Disoriented Cosmos {A Torchwood Story} [COMPLETED]

29. I Wonder How This Will Turn Out

Owen and I have talked since the kiss, but not about the kiss. Though I can sense we both want to.

We've both kept it a secret from the rest of the team, an unspoken vow to keep whatever happened or is happening between just us two on a need-to-know basis. And I need to know what exactly the fuck is going on.

But, once again, the British in us beg us not to make a scene.

At work down in the autopsy room, Owen keeps talking about something I'm meant to be concentrating on, and I'm concentrating instead on figuring out what the hell we are, so I audibly sigh to make him focus on me.

He pauses in the middle of his work, turns to me, and develops a teasing smile. "Sorry, am I boring Her Maj?"
I purse my lips in a teasing way, becoming bolder as I swing my legs from the side cupboard, as there's a body on the table. "I'm just tired of listening to you talk about whatever you're talking about."
"...Work?" he offers sarcastically, and I shrug playfully. His eyebrows lift, he checks nobody else is around, and slowly he comes towards me and places his arms on my hips. He licks his lips as he looks into my eyes, and almost whispers, 'So, what would you like me to do instead?"

"Uh-ummm..." I haven't been able to keep that kiss - sorry, full-on snog sesh - we had out of my mind, and I know he can't either, and suddenly from his arms draped around me I'm feeling more confident about whatever we have, so without another word I smile cheekily and press my lips to his.
He lets out a laughing snort from his nostrils and presses me closer to him, just a fraction, so I'm not freaked out. It's surprising how fast he's learning about me, about how I like his arms around me, how he gives me air to breathe little sighs of contentment.

Without speaking about it, we have just crossed another line.

Shenanigans in the workplace.

"Evelina?" a broad American voice calls out, and in an instant Owen and I are at opposite sides of the circular room looking at different results sheets like we were meant to in the first place.
Captain Jack appears at the top of the built-in staircase, and gazes upon a normal scene of two workers who totally weren't locking lips for the second time. Even so, he raises an eyebrow like he knows.
"You all okay in here?" he asks, and we both mumble various okays. "All right," our boss says, "Evelina, can you come up here? There's a chance we may have found a new code for the Rift, and we need to test it on you."

Unable to resist a joke, I reply, "Lab rat reporting for duty," and salute as I make my way up the steps. Jack leads the way to the centre of the Hub, and for a brief second I look at Owen the same time he looks up at me.

I swear he blushes, just for a second.

~∆~

When day turns into darkness, everyone shuffles their paperwork into a satisfactory nod from Suzie, and we grab our coats and head off. Owen and I walk together, not quite touching but both wanting to, and I can almost smell the wanting coming off of him in waves. Is that weird? Do other people not have sharpened senses?

Eventually, Owen breaks the silence by clearing his throat crossing the road at Butetown. The clearness of it makes me jump; I wasn't expecting him to even make a noise.
"Right, so, erm... what do we do now? About us, I mean."
I choose my next words carefully: "Fuck if I know."
"I mean, we're friends. And we work together. We get along really well together. And, to be honest, Evelina, you turn me on."

I whip my head to meet his. What did he just say? I'm about to tell him that's inappropriate to a coworker, but then I remember what we did earlier in our workplace, so I close my mouth and just listen to him.

"And I know you've got a lot of past too, some you don't even remember, and I don't know how we could ever work, cuz I'm attracted to you but I don't want a relationship but I don't wanna hurt you or anything. I just... I dunno, I want-"

"Can I propose something here?" I interrupt, and he's shocked into silence.
We stop on the pavement, and I can see the rain blowing slightly sideways from the wind that's just soft enough to keep us on our feet.
I press my fingers together in a thinking way. "So, we're attracted to each other, but neither of us want a relationship. What do other people do in this situation? Friends with benefits, of course - I heard about the idea all the time from the guys in the ring, and from what I've heard, it's always sounded like it's turned out well. So, how about it? We carry on like we are, but we officially kinda know what we are, so there's no need to get other people involved or go further than this. We are kissing buddies, nothing else, yeah?"

Owen still has his mouth in an O. I can practically see the cogs turning in his head.
"Okay, yeah, sure," he says when he finally has his voice back. "Kissing buddies. Nothing else."
I nod."Good; I'm glad that's settled. Now we can get on with other more important things. Like who's cooking tonight."
He holds out a finger, his expression cocky. "I did it last time."
I raise an eyebrow with a smile. "You ordered takeaway last time.

He smiles and links his arm in mine. Content in what we are we continue walking, and eventually Owen jumps in a puddle and splashes me, so I splash him back, and all the time we're soaking each other in rainwater I keep thinking about that kiss and how good it would feel if we ever had anything more.