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[daily_prompt] on my beating heart
Sep. 18th, 2025 07:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
deniabilities[Prompt: A chemical real.]
[after this]
They talk about what happened in Nashville. Which is a step forward, because Michael and Janet specifically agreed not to talk about what happened in London. They intentionally set it aside as simply part of their rich history. But after the second time they have sex, while they're laying in Janet's bed in the hotel, they want to talk about it. They have the time and the space to do that. There's nowhere to be for hours and no one will ever know what's been said, let alone that they crossed that forbidden line again.
It's easier to find the words this time. It seems like history repeating itself—Michael was feeling overwhelmed by the weight of the world on his shoulders, and he reached out to Janet to keep him above water. But this time feels different. There's no desperation, no pain, no pleas for anyone not to leave. It's a pure expression of his love for her, of how they not only need but want each other so completely in their lives, no matter what those lives look like. So when Janet says, "We have to talk about this, don't we?" from where she's spooned behind Michael watching the Nashville skyline, he doesn't hesitate. "Yeah," he agrees, turning back over and gathering her into his arms. "We should talk about this."
The prudent excuse is that they don't want to carry this into their work tomorrow, so they'd better deal with it now. The truth is they just know that twice—and that kiss at the Christmas party five years ago—is more than one emotional moment. "What are we supposed to say?" she asks, because she has no idea what words are meaningful enough for what they have, but he shakes his head. This isn't a test; there's no right answer. "Say whatever you want," he tells her. "All that matters is us."
( cut for length )
[1193 words]
[after this]
They talk about what happened in Nashville. Which is a step forward, because Michael and Janet specifically agreed not to talk about what happened in London. They intentionally set it aside as simply part of their rich history. But after the second time they have sex, while they're laying in Janet's bed in the hotel, they want to talk about it. They have the time and the space to do that. There's nowhere to be for hours and no one will ever know what's been said, let alone that they crossed that forbidden line again.
It's easier to find the words this time. It seems like history repeating itself—Michael was feeling overwhelmed by the weight of the world on his shoulders, and he reached out to Janet to keep him above water. But this time feels different. There's no desperation, no pain, no pleas for anyone not to leave. It's a pure expression of his love for her, of how they not only need but want each other so completely in their lives, no matter what those lives look like. So when Janet says, "We have to talk about this, don't we?" from where she's spooned behind Michael watching the Nashville skyline, he doesn't hesitate. "Yeah," he agrees, turning back over and gathering her into his arms. "We should talk about this."
The prudent excuse is that they don't want to carry this into their work tomorrow, so they'd better deal with it now. The truth is they just know that twice—and that kiss at the Christmas party five years ago—is more than one emotional moment. "What are we supposed to say?" she asks, because she has no idea what words are meaningful enough for what they have, but he shakes his head. This isn't a test; there's no right answer. "Say whatever you want," he tells her. "All that matters is us."
( cut for length )
[1193 words]
