The most important thing, in anything you do, is always trying your hardest, because even if you try your hardest and it’s not as good as you’d hoped, you still have that sense of not letting yourself down.
Summary: The Russell boy with the bad reputation is completely smitten with the girl who’s just as angel-like as everyone remembers his momma to be.
Word count - 3,435
Warnings - language
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“Arvin, stop being silly,” you huffed. He’d been going on the entire car ride about how if you didn’t like the food his Grandma was cooking then all you had to do was say. He’d already made the offer of taking you to a diner after you left to give you a ‘nicer’ meal. “I love Emma’s food, a lot of people do. There’s nothing better than a home cooked meal.”
The car finally came to a stop, Arvin leaping out and rushing around to your side so he could be a gentleman before you could even put your hand on the car door.
He threw his arm around your shoulders, pressing a kiss to your temple with a lingering smirk on his lips.
“I could name a few things,” he muttered in response to your earlier comment. You slapped his chest scoldingly, telling him not to be so mean to the woman that raised him. “‘m just kidding, baby.”
You rolled your eyes, letting him pull you closer to his chest to press kisses onto the top of your head. You wouldn’t admit it to him but you did enjoy being engulfed in his intoxicating scent.
“I guess I should say g’bye now,” he said, pulling you out of your daze. You furrowed your eyebrows, looking up at your boyfriend. He motioned with his hand to the small redhead who was running over to you, already beaming at the sight of her older brother’s girlfriend who she adored.
“Y/N!” the girl yelled, taking your hand and already stealing you away from her brother. Arvin huffed playfully, catching your eye as you were pulled over to the group of girls playing on the patch of grass opposite the Russell’s lawn.
He chuckled, shrugging his shoulders at you as you mouthed the words help me. This happened more or less every time you came over to Arvin’s home.
It’s not that you didn’t adore the eight year old, you did, but you came to spend time with all of Arvin’s family for a change.
The boy now had to go find something else to do to entertain himself while you were immersed in the world of pretend with a group of eight year olds.
He headed inside the house to the kitchen where he could already smell his grandma’s cooking, emerging in the room with a wave to his Uncle. He placed a kiss on Emma’s head as a greeting. “Hey, Grandma.”
“Hi, sweetheart.” Barely even a minute inside and she already had him setting the table for the five of them for dinner, Earskell laughing at the boy who almost had a pouty face.
He laid down the plates in the seats you all normally sat in, moving next to take the cutlery off of his Grandma.
“Where’s that pretty lady of yours?” his Uncle asked, noticing Arvin’s solo entrance that was usually accompanied by you.
“Nora’s got her again.” He let out a breathy chuckle, shaking his head like he didn’t expect any less from the child. Just like Arvin was used to it, so were all of the Russells, Lenora barely let an hour go by without bringing you up at least once in the house, especially if she hadn’t seen you for a while.
He kept sending longing looks out of the windows, looking at you and the way your skirt flowed in the wind as you chased Lenora around the grass.
Emma noticed, laughing quietly to herself.
“Go on,” she sighed, shooing him out of the door to go and save you from his minx of a sister. He did just that, rushing outside until he was by the steps of the porch. Arvin didn’t want to interrupt yet, wanting to spend a few minutes admiring you as you laughed with the group of girls. He thought you looked so pretty when you laughed, especially with the way the sunlight beamed onto your face, and the way the wind blew your hair away from your face to give him a better view, almost like it was doing it for him.
He didn’t know how long he was just there watching you with that same dumb, crooked smile on his face the entire time, but it was long enough for his Grandma to come outside with an update on dinner.
“She’s just like your momma,” Emma whispered, leaning against the doorframe, a little way behind Arvin. His big brown eyes, the ones that still resembled that little boy she remembers like yesterday, stared at her so softly.
“Really?” he asked. “I don’t really remember her.”
He sounded so sad, and it made Emma’s heart ache. She walked towards him, holding her arms out to engulf the boy in a hug. He was happy to let her, her head resting on his shoulder lovingly.
“She’s so kind, so pure.” The male couldn’t help but smile a little bit, holding the older woman’s hand against his heart while he watched you play with his younger sister.
Arvin wasn’t shy when it came to admiring you, every chance he could get his eyes on you he would. Emma found it so heartwarming to see, the boy so outwardly showing you this love and affection that had been built up inside of him since he was a child himself.
“I like her Arvy. Think she’s the perfect girl for you.”
Hearing those words from one of the most important people in his life felt like everything fell into place for him. You truly were the woman he was in love with, and he may be young but he couldn’t picture ever loving anyone as much as he did you.
His Grandma placed a kiss on his cheek, patting his arm as she turned to walk away. “Dinner’s in ten, make sure you get them both inside on time, mister.” Emma left him alone after that, heading back inside to continue her cooking.
Arvin still hadn’t taken his eyes off of you, and he wasn’t even sure he could wipe that lovesick smile off of his face.
You could feel his gaze basically burning holes into the side of your head, turning your face away from the sun to lock eyes with the pretty boy.
You flashed him a smile that made his knees weak, a blush blossoming on the apples of his cheeks.
You excused yourself from the group of girls for just a few minutes to go and see what your boyfriend wanted, jogging up the path until you were almost in his reach.
“Hi,” you mumbled, pecking his lips cheerfully. His hands drifted to the middle of your back, holding you near him so you couldn’t run away too quickly, he just wanted to hold you for a little while.
“Grandma says dinner’s in ten. Should probably start heading inside, get cleaned up,” he said. You hummed, resting your head on his chest. His large hand rubbed up and down your back, his lips finding refuge on your forehead.
“You get Lenora, I’ll help Emma?” you bargained, feeling as though you’d only get roped back into playing with the girls if you went back there.
“What if I say no?” he hummed, the corners of his lips twitching upwards into a teasing smirk. You scoffed, pulling back from his warm chest to look into those even warmer eyes.
“I mean, I could always go have dinner at Gene Dinw-“ Arvin cut you off by pressing his lips onto yours before you could even finish the guys name. You laughed into the kiss, the lovely sound making Arvin break into a grin himself.
“I’ll do it, I’ll do it,” he rambled, giving you one last kiss before he walked past you and over to his sister. After the first few times she ignored his calls he gave up trying, choosing instead to throw her over his shoulder and carry her inside himself.
You rolled your eyes at how immature he was, heading inside with an amused smile. You greeted Emma with a hug and Arvin’s Uncle with a smile, helping to dish out her cooking onto everyone’s plates.
“Arvin! Put me down,” Lenora whined, kicking her legs frantically. There was a chorus of laughs as Arvin made a rather grand entrance with the girl wiggling around on his shoulder. Your heart soared at the warm smile on his face that he always refused to show.
He let the girl back down onto her feet, receiving a scolding hit from her in response. You giggled as you watched catching your boyfriend’s eye.
“What are you giggling at, pretty girl?” You squealed as his hands grabbed your hips, pulling your back into his chest. His arms wrapped around your waist from behind, his lips meeting your cheek once before he pulled away and took his seat at the table. You pulled the cap from his head, placing it beside him on the table so he looked more presentable, messing up his hair while you were at it.
He grabbed your hand to stop you, planting a kiss onto your palm as you sat down in the seat beside him.
“Now, who wants to say the Lord’s prayer?” Emma asked. You saw Arvin roll his eyes, but a swift kick to the shin underneath the table was enough to have him quietly apologising.
“I think Arvin would,” you said, grinning widely at the boy who looked at you as if you’d just stabbed him in the back.
“I’ll get you back for that.”
»»——⍟——««
Emma gave you all a break between dinner and dessert, shooing you out of the kitchen so she could focus without Arvin constantly trying to pick at her cake mixture.
“Will you two get outta here,” she said, slapping away Arvin’s greedy hand once again. You chuckled, tugging your boyfriend away from his poor Grandma, letting her cook in peace.
“D’you wanna dance with me, darlin’,” he asked, motioning to the old, beat up record player they had. You didn’t know why Arvin was suddenly in such a good mood but you weren’t complaining. You pretended to think about it for a second, trying to hold back the smile that wanted to take over your face.
“I should really be helpin’ Emma.” He didn’t listen at all. He fiddled with one of the records, hiding it with his body so you couldn’t see the name, letting it be a surprise to you.
The sweet sounds of Lonesome Town played through the record player, filling the room with the soft voice of Ricky Nelson. Arvin looked over his shoulder with an inviting smirk settled on his lips, holding his hands out to you with a teasing shake of his hips to the beat.
You snorted, shaking your head at his sudden goofy persona. “C’mere pretty darlin’, dance with me.”
There was no way you could resist, slipping your hands into Arvin’s much larger ones. The boy pulled you into his chest, his hands laying respectively on your waist while your own snaked around his neck and weaved into the mess of hair at the nape of his neck.
Neither of you really knew how to dance, so you took to simply swaying in time to the music, your foreheads resting against each other. You could hear Arvin faintly singing along under his breath, your heart swelling at this vulnerability he was showing you.
“You ready?” he asked. You furrowed your eyebrows, your question answered before you could even ask.
You let out a loud squeal as he dipped you, holding onto you tightly so you knew he wouldn’t drop you. He pressed a chaste kiss on your lips before helping you back up to your previous stance, noses almost brushing from your close proximity.
“Almost gave a damn heart attack, Arv,” you scolded. He still had that boyish grin on his face that you wanted to wipe off. With a few pokes of his fingers to your ribs though you were laughing along with him, rolling your eyes at your immature boyfriend.
The song finished too quickly for your liking, leaving the sounds of your laughter to fill the room instead.
This was your favourite kind of moment to share with your boyfriend, those romantic gestures that no one would ever expect from the towns ‘bad boy’ Russell boy. They were the ones you held closest to your heart.
Emma’s heart was warm as she watched you both dance in her living room from where she was cleaning up in the kitchen. She wasn’t sure she’d ever seen her Grandson this happy.
“What’re you two doin’?” you heard Lenora’s curious voice before you saw her, seeing the small red haired girl peak her head out from behind her older brother.
You grinned, thinking this could be your opportunity to escape Arvin and go help Emma for a little bit, feeling bad that she’d been doing everything on her own.
“Why don’ you dance with Arvin, hunny?” you asked. He shot you a look, a small frown on his lips as the boy had the idea he was going to get to keep dancing with you, just to another song.
“Y/N,” he tried. You shook your head, watching as Lenora picked out one of the few records on the counter. He sucked it up rather than throwing a tantrum that was unnecessary.
“Arvin I, I don’t know how to dance,” she admitted, looking at her brother shyly. He still smiled down at her, guiding her feet to stand on his shoes, showing that he was going to guide her.
“That boy is completely smitten with you,” Emma whispered, flashing you a smile when she saw the way you got all shy, trying to deny her obvious statement. “And by the looks of it, it’s a two way thing.”
»»——⍟——««
“Crap, look at the time,” you whined, glancing at the clock that rested in the living room. It was much too late for you to be out away from home, your parents were going to kill you. “I should be headin’ home.”
The tired Arvin who you’d been leaning on beside you let out a grunt of protest, pulling you impossibly closer to his body. His grip tightened and you were sure he wouldn’t be letting you go anywhere tonight.
“Jus’ stay, your folks won’t mind.”
It was deeply tempting, his fingers running through your hair and his warm body cuddling yours, you didn’t really want to move at all.
You hummed. “I can’t, not again.”
“Yes you can.”
It was clear that Arvin wasn’t going to budge, so you gave in, accepting that you’d get yelled at by your momma tomorrow. The couch beneath you was growing uncomfortable though, so you were about to insist if you stay, you’re staying in his bed with him.
“Arvin?” you asked, nuzzling your cheek against his shoulder. He whispered a tired ‘yeah’, prompting you to continue. “Can we at least head to bed?”
He sighed, practically forcing his eyes open. The boy took a few minutes to regain himself and his surroundings before he actually gave you an answer to your question. “Yeah, come on.”
Like the gentleman that he is, he helped you up from your comfy position, making sure you were stable on your feet before he let go of you in any way.
His eyes landed on his younger sister who was pretty much passed out not too far away. You chuckled to yourself, noting how peaceful she looked, something you rarely got a lot of in Knockemstiff.
“You head on in, I've got her,” he promised, carefully lifting the child into his arms. You nodded your head, placing a kiss on top of Lenora’s head. “Goodnight sweetheart.”
You were off to Arvin’s room without another word, your tired body craving the boy’s soft, warm bed. It might not have been the biggest bed in the world but that meant you two had to cuddle even closer together to fit, and you loved it.
Lenora’s room was the closest to the living room so within minutes Arvin was tucking her into her bed. He sat down beside her on the bed when he noticed her eyes fluttering open, knowing the girl was gonna need at least some conversation for her to fall back to sleep.
“Arvy?” He hummed quietly, nuzzling his nose against the side of her head affectionately. “I wanna be like Y/N when I grow up.”
He felt his heart swell, looking at the girl like she’d just given him the world. It truly did mean the world to him that she loved you so much, because he completely adored you.
“Then you’ll be a great woman, Nora.” He could gush about you any day of the week, choosing to keep it short this time for the sake of the sleepy girl.
“She’s gonna be a good momma some day.” Her words managed to catch him off guard, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. “What d’you mean by that?” She yawned, covering her mouth with her hand.
“If you two ever have any babies, she’s gonna be such a good momma, just like your momma.” Arvin’s heart ached at the words coming out of his sister’s mouth. How did she know anything about Arvin’s mom? But he also blushed a little at the mention of the two of you having babies together.
It wasn’t like he hadn’t thought about it before, but picturing a tiny you and him made him feel all giddy and nervous inside.
“Like my momma?” he questioned.
“Grandma talks about her all the time, she sounds perfect,” she explained. He smiled softly, short images of the bits of his old family he could remember.
“Yeah, she was,” he trailed off. He knew he’d get emotional if he continued on talking about her, so he decided to quickly put a stop to it and let Lenora head to sleep.
“Get some sleep,” he said, placing a kiss on top of her head. He made sure the blankets were tucked right underneath her chin so she wouldn’t get cold before he turned off her lamp.
“G’night Nora.” He pushed himself up off of her bed and started heading to the door. “Goodnight Arvin.”
On his way to his room he did one check on his Grandma, making sure she didn’t need anything, before he headed straight for you.
He could see you already tucked up comfortably in his bed, assuming you’d taken the liberty to change into some of his clothes before you did so.
“What took you so long?” you whined, missing your boyfriend’s warmth. He grinned to himself, pulling his shirt off of his body.
“Was jus’ talkin’ to Nora for a little bit,” he said, slipping on a plain white shirt in place of his other one. You hummed, watching as he walked around the small room doing various things. It felt as though he was trying to avoid getting in his bed and you were growing impatient.
“Well hurry, I miss you.”
He chuckled, rolling his eyes playfully as he pulled back the covers. “You just saw me, darlin’.” You groaned, burying your head in his chest when you could, your arms snaking around his torso to hold him as close as possible to you.
“Shut up.”
“‘s not very nice.” This time it was you rolling your eyes. The idea of sleep began to seem more and more appealing to you, letting your eyes flutter shut as any chatter between you and Arvin died down.
It was quiet for a little while, the whole was dead quiet, and Arvin didn’t know if you were asleep or awake as he traced small circles and patterns on your hip with his thumb.
“I love you, Y/N, so damn much. D’you know that?” Your head was tucked under his chin, allowing you to press a chaste kiss to the skin of his neck, a sign that you were still awake; but barely.
“I do,” you said, breath fanning over his warm skin. You felt his hand glide up until his fingers were threading through your hair, the boy planting a kiss on your hairline. “I love you too, Arvin.”
He waited for you to fall asleep after that, he always waited for you to fall asleep. There was something about knowing you were completely calm and safe that relaxed him.
He felt how your breathing was much more even and your body basically melted into him, all signs that you were out for the night. “Sweet dreams, darlin’.”
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