—happier with you

[declanfitzwilliam-blog]

camialdea:

The tease was one she was used to by now and though it was only meant as that, a tease, they both knew it was probably safest if he was around to make sure she didn’t burn anything or herself while making something others considered easy. “You should be afraid for your taste buds, because they’re going to be blown away by how amazing my cookies are going to be,” she said, a confident tone in her voice despite knowing they’d probably turn out completely burnt. She scanned the shelves in the aisle they were in, grabbing several types of pre-made frosting as well as chocolate chips before dropping them in the basket as well. “Was it a joke though, was it?” She teased, turning to look at him with a grin. “Oh, it sounds like you wanna make it a week, are you sure about that? Because I don’t think you can handle this.”

“Oh, absolutely.” Declan humored her, though he knew he’d probably have to help her do them and make sure he didn’t lose track of time like she tends to do too often. Watching Camila cook was always an adventure, he never knew what to expect before, during or after, other than the usual inedible food. “You’d be surprised at how well I know you and how I know you couldn’t possibly do anything to surprise me. Unless, you know, you decided to start bringing strays into the apartment, then I think our neighbors might have a problem with pet overpopulation.”

[centralperksource]

[declanfitzwilliam-blog]

camialdea:

Camila didn’t want to drop the subject, far from it, she was intrigued now and wanted to know exactly what was going on in his mind when it came to the topic at hand. But for the sake of his sanity and because they were in a public place, she let the subject rest for the time being. “No? Better make your mind up, then,” she smiled, leaning into his touch as his arm wrapped around her shoulder while her own wrapped around his waist, her other hand holding onto the basket. “I was thinking of trying my hand at chocolate chip cookies later, so we need to pick up ingredients for that,” she nodded, unable to stop herself from glancing up at him to gauge his reaction. “Well, now you’re just sending mixed signals, D, you just told me I wasn’t welcome in your home,” she teased, her arm giving his waist a squeeze. “But three days is an ideal test period.”

A deep breath was taken as they walked down the aisle. “I’ll come up with something once we’ve got all the ingredients together.” He smiled while reaching down to take the basket from her hand, before straightening up. “Do you need me to be around to supervise that? ‘Cause I’m afraid for your kitchen.” The teased rolled off his lips as he led her into the baking goods section, trying to put the subject behind them and hopefully she wouldn’t revisit it any time soon. “That was a joke, Cam, I thought you knew me better than to ask about that,” A chuckle passed his lips, the thought of her not being welcomed into his home one that was ridiculous in itself. “I’m pretty sure nothing you do is going to surprise me, so alright, three days. It’s not like you haven’t been to my place three days in a row before.”

[declanfitzwilliam-blog]

camialdea:

Camila knew when to take a hint – sort of, anyway – and she nodded, though the same amused grin remained on her lips. “If we’re going to be living together, you have to be comfortable with these kind of subjects, I’m just saying,” she shrugged as she walked towards the cucumbers, her eyes scanning for the biggest one before picking it up. “We’re adults, these subjects are bound to come up,” she smirked as she dropped the cucumber into the basket before turning around to face him once more. “What are you even planning on making? I need some direction here or I’ll just keep picking out vegetables that I know by name.”

Declan’s arms were crossed over his chest as he ambled after her. He shook his head, refusing to delve any deeper into this subject with her. God, he really fucking felt like a teenager put on the spot when she brought it up like that. “I haven’t decided yet…” He trailed off. My mind’s been elsewhere, added silently as he reached over to wrap an arm around her shoulder and pull her away in search of some salmon. Though the supermarket wasn’t exactly the best place to find a fresh one, it’d do. “I don’t know how you’ve made it so far with what you call a good meal.” He teased, allowing a smile to curve his lips once more. “Three days then?”

[declanfitzwilliam-blog]

camialdea:

Camila reached her hand out for him as he walked away, trying to bite back her laughter but failed to do so as a soft laugh escaped her lips, her other hand quickly moving up to cover her mouth. “Are you really walking away from me?” She called out after him, an affectionate smile on her lips as she gave him a moment to be alone before she followed him. Coming up behind him, she let one arm sneak around his waist and she leaned up on her tip toes to rest her chin on his shoulder, “you know I’m just joking, right?” She smiled from where she stood behind him, pulling back before he could say anything else. Looking at the spinach, she grabbed some and tossed it into the basket, turning her head to look up at him, an almost innocent smile on her face now. “But it’s okay either way, you’re a man, you have urges and needs, it’s not surprising that you may have reacted a certain way,” she shrugged her shoulders – being in the medical field, talking about something like this was far from embarrassing to her, though she didn’t take his thoughts and feelings into consideration. “I think it’s cute.”

With her arms around his waist, Declan didn’t hesitate in leaning into the familiar touch. Though the topic at hand was not his favorite at all. Especially considering the place they currently found themselves at. His gaze caught the older lady watching them with a smile, and he couldn’t help the slight roll of his eyes. “Camila, please,” He groaned, beyond mortified when it came to talking about himself in that context. It wasn’t about how his body reacted, it was about the places his mind went and her bringing it up now didn’t exactly help much. “Can we please concentrate on the food? We can talk about other things when we’re not surrounded by other people trying to buy their meals.”

[declanfitzwilliam-blog]

camialdea:

Had it not been for the fact that they were currently in the section of the store that she hated the most, Camila most likely wouldn’t have paid any attention to the way Declan’s demeanor changed. From the slight blush in his cheeks to the way his gaze was focused on the tomatoes a little too long, it was obvious that she’d hit a sensitive spot. Eyes widening, a grin spread across her face as she looked at him. “Oh my god, D, you did enjoy it,” despite the grin that seemed to be stretching from ear to ear, she couldn’t fight the heat from rising in her own cheeks at the thought – one she liked more than she wanted to admit. “You know, you can find erotic audio on the internet nowadays if that’s your thing,” she nodded, picking up different types of vegetables and inspecting them as if though she had any idea what she was doing. “Fine, we’ll do a test run,” she nodded, smiling up at him. “I’ll leave Django at my neighbor’s, you know she basically co-owns him anyway, and I’ll stay with you for three days. You’ll regret it.”

She didn’t go there. Declan stopped for a moment, his cheeks suddenly feeling a lot warmer as she went on. God, of all the things she could notice, that was the one she chose to pick up on. “Alright, I take it back. You’re not welcome in my home anymore, nope.” He let go of her hand, a second later his feet were carrying him away from her and hopefully the whole embarrassment that happened a second ago. That was not something he wanted to think about, and he wasn’t even into erotic audios. It wasn’t that. He had enough embarrassment in less than five minutes to explain himself though and as he stopped a few feet away from her, he couldn’t bring himself to look her way. “You also need some of these.” Declan gestured toward the spinach, though didn’t look over to see if she was paying attention to him or not.

[declanfitzwilliam-blog]

camialdea:

Camila quickly noticed the way he steered her towards the vegetables instead and as much as she wanted to protest, she kept her mouth shut this time around – she knew the frozen food was terrible for the baby, but her attempts at cooking were worse. “Don’t act like you didn’t enjoy the details,” she joked, an amused grin on her lips as her eyes scanned the vegetables, having absolutely no idea what went with what and what tasted good, she usually left that part to Declan. “You know I was just joking about moving in with you, right?” She smiled, looking up at him. “I’m messy, I sleep long hours when I get off a shift, I take showers that are too long for anyone and soon, there’s going to be a newborn in that equation, you don’t want me as a roommate, trust me.”

Declan did his best to ignore the heat raising to his cheeks. She had told him every little detail and as much as he tried, it was hard not to react to any of it… or forget it, for that matter. He reached up with his free hand to scratch at his beard. “That was… I did try changing the subject, but you were a little too eager to share. You know I couldn’t take that away from you,” He muttered, gaze running over the vegetables as he searched for something he could use in a plate she would like. He cleared his throat, reaching over for some baby tomatoes and inspecting the package for a second longer than necessary while he tried to keep his mind away from other things. “Stop talking like we met yesterday, we’ve known each other since high school, do you think all that is new to me? But yes, I know you were joking. I was not.” He smiled down at her. 

[declanfitzwilliam-blog]

camialdea:

Camila could only shake her head at him as she rolled her eyes – she wasn’t going to pressure him into doing something he didn’t want, but she also didn’t want him to be alone forever. “You can’t avoid it forever, you know,” she smiled, linking her arm through his as she grabbed a basket before heading straight for the frozen food section. The thought of her going out on dates had her laughing though, she wasn’t necessarily the dating type – she believed in meeting someone and there being an instant connection, she’d had that once, she just needed to find it again. “Dating got me pregnant so I think I’ll stay away from that,” she chuckled, eyes scanning the shelves they passed as they walked. “Salty, chocolate, sweet and everything in between.” Turning her gaze to him, she smiled. “I’m working a double shift tomorrow, so I don’t know if I have time to pick something up but I appreciate the thought.”

Declan couldn’t tell what was the most physically painful, the thought of him dating or the fact that she was leading him towards the frozen food aisle? The answer was both; both options sucked and he found himself leading her towards the vegetables instead, a quiet protest to what he’d already been vocally disapproving of. Plus, she was pregnant, she should be eating healthier now. “Yeah, you made sure I got every detail of how that happened too, but hey, getting some action is a plus, right?” He felt himself cringe slightly at the thought of that conversation. “Uh, no, you need health food. We can find some of those options in something that’s not processed and I know you’ll hate me for it, but you do need your vegetables now. See, if you lived with me it’d be easier to keep you eating healthy and delicious.”

[stardustch0rds-deactivated20210]

[declanfitzwilliam-blog]

camialdea:

Camila found herself having to take a deep breath in an attempt to steer her thoughts away from places they definitely shouldn’t have been anywhere near, places that were highly inappropriate. “Isn’t it about time you got out there? On the dating scene, I mean,” nodding slowly, she wasn’t even sure why she was bringing the subject up. “Maybe you wouldn’t be so bitter then,” she teased, nudging him in the side. “I need snacks for tonight and lunch for tomorrow, that’s about it.”

A hand was lifted to rub at the back of his neck. Did they have to talk about that? Most likely the answer was no, but he knew Camila only worried about him. “I’m not bitter over not dating anyone. I’m bad at talking to people, you know going out on dates would just turn out horribly, so it’s better if I avoid it.” He shook his head, a slight grimace crossing his features. Ever since Rose passed he didn’t feel the need to go out with anyone, and getting out on the dating market didn’t sound like something he wanted to be doing. “You could do that though, I’m pretty sure you’re more likely to get someone if you did go out on dates.” The word felt odd coming from his lips, especially when they referred to her. Not that he thought it was a bad thing, Camila could go out on all the dates she wanted, find someone that made her happy, thought that would limit the time she spent at his place. “Snacks? What kind of snacks are we talking about?” He asked quietly, a moment later. “So you’re not taking the usual helping from my place then?”

[declanfitzwilliam-blog]

camialdea:

“People our age usually don’t have roommates, you know,” she teased, an amused grin on her lips though she tucked away the thought in the back of her head for more consideration later. Her grin only grew wider at Declan’s realization, a soft laugh escaping her lips once more. “So when a lady asks you to come over for some Netflix and chill, you best believe she’s thinking about something else entirely,” she nodded, definitely not what she was thinking about.

“People our age are usually married and bitter, and we’re neither of those. Well, you’re not bitter, I might be a little on the bitter side,” He gave a shrug. His mind was going places it shouldn’t be at and he let out a soft breath. “Yeah, I don’t know about that, but alright. –What were you gonna get again?”

[declanfitzwilliam-blog]

camialdea:

Camila raised her eyebrows at his words – it had been a joke, but now she found herself considering it for a brief moment, though she quickly shook her head. “No, I can’t do that to you,” she chuckled. “I’ll be having a newborn in a few months and guess what babies don’t do? Sleep at night, and I know you work hard so thank you, but for your sake, no.” His next words had her eyes widening and she brought her hand up to her mouth to try to cover up the fact that laughter threatened to spill out. “Netflix and chill is code for having sex,” she nodded slowly, unable to stop herself from laughing. “Which we are not doing, hence the actual chilling part.”

“Please,” Declan rolled his eyes. As if he didn’t know that already. Babies weren’t his specialty, he didn’t get the chance with his, but he knew that much. “But you’re still going to be over a lot, so it’s pretty much the same thing, Cami.” Close enough to it anyway. It was nice though, coming home to someone being there instead of the empty space that usually greeted him. “Oh, okay,” He nodded slowly, eyes wide in realization. “Okay, yeah, makes sense, I guess.”

[declanfitzwilliam-blog]

camialdea:

A soft chuckle slipped from her lips as she nodded in agreement – they both knew Declan would end up making most, if not all, of the food they’d be eating. “We might as well move in, you know?” She was joking, though for a brief second she considered the thought and while she wasn’t too keen on a roommate, it didn’t seem too bad all things considered. “You know I am, and I’m bringing snacks because we’re going to be doing some netflix and chilling, but not in the way teenagers use it nowadays.”

Declan gave a shrug then, “You could if you wanted to. I’ve got two spare rooms and you’re over often anyway, it wouldn’t make a difference. Unless, you know, you decided to try cooking then that’d be a bit of a problem.” He teased, a smirk playing at his lips. The term ‘netflix and chill’ had him raising his eyebrows. “What’s that supposed to mean? Netflix and chill, makes me feel like an old man to ask, but really, what does that mean other than watching movies and… literally chilling?”

[dailybritishactors]

[on filming Beauty and the Beast] I felt pretty monstrous on that gorgeous set. It was incredibly lavish – the ballroom was based on the Palace of Versailles but turned up to 11, excessive opulence, beautifully lit. Emma was looking gorgeous in this immaculately conceived creation – it took something like 10,000 hours of work to make that dress. And then I come lumbering in in this grey, Lycra muscle suit.

[declanfitzwilliam-blog]

camialdea:

Camila had been close to tears so far through the pregnancy and the most simple things were often enough to set her off – luckily she’d managed to avoid doing it at work, but she hadn’t been as lucky any other time. This time was no different. The second she saw the tiny baby clothes, coupled along with his words, she knew she was a goner. “Oh,” she took a deep breath in an attempt to stop herself from crying though she knew it was useless – tears were already threatening to escape her eyes. “You didn’t have to do that, D,” she spoke softly, her voice nearly breaking as she took the clothes from him, taking a good look at them before turning her attention back to her friend. “It’s the baby’s first clothes, you know.” That was enough for the tears to escape, rolling down her cheeks as she tried to bite back a sob and in an attempt to hide the fact that she was, indeed, crying, she shifted closer to him and wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you.”

He’d been expecting the tears, if he was honest with himself, though not as heartfelt as they were. His arms wrapped around her, a hand caressing the back of her head as he pressed a kiss to her hair. “Shh, it’s okay.” Declan muttered, a quiet laugh leaving his lips. He knew how much this baby already meant to her and he already planned on being the best godfather there was, or uncle, that would do as well if she ended up choosing someone else to be the godfather. “You can tell your kid they’ve got the best uncle in the world once they’re old enough to doubt how great I am.”

[timothechallamet]

Dan Stevens watching Emma Watson fangirl

[declanfitzwilliam-blog]

camialdea:

She could already feel herself begin to get emotional once more but she fought to keep the tears back – she’d already cried twice that day, she certainly didn’t need to do it in front of her best friend when he was just being nice to her. “We really can’t talk about this or I’ll be sobbing in about two minutes,” she chuckled, taking a deep breath to calm herself down before leaning into his touch, her hand remaining on her stomach. “That one?” She took a brief moment to look at the picture and she couldn’t help another smile from spreading across her face – it was a great moment to have been captured on the phone. “I love it, I really do,” she nodded, turning her head to look at him. “You’re such a good photographer.”

He let his head rest on top of hers, looking down at the picture of his best friend, already in love with the life growing inside of her. Camila would make a great mother, that he was sure of, but that picture spoke for itself. She’d be the best, but he had a feeling that if he dared say that out loud the waterworks would follow. “Please, the camera did all the work. The only thing I’m good at is cooking and keeping you from frozen goods.” He teased around a smile. “On that note, I got you a little something.” Declan pushed himself away, reaching beside her bed to lift the set of pale green baby kimonos from his bag. “I know we haven’t found out the gender, but I saw this and thought you’d like them anyway,” A half shrug was given then as he offered the clothes out to her.