&fic;

 

Epiphany over Gingerbread

by sugargroupie

PG, 205 words

Summary: Joe is taken aback by how damned adorable it all looks.

Disclaimer: This portrayal is entirely fictional.

Notes: written for Anr as a Yuletide treat.

.   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .

He breathes her in deeply, taking in the scent of her hair and skin and the day's activities.

Today, Torri is a baker of Christmas cookies; medium-sized gingerbread people with asymmetrical arms and legs, and red frosting smiles on their faces.

Joe is taken aback by how damned adorable it all looks.

Torri's arms are loose around his hips, and so far neither is in any hurry to step away from the embrace.

He finds his eyes drifting shut; the shape of Torri's mouth is soft and inviting against his neck as she murmurs, "Missed you."

"Me too," he sighs, and it feels like the biggest understatement in the world.

Joe lifts one hand from her lower back and stares at the black ink that dried on the skin of his thumb and forefinger.

Ink from the pen used to sign his divorce papers this morning.

He tilts Torri's face up and allows his mouth to sink against hers, kissing her slow and deep. "You taste like gingerbread," he tells her when they finally break the kiss.

"I wonder why," Torri says wryly and turns back to her task of baking.

I'm going to marry you one day, Joe thinks, and smiles, offering to help.

*

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