Anatomy of the Heart

"You're such a dork." Mimi giggled, her hand curling around his waist. "Now go and sit down. They're nearly done. Take the syrup with you."

"Is there jam?" he asked.

"Yup. Cupboard." Mimi gestured to the green painted cupboard behind them. "Get the syrup for me. I'm nearly finished here."

* * *

"It's not really about what you said or what you did." Sven mused, pushed his empty plate across the coffee table. "It's...I think it's vulnerability. I wanted that precisely because I love you." He eyed Mimi, their feet tangled together under a blanket.

"I know." She smiled, a switch flipping inside of her. "I'm glad you said that because I think it's important and I know it's significant for you. It's not about the what, it's the why."

"Exactly."

"Anyway, are you feeling better now?" Mimi asked.

"Yes thanks. You?" Sven asked.

"I still feel a little guilty." She admitted. "I know that I shouldn't and every kink 101 article I've ever read goes through this." She lay back, stretched a little. "But I'm still trying to reconcile it."

"I know you wouldn't hurt me." Sven smiled. "Come here." He crawled forward, fell awkwardly onto Mimi making her shriek with laughter.

"Ow, get off, you're squashing me." She pushed against him, lay out flat on the sofa as he held himself off her, propped on his forearms.

"Sorry." He kissed her on the nose, planted more light kisses over her face.

"Stop." Mimi batted him away, her face red. "Don't."

Sven grinned, kept up with the assault of kisses. "No." he laughed. "Not stopping."

"Then." Mimi grabbed him, her arms around his neck, her fingers pushing into his hair. "Do it properly." She pressed her mouth against his, breathing hard desire curling through her. "Do it like you mean it."

"I always mean it." He laughed.

Mimi nodded, her hands smoothing across his cheeks. "I know." She whispered, shifting from under him, rearranging herself so that she lay against his chest, his arms curled around her.

"I think we should go away." Sven said. "Even just for the weekend. Somewhere that's not here."

Mimi nodded. "I know but you know I can't, not now. I've just started this job I don't want to be disappearing like that."

"You're so cautious." He said. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

"Of course they would." Mimi shook her head. "You have a load of holiday time building up, though. Maybe you should. Take a week off to see your family, catch up with the guys."

"but what about you?" he asked, his fingers trailing over her arm. "I couldn't leave you, that's not fair."

"A few days wouldn't kill me." She laughed. "I'm not a goldfish or a dog or something. I can fend for myself."

"I know." Sven kissed her hair. "You really wouldn't mind?"

Mimi shook her head. "Even if you stayed here and just took a week off I think it would do you good. You take ten days a year for Christmas and you're never sick. I really don't see how they can complain."

Sven nodded, the thought of actual lie ins and walks in the country and being able to make Mimi dinner sat happily in the back of his mind. "That actually sounds really good." He grinned. "Maybe I should."

"Definitely." Mimi agreed. "If you don't you'll be ne of those guys who gets a heart attack at 40."

"I've a few years left yet, thank you."

"Yes, well," Mimi rubbed his thigh. "Proper planning and all." She grinned, lay happily against him. "Good weekend." She breathed. "I feel like we're in a good place now, as if something big has happened."

Sven nodded. "I've been waiting for it for a while."

"I know." Mimi replied. "I'm sorry you got put through so much crap before. I hate to think of you feeling bad about your sexuality."

Sven shrugged. "It's just one of those straight guy things, isn't it?"

Mimi laughed. "Like football and barbecuing and cars."

"Hockey, actually." Sven corrected her.

"Sorry." Mimi grinned, closed her eyes. "Hockey."

"Thank you."

"But, in seriousness," Mimi sat up, "You have to forget what the others said. You had a particularly bad run of unsympathetic girlfriends or women you felt you couldn't tell for whatever reason."

Sven nodded, smiled. "But now I have you and you're," he sighed, shook his head. "You're everything at once."

Mimi shook her head, pulled a face. "Thank you. Now, move up and pick out something to watch." She threw the remote at him. "Not hockey or documentaries about trucks, building things or any kind of engineering."

"So it's cookery or that antique thing they always put on TV on a Sunday." He flipped through the channels, eyed Mimi. "What about that show about pregnant teenagers, or the scary, overbearing beauty pageant mom show."

"Cookery." Mimi yawned. "You know I have a mad girl crush on Della Sharpe and her amazing buns."

"Domesticity it is." Sven turned to the appropriate channel wherein some sultry blonde was spooning icing onto sponge cake. "Hockey starts at 4."

Mimi nodded. "I know and being the simply awesome girlfriend that I am, I also picked you up stupid amounts of beer and junk food just for the occasion." She kissed his hand, settled against him to watch television.