Yeah. That moment when he realized. She saw it happen.

Noel carried the weight of this moment from day one. Every time they'd smiled, she'd told herself not to. She'd almost just not gone dancing. Today was supposed to be a no. Why did Michael keep taking all her 'no's and making them 'yes'es?

Because he rolled over and asked. Full earnesty. He was willing to try... if she was.

The chips were down. If he was willing to ante up, she should at least meet him. Now he knew what he was getting into, that burden was lifted from her somewhat. She turned to face him completely. Had they been standing, it'd be polite water cooler distance. Since they were both horizontal and Noel had his hand wrapped up in hers, it was a little something more.

"My eyes are how I take memories. If you wear sunglasses, or something with a tint to it, it's enough to keep that connection from happening. I can keep it locked down usually, but pain, drowsiness, and uh- drunkenness... those can all be triggers." She rolled her lips together and stopped to check that he wasn't yet running. He'd put his hand on her hip.

"Removing an idea is almost impossible. There's too many connecting memories that reinforce ideas. That kind of thing... it's almost always temporary unless you sleep on it. Taking spans of time are easier. So. If you start missing time don't sleep. You can try to retrace your steps to remember." If anyone knew the loopholes in her powers, it was Noel. She'd fought against it for years. These were all her best tricks.

"There's not a trick to get around reading memories." And she did, at least, sound disappointed about that.

Her eyes were how she took memories.

It took a considerable act of will for the Ranger to not immediatly look away. He had said trusted her, he couldn't just look away the moment she said that was how she could take memories. He may have tensed a little but he held Noel's eyes.

As for protection, sunglasses could work. So when outside in daylight he would never need to worry about it. Though, he would try to not worry. She could control herself... unless in pain, drowsy, or drunk. Which meant tonight was a night she could have taken memories and he would never have known. Knowing how he could have been at risk didn't change his mind. He was willing to risk it.

She continued in explaining how her power worked; hard to remove ideas, lengths of time not so much. He remembered her mentioning the memories aren't truely gone if the affected person didn't sleep until something jogged it back. She'd said something about that to him at the wedding three year ago. That was after he'd condmened the man she'd taken memories from to forgetting what she took by robbing him of consciousness.

No trick to getting around reading memories, well tasting them. Did that mean anytime she tasted something she was lifting a memory?

The Ranger took all this, along with Noel's turning to face him, as a sign she wanted to continue. She had essentilly laid out her power to him, which with a power like hers must not be the easiest thing to do. Hell if he didn't know her he would not be comfortable around her knowing what her power was.

"Thank y'." He said. She had told him not just a way to protect himself, but when to be careful.

He broke eye contact, but only so long as it took him to slide the arm that linked with hers back around and under her head. Graduating the hand hold from just that a hug and hand hold combo. It was a bit awkward with them just laying on the floor, but sometimes you just want to hold someone and the floor be damned.

"Anythin' I should do so y' aren't just pickin' up my memories? Should I wear gloves if I make you food or sonthin'? An' next time y' show up drunk at the door, reach f'r my sunglasses before I pull off y'r pants?"

Weirdly enough, the more time that passed, the more relieved she felt. He wasn't backing down. He knew almost everything; the worst of it at least...

Noel’s eyes bounced back and forth between Michael’s as she tried to assess what he was thinking and feeling. Not for the first time, she regretted not being able to read active thoughts. He looked like he was processing-- informed concern mixed with stubbornness.

The movement was a slow pace of what her power’s trigger was and as a result, she had to close her eyes. Noel did not want to have to explain again.

Finally, he seemed to come to some conclusion. He thanked her and they did a little repositioning. Noel sagged in relief. It really was too late. She'd gotten to wrapped up, now literally, to run this time.

She had one question that was burning at the tip of her tongue. She knew it was going to come out wrong, and she knew that she shouldn't push the issue. She should wait for social reasons, but couldn't. She had to know.

"Are your memories secret? Government clearance level secret? National security secret?" She didn't want to sound like she wanted to know those secrets, but she needed to know. "Food’s mostly safe. It doesn't exactly stay on the tongue for long." Which was to say… yes. If he was that concerned about her not getting his memories, he should take whatever precautions he could.

"And who’s pulling who's pants off? I think, like, 2 out of 3 of those were on me.” Or, maybe off of her? There were the fight pants… the 'I did not get into your pants’ statement pants… she could claim some credit for his ice pants...

Noel's smile was hesitant, but there was just something about this whole thing that was funnier than it should have been.

Noel's eyes had bounced back and forth looking into his while he had processed through what she had said. She had eventually closed them. Was she worried about using her power? It hadn't been that long since she had shown up drunk at his door... He dropped that line of thinking. If that was the case she was exercising control.

She asked if his memories were secret. Many were, yes. Some from years working for as an Operator, some from working for Slate, some from his operations at Blackforest Tactical, and the fact of what all he did for Haven. All of them were secrets that were officially classified or were things he was sworn to secrecy about.

And food was safe. So that's good.

"Yes." He said, knowing he needed to tread carefully. He didn't want to lie to Noel, either in what he said or by omission. He would just have to talk around it. "Much of my past is officially classified as top secret. The work I did, if it was ever made public... It could hurt the United States. Some from long back, some more recent. Some could endanger... People more immediate than just the country. " He gave a weak smile. He didn't like having to talk around it like he was. He could have said yes and left it at that, but she needed to know the magnitude of some of his memories in case she ever picked any up.

"And who’s pulling who's pants off? I think, like, 2 out of 3 of those were on me.”

The Ranger laughed. "I guess y' did the actual pantsin'. With one exception though I definitely contributed." Such a scholarly conversation. Who was responsible for Noel finding herself out of her pants? "I maintain that I since they came off while I was holdin' 'em that I pulled them off. If you made that easier that's just you bein' too excited." Then he quirked an eyebrow and with a smile added, "I could always remove them now t' make it more true if that helps."

The problem was, now that she knew... she knew she could go looking for it. She also knew not to, but the temptation would always be there. And so would the reasons to refrain.

She chuckled and shook her head, ready to deflect.

"I really need new hobbies." Because really, besides the help she'd offered to others and working out to try to regain some of her muscle mass... what had she done besides antagonize this Ranger and shuck her pants at every opportunity?

Too excited? It did seem a bit obvious now, didn't it?

Noel opened her mouth and then clicked her teeth shutting it again when he offered to take her pants off.

"You most certainly will not." Despite the immediate flare of embarrassment at the thought of him removing anything, there was also a bubble of cautious excitement. Would it be so bad?

She searched his face and that mischievous grin.

Yes.

Yes it would.

"I'm really not sure what you have on are considered pants. You have me at a disadvantage today."

The Ranger chuckled. He tells her that he was involved in top secret activities that could lead to bad news bears if it got out. What does Noel say, that she needs new hobbies.

The response to him offering to make the statement of him removing her pants truer made him go from a chuckle to outright laugher. "Where's the fun in that?" He asked still laughing. Her embarrassed reaction hit him just right.

"I'm really not sure what you have on are considered pants. You have me at a disadvantage today."

It was true what he was wearing were not pants. They were gloriously not pants. And he had her at a disadvantage? Because she couldn't reciprocate the removal of pants?

She didn't know about the glory of ranger panties. He had to enlighten her. "They're not pants. They're ranger panties. They're worn by special operators, but they must be earned through blood, sweat, an' tears. An' one might say y're at the advantage now" He slid his thumb up under waistband of the pants Noel was wearing. "Y're the one coverin' y'r panties."

He was already down to his panties. Well, now she was overdressed.

"I might have to take pity on you—" The red in her cheeks and the way that she avoided eye contact was telling. She liked him. She wanted to be brave and cavalier, but this was uncharted territory. "—Since the score's so uneven."

Her heart hammered in her ears and made things just that much more difficult to say over her nerves. Decision made, Noel flicked her eyes up to Michael's.

"They're yours. I can't come between a man and his pants." While she'd started out teasingly, her next statement was serious and honest tinged with some heart on the table kind of insecurity. "I want to stay, but... can I keep my choneys?"

Noel’s cheeks reddened and she avoided the Ranger’s eyes, She said she might have to take pity on him given the score. In the heat of the moment she’d been fine with ditching her pants, now that they had slowed down it was embarrassing. What a difference the framing of a relationship can make. That and the difference between a ‘fight’ and laying on the floor together.

She teased that she couldn’t come between a man and his pants. This statement may have excited the Ranger a little… Or a lot. What a difference the framing of a relationship can make.

“I want to stay, but… can I keep my choneys?”

She wanted to stay. The Ranger’s eyes widened. He had not expected that. Sure it was a reasonable thing given how things were going, but she lived so very close it wasn’t as much of a convenience.

Queue the victory music.

”Y’re always welcome t’ stay… But what’re choneys?” His Spanish was rusty, but that sounded close to the Mexican word for underwear...

She was asking to keep her underwear.

He laughed to himself when he realized. ”Y’ can keep on as much as y’ need t’ be comfortable.”

Always welcome. She liked the sound of that.

What were chonies? Noel freed herself enough to give his Ranger panties a tug from the bottom of their very short length. He got it pretty quick. And it wasn't even a thing. No big deal. Laughable, apparently.

Noel heaved what felt like the fiftieth sigh of this evening.

"I'm still not convinced this'll work, but you keep turning all my reasons to say no into yeses." It wasn't fair, really...

***

After the couch was righted and Noel had visited Michael's restroom to wash off her marker and chug some water, they settled into bed to watch a movie. Noel settled her cheek in the dip between Michael's pectoral muscle and his shoulder.

What the movie was, she couldn't say. There was a whole host of reasons to be distracted.

They'd come to an unspoken truce. Noel wouldn't kiss him, but that didn't mean she couldn't touch. One finger traced a lazy circle against the Ranger's sternum. She'd molded her body against the side of his, one bare leg tossed over one of his bare legs. This was a no-pants zone.

"Favorite food?" She stopped touching him long enough to cover a yawn. She was pretty sure she hadn't asked that one yet.

"Think mine might be waffles."

Eventually they were up off the floor. The Ranger righted the couch and noel went to wipe the marker off her wrist. He then checked the door was locked and found the ice. He didn’t need a pool of water on his floor all night. All of that handled, the Ranger and Noel retired to his bed.

The bed faced a tv and the Ranger had turned it on. There was a movie playing when he turned it on. Not one he had seen. He could have watched, it looked like it might have been interesting. It was not, Noel with her head on his chest and her body against his while his arms were around her, interesting.

It was nice. Him just laying there with her. She traced a circle against his sternum, he ran one hand along her side. Once again they were both pantsless, pants are a no-go that side of the comforter. And it was something that made them closer. Laying there without them was like a wall had been cleared from between them.

Noel broke the silence asking the Ranger's favorite food before yawning. Hers was waffles. ”Round steak.” He said, then attempted to add to it but yawned and had to try again. While back home it was just called ‘round steak’ that was also the name for the cut of meat. ”Fried up in a skillet."

He leaned his head against Noel's. "Favorite color? Mine's blue."

He knew that they would never share a kiss, but he wasn't some seventeen year old kid where making out was 90% of a relationship. He could kiss her not on her mouth, but she couldn't kiss him. He would just have to show affection in other ways.

"Of course it's cow," She chuckled. Had to fit the cowboy theme didn't he?

Her favorite color? She had to think about that one for a moment. "Plum? Or maybe it's indigo? One of those kind-of purples."

"Rainy days or sunshine?"
"Sunshine."
"Definitely sunshine." She'd had a mix of good and bad on rainy days, but there was something inherently wholesome about feeling the sunshine on her skin.

"Cats or dogs?" He tossed out the next question and they had themselves a game. Noel had to stop and yawn again.
"I'll cop out and say neither. I guess cats might do better if you had to forget about them for a while?"
"Dogs. Cats're just ranch animals. Keep 'em outside t' deal with rodents. Dogs're companions." He seemed almost offended which made a bubble of laughter escape before Noel could clamp down on it.

"Okay. Fair enough. Then... What was it like growing up in your house?" She was insanely curious. Getting to know people the slow way was new. They could omit things. Hell, she'd already omitted just how bad a situation she'd been in before Haven.

"Nice two story, plenty of land. It was outside the city. Oil money. I didn't have any siblings so it was a lot of house f'r just three people. I spent most of my time out of the house. Dad took me huntin' when he could, but once I was old enough I would go out on my own. Mom was the taskmaster, made sure I got my homework done an' stayed busy."

That didn't sound so bad. She could almost imagine a place outside of town. Green grass and wooden fences. And then suddenly it was her turn and she regretted asking because she didn't know.

"I can't..." But she really, really wanted to. She didn't often poke at that gaping void of memory. It wasn't like it hurt or anything. It just wasn't there. She'd written and rewritten over it too many times to see what was underneath all the clutter.

"I have Max's memories more clearly than my own. And the policeman Cervantes and some from someone with a huge family. I remember my mom loving me and making waffles. Sunshine and Spanglish lessons. I also remember growing up like my existence might have been an annoyance to my parents. I had a... Max had a nanny until he was too old for that. Which I'm not sure I would have guessed if he hadn't let me see that." That kid turned out okay, despite everything.

Noel laughed at his answer. She must have thought him as stereotypical, which of course he was often enough. And her favorite color was some kind of fancy purple. She had provided two colors that were both purple adjacent but the Ranger likely couldn't tell apart on the spot.

They continued to ask each other questions, just learning about each other. They both liked sunshine over rain, she guessed she liked cats better while he had strong opinions about a cat’s place and that dogs were the way to go, and what it was like for him growing up. His opinions on dogs had made Noel laugh, he smiled. He liked hearing her laugh.

The answer Noel gave for herself to the last question was… different. It was clear she was having trouble when she began by saying she couldn’t. It was sad that she had trouble with her memories from her childhood. The Ranger had fond memories of his own. Noel described a childhood that was an amalgamation of other’s memories. That included Max, the man who’d led to his involvement in Haven. Without which he would not be where he was at that moment; he wouldn’t be with whom he was at that moment.

He owed Max a beer… Or a at least a six-pack.

”What’re the oldest memories y’ have that’re clear an’ distinctly y’r own?” He asked.

It took Noel a moment before she answered.

”I was working security​... No. Uhm. Hold on. I lived above a boxing gym. MacMillan, the guys name was that ran it, I think. He rented me his daughter's room so long as I didn't change anything. I always guessed that the girl died really young because it was all lace and pink, but I didn't want to pry. I learned swords from a guy there."

The Ranger had thought she might have had at least one memory that dates back a little while. Maybe her teenage years or something. That sounded like it could have been recent. ”How long ago was that?”

”5… 6 years ago?” She answered. That was not long before they had first met.

"My oldest memories're..." He paused a moment thinking. "I remember when I was real young, I'm not sure how old, after church durin' the summer my mom would take me t' get a snowcone. I think it it was... JJ's Snowcones, back around when they first opened. I think I always got strawberry." He took another moment to think, "That was...twenty...eight years ago?" He was still not sure, he didn't ever try to dig up memories that old.

”Favorite ice cream flavor?” And they were back to the game.

”Uh…” He didn’t immediately have an answer. It had been a while since he last ate ice cream. ”Cookies an’ cream.” He finally said through a yawn. Bluebell had nailed it when they came up with that flavor.

She tried not to be too self-conscious about her lack of personal memory. She didn't like to sulk. It didn't accomplish anything and somehow over the years, she'd lost the thread of her own past. It didn't seem to bother Michael too much. Maybe it would later when Christmases and all those little holidays flew past unnoticed.

Hmm. Cookies and Creme was a totally acceptable answer. "There's a Jen and Berry's called 'Confetti Cake.' It has sprinkles." Because apparently she was a little kid inside.

"Hey, wait." Noel poked him in the pectoral in mock annoyance. "You asked 2 in a row." She wracked her brain for another and once she thought of one, she couldn't un-think it. Noel tried to modulate her voice to carry the correct gravitas for the situation.

"When it comes to toilet paper... fold or scrunch?"

Michael's immediate response of, "Folded. I'm not a heathen." had Noel giggling so good it was hard to tell him her own habits.

"I might be a heathen." But it wasn't like he would check, right?

"If y' were t' win a lottery so big y'd never have t' work or want f'r money again, but y' had t' do somethin', what would y' do?"

Oh. Interesting. She had to unpack that a bit.

"So, I still have to actively do something...?" Teach? No, she'd had little to no patience for those at the community center who'd wanted to learn self-defense. This seemed like a dig for hobbies, but Noel really did not have many. Or... any?

"Could I learn something new? I like to pick up skills. But if that doesn't count then maybe 3 gun or going back to being a body man. Security isn't terrible unless there's a lot of super public events or unless your boss tries to choke you to death." She rolled her eyes. The "I'm sorry" for that one had been just as bad, if not worse, than the attempted murder.

Michael's answer wasn't expected, but as soon as he'd said it, it made total sense.

"I'd be at the dancehall every night t' dance." Sometimes he just said things so plainly. Like "no duh" of course, that's what it would have been.

Okay. Noel's turn to ask, right? "Do you sing?"

The questions continued, with only a momentary interruption for Noel to poke him in retaliation to his asking two questions in a row. And he learned something important about Noel. She was a heathen toilet paper scruncher. Also that if money wasn’t an issue shooting three gun or working security would be what she did. Interesting.

”Well enough t’ not send people runnin’ when I play somethin’ on the guitar.” He could play music so carrying the tune wasn’t an issue. He just had no teaching in singing so it was unrefined.

Noel said that she sang, ”Only in the shower.” That just meant he’d have to join her sometime. How else would he hear her?

She had asked a toilet paper question, now it was his turn. ”Toilet paper should hang over or under on the roll?” He even supplied a hand gesture as if his palm was the square hanging off the roll.

This had clearly been a topic where Noel had strong opinions. She answered with, "That's not even a question! It goes in front and I will fight you if you say otherwise."

The Ranger waited a moment, stretching out the silence as if trying to find a way to disagree with her before saying, ”I’m with you. With under lies madness.”

”Favorite take out?”

That was a hard one. He didn’t really do take out so much anymore, it had become a food of last resort lately. ”Middle-eastern or Mediterranean.” His time there the last few years had turned him onto the delicious food. Maybe it was just that he really liked the idea of spinning cones of meat.

"Indian, probably? Curry and Vindaloo. Yum."

Between the pair of them they might end up eating a lot of food from the Southern side of Asia.

”I’ve never had much Indian… Favorite coke?”

”I don’t do cocaine.” Noel said. She was teasing him. He gave it a chuckle. She did finally answer with, ”Usually Diet Coke. It’s sweeter and it burns flavors right off my tongue.”

Right… People here thought of coke as just Coke. That or maybe a Coke was her favorite coke. Either way he gave his own answer, ”Dr. Pepper is my go t’ were I t' actually drink a coke. I jus' cain’t remember the last time I did. No... Second day back stateside.”

He played guitar. That thrilled her more than any singing, if she was being honest.
"Is there a cowboy checklist? And you just go and make sure you tick every box?"

Noel was gearing up to put up her dukes again when he conceded the toilet paper point. Good. She didn't have the energy to go through that song and dance again. There were no pants left to assure her win either.

As much as she wanted to keep up the game, Noel had to admit she was fading.

"Dr. Pepper... That's the one with the burgundy colored label?" She couldn't remember if she'd had Dr. Pepper, but now she was gonna have to try it. Noel folded her hand over her mouth to cover her yawn.

"How many people have you dated?"
"Five. One in middle an' two in high school. Sort of dated this girl while I was in the service, then one since movin' t' New York."
Oh. That was an answer like he'd thought about it before. She supposed that wasn't so bad and there were no ex-wives in the mix. A definite plus.
"I've been on one date." She admitted. "I'll probably never forget the moment his wife walked in. Never been so mortified in my life."

"If y' ruled y're own country, what's the first law y'd pass?"

That was taking entirely too much brain energy to think through.

"Uhm. No pants. You're invited to visit, by the way." She was just going to rest her eyes for a second here. While she thought of another question.