i cannot stop thinking about driver and i need these thoughts to get out of my head
content: mostly fluff/yearning. some suggestive material i suppose. nothing explicit. this is my first fic in a while so please excuse me if this is terrible.
driver takes the same elevator, to the same floor, at the same time, everyday. he knows it’s supposed to be empty
but as he approaches the doors, someone new is inside? who is this person in his elevator? he’s tempted to slow his pace and wait for the next one
unfortunately for him, the nice lady in the elevator held her arm out to stop the doors from closing
you both awkwardly smile and you ask him which floor, coincidentally the same as yours
the ride up is silent, and since you both get home at odd hours of the night, the next several weeks are filled with semi-awkward elevator rides with drivers cute neighbor
you work nights at a hospital, so you often greet him at night with a warm smile, and soon he grows fond of your silent agreement for a moment of peace in the elevator
neither of you have said anything to each other, you both don’t force conversation and the mutual understanding to just enjoy the silence is nice
soon, he’s enamored with you and he doesn’t know how to go about it because you guys still haven’t even talked so what if he’s just making it up in his head
so driver takes things slow, little, small things that never really broke your routine quiet, but still make you smile
when the doors open, he’ll make an exaggerated gesture as if to say, “ladies first” it always makes you smile
he’ll wordlessly point at the mess on your scrubs with a teasing quirk of his eyebrow and you respond with a faux offended look and he smiles softly before turning back to look at the doors
there’s one night you’re not working, but unfortunately still awake due to your horrible sleep schedule so you spend it working on some laundry
it’s about 2am and you’re carrying a much too large load of laundry from the communal washer/dryer back to your apartment. just to your luck, your elevator buddy is already waiting outside the doors as the old metal clanks its way down. you were halfway across the lobby as the door opens and he steps inside, a slight look of surprise as he sees you making your way to him. his expression changes to one of fondness as you smile and slip past him inside the small box.
with a huff, you set the heavy basket on the ground and look up to see driver choosing to lean against the hand rail on the side wall, instead of his normal spot facing the doors. suddenly you’re very aware of your appearance; your hair thrown up without looking in the mirror, and choosing a black tank top and a pair of dark blue, fuzzy pajama pants with penguins on them. and driver is staring at you with this smile that makes you very aware of the typical silence, while playing with the toothpick hanging over his lips. he often forgets how intimate eye contact can be. so the elevator ride is filled with silent conversation, choosing to make eyes at each other— driver feels his heart soar at the blush that creeps on your cheeks.
you break the eye contact first as the elevator dings and the doors creek open, and driver grins wide like you haven’t seen, teeth showing, like he’s won some secret game. before you have the chance to reach for your basket, driver already has it lifted off the ground and into his hands. for the first time ever, you break the silence, almost a whisper, “oh no that’s okay…” your voice is so much sweeter than he expected.
driver shakes his head, and only gestures towards the opening like he always does. you smile at him and lead the way to your apartment and he can see your fingers shake as you unlock the door. driver doesn’t overstay his welcome, just places the basket where you tell him. when you thank him, he looks back at you with that same— almost teasing— expression from the elevator, and you hold his gaze for a bit. this time he’s the first to look away as he nods and makes his way back to his apartment. Driver leaves you with a gentle, “goodnight.” he lingers in the doorway waiting for you to say it back; he has to pull himself together to stop from cheesing when you do. the door closes with a soft click and driver spends the rest of the night replaying those 10 minutes in his head.
the next morning, driver is almost startled by a gentle, but hurried knock at his door. driver never has visitors. cautiously, he peeks through the peep hole. he breathes out in relief when he sees you standing outside while nervously pacing. he opens the door and you have the look of a scared animal— like you weren’t expecting driver to open the door after knocking on his door.
“hi…” you say, twiddling with your thumbs like you’re nervous about something. he gives you a curious look, “hi..?”
“ummm are you- how good are you with handy stuff?” driver lifts an eyebrow, “like fixing things? somethings wrong with my car, i’m not really sure it just won’t turn on.” drivers expression softens— even if he had never touched a car in his life, he’d figure it out if you asked him to fix it.
needless to say he offers to give you rides while your car is in the shop, his shop ofc
and this begins your odd cycle of him basically acting like your boyfriend. he never acts like he expects anything from you, but also never chooses to put a label on it
always opens the car door, no room to talk, it’s already opened before you can get close enough
you spend a lot of free time together, especially before/after work, sometimes chatting, sometimes not— it just depends on your mood
he offers to help cook meals— and it’s good— even replaces the groceries he uses for the meal as well
on occasion he’ll order food if you’re both feeling tired
and then he has these blue puppy dog eyes that look at you with so much longing and care
and warm, shaky hands that occasionally gain enough courage to find their way into your own
sometimes on the couch during a show— with one arm slung over the back and you almost tucked into his side— he reaches his free hand out to intertwine with your fingers
or sometimes when he’s driving, his arm lays across the middle console, with your hands joined in your lap, and he’ll trace patterns with his thumb or tap along to the music
and like you guys know that you have feelings for each other, but it’s this game of cat and mouse and he loves the chase
i don’t he’s like full stalker mode, but i’d imagine he keeps closer tabs on you than you realize
he just has an insatiable need to be in control of everything all the time so he needs to be one step ahead incase something were to happen
he wants to drive you to and from work, but sometimes it’s just not practical for either of you or you insist on driving yourself (which he’s made clear he doesn’t like that)
as your relationship grows, he takes you on various dates (he never calls them that) to nice dinners, museums, movie nights, etc
but his favorite is driving you around (duhh)
it’s the perfect scenario in his head,it’s intimate, and the street lights give amazing mood lighting. he’s comfortable like this and feels confident enough to show off a little
he will NEVER admit it, but he does flex his hands and arms a little bit more when you’re in the car
you had a particularly rough shift, and it was about 4am when you got home. driver, also being a vampire, could hear the elevator open and you dragging your feet to your door. he moves quickly to his door, waiting a beat to not make it seem like he was listening for you.
before you can get your keys in the handle, the gentle click and pull of another door gets your attention. you turn and watch with baggy eyes as driver slips out of his apartment, smiling at you as he approaches. “hi..” you mumble and he returns the greeting, “have you slept?” you ask, noticing the bags that also settle under his eyes. he shakes his head ‘no’ and you nod, “same.”
a beat. “do you wanna go for a drive?” you turn to look at driver and even though you can hear your bed whispering your name, the look of anticipation on his face is enough for you to agree.
the air is cold as it blows through the windows and you’ve got your arm folded over yourself, staring as the street lights race by. the wind feels amazing on your warm, tired eyes and you can feel some of your stress blow away with it. your seat is leaned back slightly past normal for you to stretch and you roll your head to the side to look at driver.
he’s got one hand on the wheel and the other resting on the shift. the wind has messed up his normally tamed hair and the orange lights that shoot through the window gives him a handsome glow. driver can feel you staring and he tries to seem cool about it. he subtly stretches and flexes his gloved fingers around the gear shift, exaggerating the slight flex of his arm with the action. he hopes you don’t notice the effort and if you do, you don’t say anything. driver gets too nervous to look your way, afraid you’d call him out for the display.
he can see your head turned towards him out of the corner of his eye and soon enough he gets the courage to look your way. expecting to see you giving him a teasing smile and laugh at his actions, he’s shocked to find your eyes closed and head slumped on your shoulder.
driver rolls up the windows and reaches his hand over to smooth your hair down. he drives carefully the rest of the way home, hand only leaving you if necessary. it was still dark outside when he woke you up, and he was kneeled outside the passenger side, gently shaking your leg to wake you. “c’mon, lets get you to bed,” his voice is gentle and quiet.
unfortunately for him, you had just finished the worst double of your life and sleep burned through your eyes, searing at the cold air. you couldn’t keep them open if you tried, and boy were you trying. driver chuckles as you mumble something along the lines of “i’ll be in soon..” and you don’t know if he responds, but you can feel him gently snaking an arm under your legs, the other coming around your back. with surprising ease, he carries you out of the vehicle and cradles you inside. his arms are burning by the time the elevator crawls to your shared floor, but it’s worth it to see you all curled up into him. his heart aches in a way that only pulls him further into your orbit.
all good things must come to an end because soon he’s whispering in your ear that he needs to set you down to unlock your door. your hand still stays on his shoulder as your other comes to rub your eyes while you yawn. driver still has his left arm tight around your waist while he turns the key. you can feel your head falling back down to his shoulder before shooting back up as the door opens and he’s gently pulling you inside. driver tries to walk how your linked now, but the height difference and slow stumbles from you only make it awkward. so he opts to just lean down and pick you back up, once again carrying you bridal style to your bed.
he pulls the covers over your pajamas, hoping if he takes long enough to settle you into bed, you might stir awake enough to ask him to stay. much to his dismay, it never happens, but he isn’t complaining about getting some uninterrupted time to just stare at you. you’re curled up on your side, and driver is sitting on his knees on the side of the bed. his head rest on his folded arms on the plush mattress to look at you up close. his nose is only an inch or so away from yours and he can see every little detail, freckle, mole up close and personal. he’s sure you’d be terrified if you woke up with him this close, but he still pushes it just a little more as he gently slides his hand across the bed. his pinkie barely grazes the side of your hand, as if he was testing the waters, before loosely linking with yours. he just couldn’t help himself, his heart and body longed to join your side, but he’s not sure if you’d want that and he doesn’t want to ruin what you have. so he allows himself just this simple pleasure of feeling the smallest amount of your touch. only if to pretend he was laying next to you.
he takes his cue to leave the third time he has to jolt awake. body aching as he pulls himself to his feet, he tucks you in one last time before turning off your lights. the sun is beginning to peek through his blinds as driver finally lays in his own bed and he falls asleep thinking about holding you.
yeah he lets you know soon after that how much he wants you
when it comes to touch, i hc him also having touch aversion like lars so he’s always wearing his gloves because he the thought of touching things with his bare hands sometimes makes his skin crawl
which is also why you get stuck in this weird limbo of ‘this has got to be more than friends’ and ‘oh god he does not like me in that way at all’
sometimes he’s smiling and cracking a few jokes with his hand resting on your low back as he guides you back to your home
and other times he’s sitting on the complete opposite end of the couch and hasn’t spoken to or even really acknowledged you in the past 4 hours or so
most days the jacket or long sleeves and gloves combo is enough to make physical contact but some days it’s just too much
selective mute!driver anyone??? anyone at all??
he still enjoys your company and likes to listen to you speak on these days
driver does his best to be extra attentive with his body language, he cares about what you’re saying even if he isn’t verbally responding and he tries his best to show that
he makes sure to turn towards you when you speak (if he can), lots of eye contact, nodding, smiling, he’s not very expressive but he does his best to react to your stories
a lot of people are weirded out by his lack of responses, often times leading to lots of awkward silence
but he feels like you understand him, you acknowledge when he’s listening without responding and continue speaking, or join him in comfortable silence
the hardest hill for him to climb is the touch aversion, he wants to touch you, imagines what your skin feels like against his
but he’s never really cared for that feeling with anyone else, usually finding some people feel hot and sticky, or they’re clammy and cold
either way he is not a huge fan of anything sweaty, sticky, tacky— like that feeling when bare skin has been pressed against bare skin for far too long and it’s warm and clings to each other as it separates
not a huge fan of that at all, and unfortunately that’s what most people feel like, especially in the warm confines of LA
also why he wears long sleeves and pants all the time— he cannot stand when his bare skin touches for too long
but in his fantasies you feel so soft, so inviting and he’s dying to know how you really felt
often times you two settle on the couch, with his arm around your shoulders, so one day he tests the waters and leaves his gloves in his pocket
you hadn’t even noticed the missing layer at first, not until he snaked his arm around your shoulders and his fingertips gently trace patterns on your arm
he’s a little surprised by how much he enjoys it, and the lack of distain at the feeling of goosebumps rising to your skin
his heart is beating so heavy in his chest and he almost feels breathless but he’s trying to keep his composure
the anxiety makes driver want to vomit, and it spikes as you reach a hand out to grab his other
his skin tingles as your fingers play with his own and it makes a shiver run up his spine
the feeling of goosebumps makes his anxiety worse so he just wraps his hand over yours to hold you still
he blinks rapidly to ground himself a little and eventually he settles in and relaxes into you as his anxiety dwindles
after some time, he begins to reach out for you— finding your hand while he drives, hugging you after you had a bad day, pulling you into his side on the couch
as he grows comfortable with you, he’s realizing he wants more and more
he wants to know what the more sensitive parts feel like, he wants to feel your stomach, hips, the inside of your thighs, your lips—
he’s just gonna have to get the courage to do something about it and when he does, it’s when he’s dropping you off at your place, lingering inside the door way in hopes you’ll invite him to stay
you’re setting your things down and he can’t help but watch as you walk away, staring at the curve of your hips, over your ass and down your legs. his mouth waters at the way your yoga pants cling tight to your thighs and he has to look away when you bend down to pet your cat. he clenches and unclenches his fists in his pockets, silently cursing himself for the lack of comfort from his usual gloves. he could feel the clamminess of his palms and it makes him grossly aware of his skin being too tight.
driver had planned tonight, he wanted to touch you, kiss you. he wanted to feel your bare skin on his, but it made him anxious thinking about the vulnerability of it. after deciding that the risk was worth the reward, he decided to leave the gloves at home. a decision he was now regretting, wishing for the safety the gloves bring him from the rest of the world.
he was brought out of his thoughts when your cat purred against his leg, a gentle meow catching his attention. he smiles down at her and leans down to give her a few pets. he was never really fond of animals before you, but he was beginning to understand the appeal of cats. often times he found himself relating more to your furry companion than most people he knows.
driver stands back up to look fully at you, smiling as he catches you staring. you smile back just as soft and he feels the achy strings of his heart pull towards you. there was a couple steps of distance and he stops when you’re almost toe to toe.
“i was hoping,” his voice is soft as always, “we could go out again soon? you know like an actual date?” his voice drops almost to a whisper at that last sentence, avoiding your eyes like the plague. choosing to stare at his shoes instead as his fists clenched tight inside his pockets. you grin so wide your cheeks hurt and there’s a playful sparkle in your eyes as you look at him.
it’s not until you speak that he looks back up at you, “i think we can work that out.” your tone is playful but he looks at you with all the hope and wonder in the world. his lips twitch into a smile and before he can even realize, he’s shuffling closer, his feet on either side of yours as he towers over you. driver has to hunch over to get his face closer to yours and his lips hover for just a second before kissing you.
driver’s lips are soft and wet as they slot against yours. his tall frame crowds over you while his hips sway to gently turn you and usher you to lean against the counter. you gasp as your back hits the cold ledge and you grab onto it to steady yourself. much to your dismay, he pulls back to look at you but you don’t let him get far before catching his lips with yours again. driver lets out a quiet noise in surprise at your actions and presses his torso and hips closer to yours. he kisses you back with just as much passion, his lips gently sucking in your bottom lip. he breathes into your mouth as he lets it go, and the tip of the tongue pokes out ever so slightly to run across your bottom lip. your hands come to his waist, holding onto the zipper of his silk jacket while he sucks on your lip again.
his body is hot against yours and his head feels dizzy from your chest pressing against his. his brows furrow as he kisses you harder, tongue now coming out to drag along your own. the feeling of the wet muscles dancing together making him pant into your mouth. he’s practically drooling down your chin at this point and it feels so good but your lungs are screaming for a real breath.
you pull away just a bit, your chest rapidly rising and falling when you opened your eyes. drivers were still closed, but only for a moment. once his eyes caught sight of the trail of drool connecting your lips, he pulls a hand from his pocket to find the back of your neck. his hand was warm as it tangled in your hair and he pulls you back into a desperate, breath taking kiss. soon enough, his left hand slips from his pocket and his fingers gently touch your waist before his hand settles on your low back. at the spot where your back curves into your ass.
driver is dying to know how your flesh feels against him, if it burns like it does with everyone else. he decides to take a leap and slip his hand under your shirt, carefully touching you with just his fingertips, like your flesh would burn him. instead it makes his abdomen twitch as electricity spreads through his body. it’s addicting and soon his hand is splayed against your low back. his fingers mindlessly trace and play with the dimples just above the curve of your ass and it makes shivers go up your back and down your arms.
he’s still kissing you with so much passion that you cant think straight. your hands travel up his torso and finally push against his chest. you’re breathless as you ask, “do you want to stay the night?”
