I'm still working my way through Fluffcember's prompts, but I should be able to finish them before too much longer. (Hopefully anyway.)
Pairing: Colin Shea x F!Reader
Word Count: 2251
Summary: Your day has been the worst ever, but Colin comes to your rescue and makes it better with a little surprise of his own.
Warnings: none
A/N: When I say I love this man, I really love this man, flaws and all.
Colin Shea Masterlist | Character Masterlist
Everything that could go wrong in your day had.
Your alarm broke sometime in the previous night, meaning you woke up late. Your favorite shirt had gained a mysterious stain between leaving your place and work. They'd been out of your favorite breakfast at the nearby cafe. You'd left your lunch back home on the counter in your rush out the door. Your low heel had broken in a grate on your way to work. Your boss had given credit to your greatest work nemesis for your hard work.
You honestly didn't think things could get any worse.
You'd been wrong.
On your way home with your favorite takeout bag hanging from your arm, you missed the patch of ice outside your apartment. Your foot found it though and sent you crashing to the ground, bruising your butt and covering you and the sidewalk with your takeout.
The frustrated scream couldn't helped, could it?
You certainly didn't think so.
Not even when you spied your super cute neighbor seemed to pick up speed from wherever he'd been coming from. He was aiming right for you, too, which had to be the most mortifying of them all. You didn't need or want Colin Shea to see you like this, but the fates seemed to have other plans. They certainly seemed bent on making you suffer that day more than they ever have in the past, including the unfortunate incident at your graduation.
"You okay?" he asked, already crouching down and scanning your disheveled state. His hands hovered over you, almost hesitating. Whether from touching you or the food that now covered you, you had no idea, but it certainly had another scream threatening to rush out of you.
Shoving to your feet, you glared at the scattered contents of the bag even as you grumbled, "Yeah, I'm fine."
His hands still hovered while his features had shifted into what you could only call affectionate pity. Another thing you didn't want from this man.
"Seriously," you huffed, doing your best to recover what dignity you could, "I'm fine."
"Yeah, you are," he said softly.
"Don't flirt with me, Shea. I'm not in the mood."
You knelt down to pick up what you could of your dinner, determined not to make the mess someone else's problem. Just because your day had done everything to bring you down, you weren't going to do the same to a city worker or a neighbor clean up after you.
What you hadn't expected was Colin to do the same, helping you get nearly all of it gathered and tossed into a nearby trashcan. He didn't really say anything, highly unusual for him, as he worked alongside you. It was only occasionally you'd hear him humming a tune under his breath, but you didn't say anything for fear he might stop. It wasn't often you got to hear him sing or even hum, but you enjoyed it when you did. He had a nice voice, not that you tried to notice too much or get too attached to in the time you've lived across the hall from him.
"Like what you see or something?" he asked, his brow arched in your direction. A small smirk had even taken up residence.
Your brows rose to mimic his. "What are you going on about?"
"You've been staring at me for several seconds now. Figured you liked what you saw."
"In your dreams, Shea," you huffed.
The notion you'd been staring at him was ludacris. It had to be. You knew better than to try and fall for the Casanova of your apartment building. Yet, your hands slowed even as your mind began to race. Maybe you had been watching him for the last few seconds, but that didn't mean you were staring. You were simply enjoying whatever tune he was humming while he worked. That didn't count. Surely?
Shaking yourself, you grabbed up the last bits of food on the sidewalk and hurried towards the trashcan. You just needed to get inside and see what you could salvage of your night from there, including ordering a new batch of food from your second favorite takeout place.
"Thank you for your help, but I'm really tired. So, I'm going to head up and call it a night."
You even spun away from him, ready to take the steps two at a time if it meant getting to your place that much faster.
Colin called your name before you could make it two steps. His voice remained soft, which you might've ignored but for the quiet plea hidden underneath.
Letting out a slow breath, you turned back to him and found him already closing the distance between you. His chest to your back was enough to warm you up from the chilly air now descending upon the city. When his hands came up, they didn't hesitate this time as they settled on your shoulders. Their steady weight grounded you in a way you hadn't expected.
"I was hoping to catch you actually," he spoke softly so as to not startle you, which almost made you laugh a bit wildly. He let his words sink in before he continued, "I wanted to show you something. I've been working on something for a bit now, and I'd love to hear your thoughts."
He met your gaze and must've seen the excuse ready to pour out of you because his look turned pleading. One of his hands left your shoulder and came up between you, his fingers splayed wide.
"Five minutes."
"Col—"
"I'll replace your dinner. It's your second favorite, right? I'll order it right now if you say yes."
You couldn't recall the last time you'd ever seen Colin like this, hopeful with a dash of manic. It wasn't something you necessarily liked seeing in him, either, which might've been why you finally nodded. Sure, your exhaustion and frustration from the day still weighed heavily on you, but you could spare him five minutes for whatever he wanted to show you.
The smile that replaced his earlier smirk was so bright that you almost blinked against it.
"Yes," he cheered as he turned you back to the door and wrapped an arm around your shoulders, "you won't regret this."
You weren't so sure you believed that, but you let him lead you upstairs to your shared floor.
To your surprise, he gently took your work bag from you and carried it up the stairs. He'd even taken care to match his pace to your exhausted one. Never once did he rush you as you both climbed the few floors up to places. He even listened as you recounted every single thing that went wrong for you that day. Sympathetic noises left him at all the right times, making you believe that he was actually listening to you.
Even if he wasn't, it was nice to vent, you decided.
Once your floor came into view, he gently steered you towards his door where he situated you just so before unlocking his door. Before he turned the knob though, he turned his head and met your gaze as he said, "Close your eyes."
"Seriously?"
He nodded, adding, "Please."
You stared at him for several moments, trying to decipher whatever it could he wanted to show you. As much as you might've feared something sinister, you knew Colin well enough to know it'd be something more surprising than shocking. After all, it wasn't often that he let you or anyone lately in his personal space, even going so far as to prefer yours with all its coziness you've created.
After another moment, you let your eyes close and waited for him to lead you inside.
His hands clasped yours, gently tugging you forward. He never once let you trip over your own feet or anything that might've jumped into your path to take you out.
It couldn't have been more than a minute before his hands left yours, so he could move behind you and settle there. His hands came back to their earlier position on your shoulders and his chest close enough to seep warmth into your back again. His breath tickled your nape when he murmured, "Open them."
Blinking your eyes open slowly, you couldn't help the gasp that escaped you at the sight that met you.
Whatever you'd been thinking he'd be showing you, this had been the last thing you'd ever thought it would be.
"Oh, Col—"
"Wait, hold on." His hands dropped from your shoulders, dashing towards the main light switch panel in his living room. He quickly flipped the main light he left on while out, making his surprise stand out even more.
Icicle lights lined every wall in his living room in the same way one might set up fairy lights. Each light's icicle had a unique shape and length with some coming off more purple than blue while others were almost white. You weren't completely sure, but you thought you caught of few of the lights twinkling as though sunlight had caught the icicle and making it sparkle. It all came together to give his living room a wintry feel to it that matched the colder days that had taken over Boston.
Unbidden tears came to your eyes as you took it all in.
"This is beautiful, Shea. Whoever the lucky lady is, she's sure to love it," you breathed, not missing the way his brows rose at your use of his last name. You'd wanted to use his first, but you feared it'd only make you more emotional than you already were at seeing this.
Because, this was something you'd always wanted for yourself. Your apartment had fairly lights, sure, but you've always loved icicles and these lights were so close to the real thing.
Lost in watching them above where you stood, you didn't notice Colin not-so-casually pushing the extra bag of lights he'd bought behind his kitchen counter. Lights he hoped to deck out your apartment later if you'd let him, especially after seeing how much you were enjoying his efforts in his place. Every hole he'd eventually have to refill was worth the look he caught in your eyes. He'd never regret putting that sweet smile back on your face, either.
In fact, he wanted to do it as often as he could.
You caught him watching you once you brought your gaze back down, feeling yourself grow warm. The way he looked at you wasn't something you'd experienced in a long time, and you certainly had never seen it on his face. At least not directed at you anyway.
It was heady though.
And that probably should've unnerved you.
Yet, you wanted it.
You wanted him and his breathtaking icicle lights in your life.
"Dinner's on its way," he said softly, breaking into your thoughts. You hadn't even noticed he'd taken out his phone until he was putting it away. "Wanna eat here or head back to your place with your food?"
"You don't have plans tonight?" you couldn't help asking, doing your best to stem the queasy feeling threatening to overtake your joy at his surprise.
Your heart sank when you saw him nod, but it soon swooped and soared when he added, "Yeah, I do. I'm having dinner with my gorgeous neighbor under twinkling icicle lights if that's what she wants."
Your smile threatened the muscles of your cheeks when you beamed at him.
"Yeah, I'd really like that."
Between your acceptance and dinner's arrival, you helped Colin set up his living room into a cozy dining area. Lots of pillows, including a few of your own retrieved from across the hall, soon covered his floor with plates and cutlery set up properly on the beat-up coffee table. He'd even pulled out a candle he said he'd been saving for a special occasion in the center. It smelled like the cookies you liked to bake during your downtime and typically shared with him.
He proved quite the spoiler throughout the rest of the evening and maybe even a little clingy when the hour grew far later than you expected. The two of you had moved closer to one another through the evening until you couldn't get closer without sitting in his lap. When the time came for your bedtime, you tried to extricate yourself from his side, but his arms wrapped just the tiniest bit tighter. If you didn't know better, you'd think he didn't want the evening to end or you to leave.
(He didn't.)
Only a kiss to his cheek and a promise to treat him to breakfast the next morning finally had him releasing you.
He followed you to your door, which you felt unnecessary, but soon you changed your mind when he pressed a kiss to your own cheek. It landed so close to your lips that you wondered briefly if he had meant to kiss you there instead.
"I'll see you in the morning, gorgeous," he whispered close to your ear.
You couldn't speak, but you were able to nod your agreement.
Inside your apartment, you leaned against your door, fingers gently grazing the spot where he'd kissed you.
"Oh, boy, I think I'm in trouble here," you murmured to the empty room even as a grin spread slowly across your lips.
If you were in trouble, you weren't sure you wanted to get out of it.
Not when that trouble included Colin Shea and his icicle lights.
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