#noaz

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NOAZ (Van Doren 2) by Crea Reitan at The Reading Cafe:

'Characters were just so adorable'

Another Natla/Boaz ficlet about their domestic life.

And instead of angsty headcanons about Natla I went and wrote a fluffy(ish) one-shot. Oh well. It technically takes place after the fic I’m only just writing (Lara/Kurtis + Natla/Boaz) but I tried to keep it vague to avoid spoilers. I just wanted to write some Noaz!

Of course, there are two characters that are totally spoilers but I tried to keep their descriptions also as vague as possible while giving them personalities (but as they didn’t appear in the fic I’m writing yet, their characteristics might still change a bit... stilll, it was so much fun to finally get to write them, at least a little!)

But the focus is on the Science Wives here (potential alternative ship name? XD ). Enjoy!

More Interesting Matters Than Hygiene

Natla glanced at the Petri dish. “Done.”

“Exactly on time,” Boaz stated, pouring green liquid into a vial. “Now for phase sixteen.”

“Already on it,” Natla pulled closer a tray with an assortment of flasks.

“Then I'll prepare the next stage,” Boaz whipped around to her second desk. “Have you seen the-”

“Top drawer to your right,” Natla lit a burner. “How many-”

“Seven milligrams.”

“Better and better. Pass me the-” tweezers were shoved blindly in front of her face. “Thank you.”

“What's the smell?” a new voice joined them from the door which they hadn't noticed opening. Fluorescent lamps were so bright in the lab that more light from the outside made no difference.

“Thioacetone,” Boaz answered without a pause.

“Don't worry, Lara, it's not poisonous, none of these substances are,” Natla leafed through her notepad with a focused crease to her forehead. “Well, at least not their fumes...”

There was a shuffle of feet as another person entered the doorway. “Eww yeah I don't think that's what Lara meant. When was the last time you took a bath?”

“Not that Kurtis has any right to talk,” Lara's voice was filled both with amusement and distaste, “but yes, that.”

“And you always smell like flowers after climbing out of a tomb,” Kurtis muttered.

Lara's eye rolling could be heard in her tone: “Still, neither of us ever smelled like that, did we?”

“Well excuse us for focusing on more interesting matters than hygiene,” Natla sneered and finally turned to face them. Lara's eyebrows rose at the sight.

“And when was the last time you had some sleep?”

“A little while ago,” Boaz tapped a glass rod on a beaker to get rid of the liquid after stirring.

“Which means?” Kurtis prodded.

Natla and Boaz slowed down for a moment, thinking, then exchanged a blank stare. Kurtis groaned.

Natla cocked her head. “What day is it?”

“Thursday,” Lara answered and right away realized how insufficient that was. “Thirty-first.”

“Good try, Lara,” Natla chuckled and put a lid on the dish to her left. “June doesn't have thirty one days.”

A period of very loud silence followed that statement.

“It's July,” Lara finally spoke up.

That stopped both scientists short. They turned to look at each other again, this time in surprise, and Natla covered her mouth. “Who's been taking care of the kids? Do you think they've forgotten us? That they won't recognize us anymore?”

“Oh I bloody wish I could forget that ugly mug of yours! I might try to shoot my brains out, see if it helps,” a new voice spoke up. “And the bags under your eyes make looking at you only million times worse.” A pause. “Mama looks fine.”

Natla subconsciously touched her lower eyelids. “Well yes, Tina always looks fine,” she said in a distracted tone but the corner of her mouth twitched when Boaz made an embarrassed noise.

“Would be more fine without the bloodshot eyes,” a slightly raspy voice joined the conversation. “Get to bed you two or I'll make you.”

“Not that long ago it was me telling you to go to bed,” Natla almost whined, shuffling her vials around.

A huff. “Yes. And I always did, because I care about my health.”

“Move your arses,” the first one sounded even more annoyed.

“We… should probably go, Nat,” Boaz whispered with clear hesitation.

“I don't wanna,” Natla whispered back.

Then she yelped as they were both grabbed mercilessly by four pairs of strong arms. “No choice,” the annoyed voice of their eldest hissed in her ear.

“Nooo, our research,” Natla wailed with an exaggerated pout.

Lara stopped briefly in her manhandling. “Will anything explode if we leave it here like this?”

“And if I say yes?” Natla perked up but was immediately snapped at with a double shout of “Mum!”

“It's safe like this,” Boaz said with a professional detachment to avoid the regret in her voice.

“At least you're responsible with something, if not yourselves,” their younger child rasped, then added benevolently: “Will your research be ruined if you let it stand here now?”

Natla sighed in resignation. “No...”

With that, both women were dragged away to bed with promises of grievous bodily harm if they sneaked out. And Natla and Boaz, after their initial struggles, didn't protest overmuch. Being pulled out of the lab allowed Natla to notice that their bodies were, indeed, dead tired, and could hardly walk if not for the support of their friends and family. There was probably some cliché moral lesson in there somewhere.

When they finally fell to bed and were left alone, Natla yawned widely and snuggled up to Boaz who rolled over with the last dregs of strength, tiredness catching up to her as well.