Helen Otis x Reader: All Good Things To Those Who Wait
Guess who's back with another Helen fic ... Hi. Sorry I couldn't help myself and had to write another one sooo thar she blows. This is part 3 of a series that I may or may not continue ... you can find the previous parts here (1 and 2) and you can find the postings I have on AO3 here!! That's all enjoy ok
It was late, one oâclock, maybe one thirty in the morning. The vast majority of those that had been occupying the living room had long since retired to their rooms, choosing the comfort of their own beds over restless sleep and neck pain in the morning. The real movie night was long over, but two remained, nestled in opposite corners of the loveseat.Â
The movie of choice was The Silence of the Lambs, per (Y/N)âs request. Itâd been fourth on the roster (watch order warfare was not something that (Y/N) was going to willingly involve themselves with) and they were determined to see it through.Â
Helen was half asleep on his side of the couch. Heâd meant to stay awake for the whole movie, he really had, but spending time in a roomful of idiots had sapped all of his energy. So he dozed off, his elbow propped on the armrest to keep his head from dropping.Â
(Y/N), however, was awake and alert as Buffalo Bill shouted down at his captive, though they were not paying much attention to the screen at all. How could they, with Helen next to them? Theyâd already seen the movie anyhow, and despite it being one of their favorites itâd really just become more of an excuse to spend some time with him.Â
But now he was basically asleep, which would not do at all.Â
âHelen.â (Y/N) called quietly, a halfhearted attempt at rousing him. He didnât stir. They tried again.
âHelen.â Still nothing.
They gave up on trying for a bit, opting to just stare at him before trying to wake him up again. Helen was one of the most gorgeous people (Y/N) had ever laid eyes on; this was something they had been sure of since the day theyâd met him. But he looked a little different when he was asleep. When he was awake, his eyebrows were usually furrowed in anger or annoyance (or sometimes concern) and his mouth was usually turned downwards in a pout. Now, he looked relaxed and at peace, a blanket tossed over his shoulders to keep him warm. (Y/N) wondered what he might be dreaming about.
Suddenly, they had an idea. A devious grin spread across (Y/N)âs face as they scooted as close to Helen as possible without disturbing him. They leaned over him carefully, trying not to get distracted by just how close their face was to his face. Placing their lips near his ear, (Y/N) blew.
Helen jolted up in surprise, the side of his head smacking (Y/N) square in the nose. They fell onto their back dramatically, laughing as they held their nose with one hand.Â
âSorry! Sorry⌠Are you okay?â They asked from where they lay, still in a fit of giggles.Â
Helen glared daggers at them, blue eyes narrowed and lips drawn in a taught frown. If only he knew the things that look did to (Y/N)...Â
âWhat the hell did you do that for?â He spat, rubbing the side of his head as he kept eye contact with them.Â
(Y/N)âs grin turned from cheeky to sheepish. They felt small under his gaze, but not really in a bad way. Something in their chest fluttered. âYou fell asleepâŚâ
âAnd you couldnât have woken me up in a normal way?â
âI triedâŚ!â They said defensively, still avoiding eye contact and mumbling the next part so that they wouldnât be heard, âYou just look really hot when youâre all mad at meâŚâ
Helenâs angry expression morphed into a confused one. âWhatâd you say?â
âNothing! Nothing.â (Y/N) sat upright, scrambling to change the subject. âYour head. Does it still hurt? Let me see.â They shifted closer to him again, gently grabbing his wrist so they could move it from where he still held his head.Â
âItâs-â Helen was about to protest (he had no idea what theyâd be able to do about a bruise on his head) until he felt (Y/N)âs fingers in his hair, lightly touching the spot where heâd hit their nose. His breath hitched.
âDoes that hurt?â They asked quietly, looking him in the eye.Â
Helen struggled to find words for a moment. When he finally did, his voice cracked. âN-no.âÂ
âMâkayâŚâ (Y/N) hummed, their eyes flitting back to where their hand sat in his hair. They ran their fingers through his hair for real, and he had to restrain himself from leaning into their touch.
âYou have really nice hair, yâknow. Itâs soft.â They complimented, retracting their hand and looking at him again. Their faces were close, and Helen swallowed thickly at the proximity. âReal pretty, too.â
âYou think my hairâs⌠pretty?â Helen asked, his face burning. He silently thanked whatever god there was that the only light in the room came from the long forgotten TV. The last thing he wanted was for (Y/N) to see the kind of effect they were having on him.Â
âI think youâre pretty, dumbass.â (Y/N) responded matter-of-factly.Â
Helen let out a choked noise, taken aback by the sudden confession. âWhat.â
(Y/N) furrowed their eyebrows, seemingly unphased by their own admission. âDude. Do you not see yourself?â
âYouâŚ? You think Iâm pretty?â Helen was dumbfounded. It felt like all of his wildest dreams were coming true and that he was going to die at the same time. Heâd never been called pretty before; maybe only as an insult from an old school bully or even Jeff, but the way (Y/N) said it made his heart flutter and his head feel light.
âUm, yes?â (Y/N) answered like it was obvious. âI mean, come on, youâve got this gorgeous hair, the loveliest eyes Iâve ever looked into, and uh, your lips, well, uhâŚâ (Y/N) trailed off, eyes trained on Helenâs lips. They reached up to graze his jaw with their fingers lightly, looking into his eyes again. There was no going back now. âUh, this is stupid, probably, but, can I?â
Helen sucked in a shaky breath, something that was not lost on (Y/N). âLook, we donât have to, if-â
âI want you to.â He cut them off hastily, a hint of desperation in his voice. (Y/N) would have kissed him stupid right then if they hadnât felt the need to tease him about it. They smiled mischievously. âWant me to what?â
âI wonât do it unless you say what you want.â
And Helen really mustâve been desperate, because he conceded almost immediately. âKiss me. Please.âÂ
âFuck. I guess I will, then.â (Y/N) mumbled, leaning in carefully. Their lips brushed his for a moment before they kissed him for real, one hand cupping his face and the other moving to rest at his waist.Â
Helenâs eyes fluttered shut as he felt their lips on his, hands hovering nervously at their hips. (Y/N)âs lips were slightly chapped (probably because they chewed at them all the time). Helen didnât mind. The kiss was a chaste one, but to him it was magical, and before he knew it (Y/N) was pulling away, beaming at him.
âYou have no idea how long Iâve been waiting to do that.â They breathed, their thumb rubbing circles into his jaw.Â
âHow long?â Helen asked dumbly, brain preoccupied with theyâre touching me and oh my god we just kissed and holy fuck holy fuck holy fuck.Â
(Y/N) looked bashful. âUm, since I first saw you, I guess. You looked at me like you wanted to kill me and I think that was what did me in.â They laughed, the hand that was resting on Helenâs cheek moving to scratch the back of their neck.Â
âOh.â Helen breathed. So they had liked him all this time and he hadnât noticed? At all? Maybe he was just really bad at differentiating platonic affection from romantic interest⌠man, he needed to make more friends. Helen brushed off those thoughts before they could get overwhelming.
 âSo, what, you like it when Iâm mad at you? Youâre weird.â He said instead, a small smile betraying his teasing.Â
âOh, shaddap.â (Y/N) rolled their eyes, the TV screen catching their attention as they averted their gaze. âShit. This is where it starts to get good.âÂ
Helen followed their eyes back to the screen. Hannibal Lecter was strapped into something that looked like a cross between a stretcher and a hand truck. He was talking to an important looking woman that Helen didnât know the name of. This is what he got for falling asleep during the movie.Â
He was too preoccupied with trying to figure out what was happening when (Y/N) tugged him into their side, a surprised âoof!â leaving him at the contact. Their arm snaked around his waist and even though they had just kissed Helen could still feel his heart going into overdrive. He looked up at them, eyes wide.Â
âWhat?â (Y/N) questioned, cocking an eyebrow at him. âIf youâre gonna fall asleep again, youâll be a little bit more comfortable, at least.â
Helen couldnât (or didnât want to) argue with that, so he let his head loll onto their shoulder as he dozed, the smell of lavender lulling him back to sleep.