#arcsheadgeek

       “ Uhh mmm. Yeah. This area ‘s uh…           ‘s closed right now. For renovations.           Yeah. ‘s a mess right now. ”                       He lied through his teeth with an unfortunately                       practiced ease & it was only when he spotted                       a rogue dodo running around behind her that                       his calm facade cracked. Eyes flashing wide                       for just a moment before he recovered with                       what he hoped was a charming smile.

"Closed for renovations," Clara repeated, although she was about two-hundred percent certain that he was lying. Folding her arms across her chest, she fixed him with a bright brown-eyed stare: her Teacher Look. It was infamous for bending a Time Lord to her will, surely it could work on adult human males as well?                          She hoped. And that's when she happened to glance over her shoulder. And she spotted a dodo. Not as bizarre as the dinosaur in London but still, the dodo was supposed to be extinct. Looking back to the stranger, she tried to form a sentence for a couple of seconds.

Abby had not had a roommate since she'd shared a bedroom with her brother and that had not been a pleasant experience, as she was sure there was nothing worse than sharing a room with your little brother as he reaches his teenage years. 

So having Connor there was undoubtedly strange. In the first few weeks, there'd already been tons of mishaps. Walking around in just a towel, throwing out research [that looked like a pile of junk mail], and ordering food for just one were among the top of the list. The two of them weren't in sync with each other. In fact, they hardly even knew one another and when it came apparent that he wasn't leaving, she realized that something probably needed to change.

There was one thing Abby wasn't expecting when she came home from the bar. Blankets and pillows strewn everywhere, couch cushions and chairs all creating some massive tent like creation, but that is exactly what she found when she turned the key and opened the door.

When Abby had confessed her love for him and they had kissed so passionately, Connor couldn't keep his mind off that kiss. Her lips were soft and her hold on him was strong. Strong but caring. It felt normal, it felt nice, it felt like they were meant to be doing that, like they had kissed everyday for the past three years, rather than never touched lips once before [or maybe they had, but that was a drunken night that Abby claimed she'd like to forget]. 

In short, it was the most wonderful and perfect kiss Connor had ever received and though it felt selfish to say, he only wanted more. He wanted to kiss her everywhere. Not just every inch of her skin, no...he wanted to kiss her on the roof of the flat [it had a lovely view of the sun setting. He knew well, when him and Abby fought he escaped up there and just let his mind wander], he wanted to kiss her in the menagerie, in his office, in a fancy restaurant, in the simple setting of their flat. It would be easy to say that Connor wanted to kiss her everywhere.

But he never let those words out of his mouth when he was with her. Mostly because he thought she enjoyed punching him than she did kissing him and mocking and insulting him more than telling him she loved him. She probably wouldn't have appreciated what he said and he'd only be met with anger and her telling him to sleep in the car [It's only happened once before, but she's threatened multiple times. He thinks that his face annoys her when she's that angry and the couch is too close, she'd still see it].

He'd mentioned it to Becker, talked about it with Danny, and described it in detail to Cutter [mostly because as a man buried six feet under, there was no rush]. None of them really helped him with the situation, as Becker scoffed about it and Danny told him 'you're too whipped, mate!' and Cutter offered him nothing but silence, yet it had been nice to at least get off his chest even if he couldn't tell her without risking being killed.

It went on like that for months. Trapped in the Cretaceous, their fourth month there [day 124, to be specific], she kissed him again. Of course, she thought he was asleep and it was only a peck on the corner of his lips, but it was enough to make him realize that maybe she does have some feelings for him. He didn't mention it until day 132, as she avoided the topic at all costs before then.

That was when she broke down and told him she loved him. He had wanted to act cool about it, but a bit of his dorkiness had seeped through and he might have shouted 'woo!' until he heard the distant sound of raptors and they ran [but they held hands as they ran, so it was almost okay]. 

She didn't seem to mind, much to his surprise. When they had relocated to their safe place [a damp, dark cave] he could only assume she rolled her eyes before placing soft kisses upon his face. He poked her nose and she giggled and let out a small laugh of success. He was still trying to stay in safe waters, so he kissed the top of her head and rubbed her hand slightly. It was possible that being stuck millions of years in the past wasn't too bad. Not when he had Abby Maitland at his side. 

From then on, things escalated as they often do when you're with a woman that insists on moving quickly. Kisses and make-outs [the first one Connor had had since he was nineteen and in the back of a rubbish car] and many new, exciting things for Connor.

And on one night, when they were cuddling near the fire, lying down and trying to relax, he confessed his secret. One that had constantly plagued his mind since their very first [very second?] kiss. A secret that was only a secret to her. His hand was rubbing her shoulder gently, as her head rested on his chest, which wasn't an ideal position if any dinosaurs should attack, but regardless, he kissed her head and placed his mouth near her ear. He'd gotten increasingly comfortable with her and it felt nice to be able to do things without hesitation.

"Abs," He whispered. "Hmm?" She questioned, not bothering to use words at the moment. They were hardly of any use and she was too tired. "I want to tell you something," Connor answered her. As she looked up at him, her eyes wondering what, he realized she wasn't going to speak. She'd only done this a couple times, but he still knew what to do nearly by heart. "I want to tell you that...the first time you kissed me...and I went back to Lester's house and tried to get comfortable on that small recliner he'd given me...I thought of you. And I thought that maybe...I'd like to kiss you everywhere."

That seemed to break her out of her 'no-speech' rule. "But you already have, Connor."

"No, no, you're misunderstanding," He corrected. "I want to kiss you everywhere. I want to kiss you in The Forest Of Dean, I want to kiss you in our flat, I want to kiss you in the menagerie and places you'd least expect. I want to kiss you on a busy sidewalk and a quiet library and---" He was cut off by her finger on his lips. He was beginning to ramble. "Well, you've already kissed me in the past." Connor smiled and nodded slowly. "You're right. I think the place I most want to kiss you is on the roof of our flat..." He at least hoped it was still their's, that Lester had been paying off rent for them, that he got to return to somewhere familiar, rather than being thrown into a world that seemed to be completely different. "I'm sure we'll get home soon and you can fulfill your dream." Connor gave a moan of appreciation before nuzzling into her shoulder and closing his eyes. "Sleep now. I'll have dreams filled of all of our kisses. They'll be beautiful, just like you." He kissed her neck before drifting off. "Love you," Abby mumbled, yawning, but making no attempt to go to sleep. She needed to make sure that it was safe. So she lied there idly, running her fingers through his hair.

When they got back home [Abby didn't really think of it as home, it was strange and different, even the team members had changed], and they had taken care of the dinosaur and went through all the hugs and welcome backs [even one from Lester, strangely enough], they were taken to an ARC flat for temporary stay. The bed was nice and soft, but then again, anything was soft when you slept on a bunch of dirt for a year [well, everyone had said it was a year, but Connor had jumbled up numbers to even realize how long it'd been]. 

It made Connor and Abby feel a bit awkward, missing the place they had known so well, but they decided to suck it up and lie together in bed for the first time. Connor had taken her a bit by surprise when he kissed her without any warning. Afterwards, he just grinned. "Kissed you in bed for the first time. I think I quite liked it...but we're both in need for some serious tooth-brushing." "Shush up, we'll worry about hygiene in the morning..." She sighed, burying her face into his chest and promptly falling asleep. It felt safe.

Until she woke up and felt the need to stand guard on the balcony. Her boyfriend [she still had to get used to that word, it tasted weird on her tongue] found her hours later and tried to reassure her, giving her yet another kiss.

"I think I may start a list," He told her, looking as the sun rose. "A Thousand Places To Kiss Abby Maitland..." "That's a lot of places." She immediately said. "Can you think of that many?" "Well, I was thinking of cheating a bit, maybe." He chuckled. "I'll mis-number them. It'll be cute, I swear." "You're a dork,"  "But you love me." Connor claimed, wearing a proud smirk. It felt nice to say those words without her pushing and punching him and instead just nodding. "Yeah, I do love you...unfortunately." Well, it wouldn't be quite the same without the insult. He just chuckled. "And I fortunately love you," He told her. "And I'll start on that list later. If I can remember how to write."

They just stood there in silence for the rest of the duration, until Becker came to visit and try to get their lives back in order. But Connor only had one thing in mind; places to kiss Abby.

He could cross off the past, and he could cross off in a tree, and on a balcony, and in bed, and in a cave, and----he was cut off from a smack in the shoulder from Becker for not paying attention to important announcements.