his face softened as their eyes met, his shining with an emotion she’d never seen on him before.
She liked him like this.
“I know of a lot better ways to spend our morning. They don’t include clothing or leaving this room.” He leaned forward to brush his lips against her forehead, breath warm against her skin.
“I need to get ready to meet my sister.” She told him solemnly, hating the way his smile faded slightly. Astrea didn’t like being the cause of him losing that carefree grin. She adored the easy way he laughed with her, the softness in his eyes whenever he looked in her direction, as if she was the only one in the room. She cupped his face, tracing the sharp edges of his face until they smoothed. “But I have a little time before I leave.”
Damon reached up to entwine their fingers together, pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles. Then he gave her a look that promised many sinful yet delightful ways to pass that time. “I’m open to suggestions.”
She rolled her eyes, flicking his nose, enjoying the shock as his eyes widened. She didn’t take him by surprise often, but when she did, she enjoyed every second of the victory. “We should do something fun.”
“I’m something fun.”
Astrea swatted him on the chest, only getting more laughter in response. “You’re insatiable.”
“You weren’t complaining last night.” He parroted back, squeezing her sides before letting her wiggle away. She reached down to grab her discarded shirt from the floor. At the sight of her pulling it over her head, he groaned, rubbing his hands down his face. “Now my day is ruined.”
With a snort, she threw his shirt at him. He caught it without much effort. “Dramatic much?”
“I can be worse if you want.”
“I know you can.” He pulled his shirt over his head and she felt some regret at losing the view. Sacrifices had to be made, she supposed. Once he adjusted the dogtags he always wore over top of his shirt, Astrea extended her hand to him.
“What’s this for?” Damon asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity, but he had so much trust in her that he slipped his hand into hers without hesitation.
“I want to show you something.” As soon as his smirk reappeared, she had to resist the urge to shove him. “No.”
Still holding hands, she pulled with as much strength as she could muster until he finally gave in and followed her away from the comfort of the bed and further into the room where they had empty space to move.
“There are plenty of other ways to have some fun. You even have a swimming pool.” His fingers trailed across her shoulder and she shivered at his touch, a breathless laugh leaving her mouth. She knew immediately where his thoughts had gone when she turned to face him, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards.
She draped her arms over his shoulders, leaning closer to leave a peck on the tip of his nose. He grinned at the gesture, arms circling her waist, fingers dipping below the hem of her shirt, skimming against her skin. “I could teach you how to dance if you’d like.”
His eyebrows shot up at the offer. “Dance? I don’t dance.” He paused, a wicked grin tilting his mouth. “Unless you count when I’m killing people. Then I guess I have something to teach you.”
Her fingers toyed with the hair at the nape of his neck, meeting his gaze with a seriousness she hoped he believed. If the mischief that stared back was any indication, she didn’t fool him at all. “You can probably teach me a lot of things.”
His smile turned wicked, taking it in exactly the way she’d intended. “Sweetheart, tell me what you want and I’ll give it to you.”
Astrea pressed a finger to his lips, not that it would shut him up if he really wanted to say something, but he waited with as much patience as he was capable of. “Just trust me, okay?”
She knew Damon didn’t trust easily, he had more than enough reasons not to, but when he gave a stiff nod, his jaw tensing almost imperceptibly, she felt a slight stirring of relief in her chest. He trusted her enough to give her this small amount of control and she was grateful.
“What if I’m not good at it?”
His hands were hesitant on her hips, and for the first time since she’d met Damon, Astrea could see how afraid he was of being vulnerable. Of how much he didn’t like relinquishing control to someone else. With a comforting smile, she placed her hands on top of his, squeezing his fingers gently.
“Hey.” She whispered, catching his gaze, blue eyes wild as he tried to get ahold of himself. “I’m here. It’s just us, ok?”
His forehead met hers, breath catching in his throat as he exhaled. He was nearly shaking, hands gripping too tightly to her waist, eyes shut as he focused on his breathing. “Yeah.”
“We don’t have to do this, Damon.” Astrea’s hands were in his hair, smoothing the raven locks away from his face before bringing him into a hug. She tucked her head against his neck, her heart breaking at how hard this was for him.
“I’m sorry.” He mumbled against her neck, his arms locking her against his body as if he was terrified of letting her go. Maybe he was.
“I know you don’t believe it, but you’re safe here. With me.” Her lips brushed along his jaw, her voice quiet even in the silent room. She moved her hands over his shoulders and down his arms before resting them on his chest. “Besides, who says I’m good at dancing?”
Damon snorted, some of the tension slipping from his muscles. “You expect me to believe a princess is bad at dancing?”
“You can be bad at something and still enjoy it.” Astrea pulled away slightly so she could meet his eyes, unable to stop from laughing at the absurdity of it all. “Vexx always said I had two left feet.”
“Well, it’s a good thing carrot-head is an idiot.”
She wanted to roll her eyes, to defend her friend since he couldn’t defend himself, but gave Damon the win instead. Pressing her lips against his, he relaxed against her little by little until finally his grip on her waist loosened. His chest was pressed solid and strong against her body. His skin was warm beneath her touch, and when she returned her hands to his hair, gripping tightly to the dark strands, he groaned deep in his throat, slipping his tongue between her lips.
The kiss left her breathless when they broke apart, breath mingling between them. Damon’s pupils were blown wide, nothing left of the blue of his irises except the smallest sliver. She wanted to get lost in his gaze, the darkness more beautiful than the entirety of the galaxy around her. She dropped her hand to trail a finger along the curve of his eyebrow, smiling when he closed his eyes and leaned into her touch.
“Astrea…”
“Yes?”
She should’ve realized his intentions when his fingers tightened on her hips, but she was mesmerized by the expression on his face and the feel of his soft lips against her palm when he turned to press a kiss there. One moment she was exploring his face, mapping out the hard lines and the soft planes. The next, she was dangling above the floor, her eyes on the ceiling and her silver hair nearly touching the ground. She couldn’t even stop the gasp that left her lips.
Damon laughed a deranged sound as he bent over her, hair falling into his eyes. Swinging her back to a standing position, she had to press her hands against his chest to keep from losing her balance.
“Did you just… dip me?” She asked in a combination of awe and confusion.
“You said you wanted to dance.” He teased, grabbing one of her hands and twirling her, the flowy fabric of her shirt billowing out around her. “So we’re dancing.”
Her brain couldn’t keep up with the movements: the twirling, Damon’s hands on her hips while they swayed in place to no music, a grin lighting up his face where anxiety had been a minute before. The sudden change nearly gave her whiplash.
“What’s… What just happened?” She asked, dazed as he entwined their fingers, bringing her close again, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead.
“This isn’t so bad.” He admitted, blush coloring his pale skin when he glanced away, eyes focused on something across the room. “I should listen to you more often.”
She wanted to tease him for being so flustered, but he was being vulnerable with her in this quiet moment. So she brushed her hand across his shoulder before lacing her fingers behind his neck, smiling up at him. “Are you saying you like dancing?”
He let out a nervous laugh, finally meeting her gaze. The softness he looked at her with always stole her breath and sent her heart racing. “With you, I can like almost anything.”
Astrea bit her lip, tightening her arms around his neck and bringing him into a hug. He held her close, breath warm against her shoulder as he pressed a kiss there. Then his weight shifted and they tumbled backward, Astrea landing on a pile of blankets and pillows, getting buried in the softness while Damon hovered over her. A grin pulled at his lips and she should’ve been annoyed, but all she could do was giggle.
“I’ll remember this.” She threatened, no bite to her words.
Damon smirked, dipping his head to trail his teeth against her throat. “Oh, Princess. I highly doubt you’ll remember anything once I’m finished with you.”
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