tripping on skies

kinsleigh nods. that’s a small relief, at least. she feels like she could be doing a lot better on the whole impressing the in laws thing, but naoise doesn’t seem to mind. she doesn’t know what she’d do if he did. especially when she knows there’s no way she’s ever going to get kieran on her side. “is he the last family member for me to meet? or are there others as well?” not the most tactful question, but she is desperately curious about the whole thing.

"he's the last one i know about. i can't imagine kieran has any secret or unknown children out in the world, but i suppose anything's possible. and i doubt ultan would be thrilled if his mother had managed to keep any children secret from the rest of us." mostly because if she could do that for them, he'd wonder why she hadn't done it for him. "my family has been very small for a very long time. before ultan was born it was just me and my siblings for centuries. ...do you have family you'd like to visit at some point?"

she nods along at his answer. she also can’t imagine kieran has any children out there somewhere, mostly because she can’t imagine him being nice to anyone long enough to let things get to that point. but by all accounts, there was a time he wasn’t like this, so she can’t say it’s impossible. she’s about to respond with a comment about his family when he asks about hers. “no,” she says almost immediately, too quickly for it not to be an awful mix of embarrassing and suspicious. she takes a deep breath before elaborating, “i didn’t have a good relationship with any of my family, i hadn’t spoken to any of them in years before we came here. they haven’t known, or cared, where i am in a long time. so you are my family now. and hopefully your family likes me enough that i can be a part of it. eventually.”

she smiles softly when he asks, because she definitely does think she could, but he’s so confident that she won’t and it’s so incredibly sweet. and not something she would’ve at all expected when she and naoise first got together. or even before she moved here. “i hope you’re right. i’d like at least one of your family members to actually like me…i think, maybe, your sister doesn’t hate me, but i don’t know that she likes me. and it’d be nice to have a new friend so i’m not always bothering you and merrick.”

"oh, you would definitely know if she hated you. and so would i. she would be very obvious about it." and it would be a whole hassle for the both of them, in ways he doesn't even want to think about, let alone tell her about. "i think she likes you. and i'm certain ultan will." he's less certain that his nephew will come out and socialize with her that often, but they can cross that bridge later.

kinsleigh nods. that’s a small relief, at least. she feels like she could be doing a lot better on the whole impressing the in laws thing, but naoise doesn’t seem to mind. she doesn’t know what she’d do if he did. especially when she knows there’s no way she’s ever going to get kieran on her side. “is he the last family member for me to meet? or are there others as well?” not the most tactful question, but she is desperately curious about the whole thing.

he wraps his arms around her, pulling her close. this is the best part of any job. coming home to his amazing, wonderful wife. he kisses the top of her head. "i missed you, too. a crazy, stupid amount as always."

she hums in delight when he kisses the top of her head. she tilts her head up to look at him, resting her chin on his chest. “does this mean i can keep you at home just a little bit longer between jobs? you know, so we don’t have to miss each other as much.”

"absolutely not. you've already heard that from me a million times. i have to get creative," he returns, flashing her his most charming grin. "i don't know what i'd do if i ever had to suffer through a single lifetime without you there."

she chuckles, shaking her head fondly. “maybe i wanted to hear a million and one times. or even two million.” after all, she’s not sick of it yet. she frowns a little. “i hope we never have to find out. i can’t imagine a life without you in it.”