Patience & Trust: Chapter 19
Hunter and Wren Move Forward
Author Notes: I'm seeing the end in sight. I think this fic will be less than 5 more chapters. I've written about most of the non-physical things I wanted to touch on. So now I think it's time to move Hunter and Wren into a more physical relationship. I will have specific warnings when stuff starts happening, this is just a general heads-up. This chapter was almost twice as long as it is now, so I had to cut it into two. I'll post the next part in the next few days.
I still get embarrassed posting them getting physical. But I really want their relationship to go there, so I'm pushing myself. I hope it's not cringe!
Summary: Set in a modern AU: Wren is a librarian who meets Omega, a twelve-year-old living with her five older brothers. Omega feels Wren and her oldest brother, Hunter, would be good for each other and tries to play matchmaker. Wren's anxiety and shyness make that more difficult than Omega hoped. Wren is based on me and my experiences with anxiety and how it affected my relationship with my husband. This sequel begins in the early days of their relationship. There are still struggles, because her anxiety hasn't magically disappeared. But because of Hunter's patience and Wren's trust, they're able to make it work.
Pairing: Hunter x Female OC
Word Count: 3630
Warnings: Hunter and Wren get physical, but no sex. Heavy kissing and petting. Swearing.
Inspiration: My modern AU was inspired by the amazing Modern Batch AU and Modern Fives AU stories by kaydear (Illyria_Lives) on AO3. Reading those fics was what gave me the courage to write my own. I borrowed some of the family's background from those stories, with the author's permission.
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Patience & Trust Masterlist (the sequel)
Hunter and the Librarian Masterlist (the original)
Dividers by animatedglittergraphics-n-more
The way Wren viewed Hunter and her relationship with him started to drastically change after that weekend trip to 99's. She felt like this might actually be something that could happen. Something that could last. She was starting to believe Hunter really did care about her enough that he wanted to be with her long-term. She couldn't say "forever" yet, but definitely long-term.
It was mind-boggling to her, because at this point in her life, with her anxieties, she'd practically given up. So, to shift into this mindset, of truly believing Hunter wanted to stay with her, and that he cared about her enough that he didn't want to be with anyone else, made her shake her head sometimes.
But she knew it was true. He was very genuine. There was no reason to doubt him. His family had accepted her, even his father. It took very little time for 99 to adore Wren and be grateful to her for all she'd done for Hunter.
When they returned from their weekend trip, Wren said good-bye to everyone else, giving Omega a warm hug, and stayed in the driveway with Hunter for a few more minutes.
"Thanks again for going with us. It means a lot to me, that you would do that, because I know you were nervous." He said this quietly as he took her hand in his, running his thumb along the back of her hand.
"Thanks again for asking me to go with you. It means more than I can say, that you would ask me to meet your dad." She squeezed his hand.
He leaned forward as she tilted her head the little bit needed to meet him halfway. He felt that kiss through his whole body, and it warmed him. He became so emotional, he had to pull back and take a deep breath.
"Are you okay," she asked.
"Yeah, definitely. Just...I'm just feeling a lot right now, and I don't know how to say it." He gave her a small smile as he looked up from where he'd been staring at their hands.
"Well, then maybe you could show me," she reached up and threaded her fingers into his hair, pulling his head forward very gently.
"I could do that," he said with a small smile.
He kissed her again, with purpose. He stepped even closer, so their bodies were pushed against each other. His hands were on both sides of her face, holding her as if she was the most precious thing in the world to him. She ran her free hand up his back, feeling the dense muscles flex as he moved.
She was starting to feel lightheaded, and needed a breath. She pulled her head back gently, and he took the hint.
"Sorry, I got a little carried away." He looked sheepish and almost embarrassed.
"No, that's perfectly fine. I just couldn't breathe," and she chuckled. "Plus, I guess we're out here in your driveway for God and all your neighbors to see."
"Yeah, we should stop." He still had his hands on the sides of her face and he was looking into her eyes. "Even though I really don't want to." He gave her one more quick kiss before dropping his hands and totally stepping back.
She dropped her hands to her sides and took another deep breath. "To be continued?" She couldn't believe she said that, but she really loved the thought of continuing what they were doing, but in private.
"Yeah." It sounded like a low growl. "Definitely to be continued."
She felt her face get hot, and she turned and walked to her car. As she opened her door, she looked at him. She made a split-second decision and hurried back, giving him a quick hug, before hurrying to her car, getting in, and shutting the door.
He had been caught off guard when she hugged him, not even hugging her in return. But as she began to back out of the driveway, he waved and gave her a warm smile. As she started down the street, she saw him wave again. She gave him an enthusiastic wave out her window, before driving on. Then she took an even bigger breath and let it out slowly. Wow, that was fun.
She was already wondering when she could see him again, and he was thinking the same thing as he walked on into his house.
Over the next month or so, things stayed about the same between them. They would meet for lunch once or twice a week. They would get together at least one time over the weekend. They'd either go out to eat, or to a movie, or to play putt-putt golf.
Wren was really enjoying the time with him, and she thought he seemed to feel the same way. But she was starting to wonder if it was time to move things forward a little bit. They kissed quite a bit. They had what she would call make-out sessions whenever they were at her place. Usually if they'd gone out somewhere, when he took her home, he'd go in for a little bit and they'd sit on the couch together, talking. And kissing. And snuggling. It was better than Wren could have hoped for.
But it was getting harder for her to stop. She didn't know if he felt the same. He didn't push to go further though. They'd never gotten as far as they did the night they were at 99's. But she started daydreaming a lot about how she might bring up the subject to him. She didn't think she was ready to have sex with him. As much as she wanted to, she just knew she wasn't ready for that. But she wanted to try what they'd already done at least. But how do you bring that up? She was so nervous.
It seemed natural the night they stayed at 99's. Because they were already in bed together. But how do you get from making out on the couch, to in bed, without just saying, do you want to go to bed. And she didn't know if she could say those actual words.
Then one Thursday night Wren was watching TV, and she heard a text come in. She looked, and it was from Hunter. She felt a little jolt of excitement run through her.
H: Hey! Do you have plans tomorrow night?
W: You're funny. Do I ever unless you're involved? 😉
H: Well...Omega is gonna be spending the night with a friend, so I don't need to be home at any certain time...
W: Oh really?
H: Yeah...I was wondering if maybe we could do something...like watch TV and hang out or something...
W: Yeah, I'd love to! Maybe we could get pizza?
H: Sounds good...I can bring the pizza with me when I come.
W: Okay, just come over whenever you want to. I'll be here all night, of course. 😊
H: Okay, I'll see you tomorrow. Lookin' forward to it.
W: Me too. ♥
She was so excited at first...he could be there as late as he wanted!
But then she really thought about it...he could be there as late as he wanted...how long would he want?
Did he mean he wanted to spend the night? Is that what he was saying?
As soon as that thought crossed her mind, she felt the heat begin in her chest and spread throughout her body, up into her face. She had to take off her hoodie and throw her blanket off her legs. She always got a flash of heat when her anxiety hit.
What was going to happen? She was immediately nauseous. The thought of Hunter spending the night made her almost giddy with happiness. But also so nervous she felt like she might pass out.
It was going to be a long 24 hours until he came over for pizza, a movie, and...whatever else he had in mind. She could barely concentrate on anything, so she just decided to go to bed early. She would want to get up earlier in the morning, so she had time to do a thorough job of shaving and grooming. Just in case.
Just in case what? Even thinking about that made her scared as hell. She re-read the text conversation at least 10 times before she finally fell asleep.
Friday arrived, and Wren's anxiety was through the roof. She did take extra time in the shower to shave and trim. Just in case. Just in case... Good lord, she didn't know if she could do this. Whatever this ended up being.
Time at work creeped by. She kept getting startled by her coworkers, because she was in her own little world. The world where she might actually have sex tonight. With Hunter.
Did she want to? Was she ready? They'd been seeing each other for 6 months at that point. They'd made out quite a bit the past month. But anytime she thought she might be ready to go further, her anxiety got the better of her. Hunter didn't act like he minded.
Her head started to spin and her vision started to gray out when she thought about him coming over later on.
After work, she went home and cleaned the bathroom, not knowing if he would be using the shower, and ran the vacuum in the living room and bedroom.
At 6:00 she got a text.
H: I'm leaving home now. I'm going to pick up the pizza then come on over. Should be there in less than half an hour.
W: Okay, looking forward to it.
And that wasn't a lie. She was looking forward to it, she just didn't add that she was also a nervous wreck.
About 20 minutes later she heard Hunter's truck pull into the parking lot. Then within a minute she heard a knock on her door.
She took a deep breath, got up, and unlocked the door. She opened it and stepped to the side so he could carry in the pizza box and some sodas.
When Omega asked him if she could spend the night with Hera, Hunter said yes without giving it much thought. It certainly wasn't the first time.
It wasn't until about 15 minutes later that the thought hit him...it would be Friday night. He didn't have to work the next day. And neither did Wren.
At the thought, he smiled. He wouldn't need to be home when Omega went to bed. She was old enough that she didn't need him to tuck her in, but he could tell she still enjoyed it. He wanted to be able to experience that as much as possible, before she got too old and didn't want him to anymore.
Plus he wasn't ready to explain why he didn't come home from Wren's. So this would be the perfect opportunity. He just wasn't sure for what.
After they were done eating and were watching a movie, Hunter was on the couch with Wren's head in his lap. He had been running his fingers through her hair for the past 15 minutes, and she was close to falling asleep.
They hadn't discussed what was going to happen tonight beyond the movie.
They watched The Princess Bride (Wren's choice, because it's her go-to movie when she's stressed.) After that was over, they watched a little bit of the Great British Bake Off channel. That was just so they would have something to watch, because neither of them wanted to move from the spot yet.
At around 10:00, Hunter made a big show out of stretching both his arms and making a loud yawning sound.
"I'm so tired!"
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah, it was a hard day today."
"Well, did you want to go to home?" Then she paused, and he could tell she was struggling with something. "Or...did you want to go to bed...here?"
Hunter looked at her, really looked at her, enough that she felt like she needed to look away, because the eye contact was so intense.
He quietly said, "What would you like me to do?"
She replied, "What would you like to do? Or maybe a better question is what would you like me to like you to do?"
He looked at her with a little bit of confusion, then broke into a smile.
He shook his head as he said, "Wren, you are something else." He chuckled and went back to "petting" her hair.
She tried to swallow away the lump in her throat and calm her pounding heart. "Well...I don't know what to say. I think I would like for you to stay. But I also know myself, and I know I might get a little freaked out at some point. And I don't want you to have to deal with that."
He said, "What do you mean? Deal with what?"
"Deal with me getting scared and anxious and possibly having an anxiety attack and getting dizzy...all that good stuff you've had to deal with for six months, but this might be a whole 'nother level."
"Hey, come here." With that he lightly tugged on her arms to let her know he wanted her to sit up with him. She did and leaned into his side with her head on his chest and his arms around her waist.
He laid his cheek on top of her head. "Wren. I would like to spend the night here. With you. But I can sleep on the couch if you'd prefer. Or I can sleep in the bed, but not touch you at all. Or I can touch you, but stop at whatever point you want to. It is totally up to you. But I would really like to stay. I want to be able to wake up in the morning and see you first thing. It's my favorite thing. Whether it's next to me in bed, or from my spot here on the couch. Whatever you are comfortable with."
How could she say no to such a sweet request? She felt like her heart was about to explode, she cared for him so much. She was pretty sure she even loved him, but hadn't actually said that out loud yet (or even truly admitted it in her own head.)
And it's not like they hadn't slept in the same bed before. They did it 2 nights at 99's. That still seemed different though. There were 6 other people in the house at that time. She knew they had to be careful and quiet. But now, they were in her apartment all by themselves. And they could be all night.
She finally said, "Okay, I'd like you to stay. And I'd like you to sleep in bed with me. I'm not sure about any other stuff though. I definitely know I'm not ready to have sex yet, so I don't want to seem like a tease. Is it being a tease if I want you to sleep with me, but not really sleep 'with' me?"
"Wren, you are the furthest thing from a tease. Don't worry about that. I know you're not ready for sex yet. And to be honest, I'm not sure I am either. Things haven't gone all that well for me in that area in the past, and I'd rather not push anything."
At that, he turned his head and kissed the top of hers. "That being said, I do love the thought of more cuddles. All night."
She looked up at him with a smile, and he had the sweetest, most gentle look on his face. She said, "I would love some cuddles. Let's go."
As she stood up, she looked around and said, "Did you bring an overnight bag?"
He said, "Well, I didn't want to presume..."
She rolled her eyes good-naturedly at him.
"...but I do have it out in the truck."
She laughed and smacked him on the arm. "So you were just going to go home if I didn't ask you to stay?"
"Yeah, definitely. I don't want to pressure you about anything."
She stepped closer to him, and put her arms around his waist. She looked in his eyes, then at his lips, and back to his eyes. He smiled and they moved towards each other for the softest kiss.
But then his arms went around her waist and pulled her as close as he could. He kissed her again. And again. And again. It was as if he couldn't stop. They both started quietly laughing against each other's lips. After one more kiss, she pulled back enough to look at him and said, "Maybe you should go get your bag."
"Okay, I'll go get my bag." And he kissed her once more before letting her loose and walking towards the door. She watched him walk out, and reached up to touch her lips with her fingers.
When he came back inside, he locked the door behind him. He said, "I thought I would use the bathroom, brush my teeth, change clothes, and all that. Is that okay?"
"Sure, sounds good."
Hunter walked down the hall into the bathroom and shut the door. Wren followed him but went into the bedroom at the end of the hall. She found the clothes she sleeps in and changed into them quickly.
She heard the sink water turn off, then the door opened, and Hunter walked on down the hall to the bedroom. He was wearing some gray sweat pants. And no shirt. Seeing his muscles like that again was a little overwhelming. He wasn't overly large, but he was in really good shape. He just looked strong. And he had actual abs. He didn't look starved though, he had a thin layer of cushion over his mid-section, but she could still see those abs underneath.
She really tried not to stare, but he caught her looking anyway. He smiled a little as he put his bag down on the floor. He walked over to her and pulled her into his arms.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Good, really good", she answered. She laid her head on his bare chest and could feel the soft hair against her cheek. He smelled like cinnamon toothpaste.
He pulled her tightly against him. The friction against her breasts made her nipples stiffen. When she pulled away to walk to the bathroom, she saw him looking at her chest.
"Hunter, did I just find out you're a breast man?"
He laughed, "Well with you, it's a hard choice between your tits and your ass!"
She laughed as she walked away, "Oh listen to that sweet talk." She went on into the bathroom and could see in the mirror her face was flushed red. Of course it was!
She took a few deep breaths. Then she brushed her teeth, and finished her nightly routine. She opened the door, shut off the light, and went back to the bedroom. Hunter was laying in the bed with the sheet pulled up around his chest. She figured he could see the disappointment on her face when she saw he was partially covered this time.
He patted the open side of the bed while looking at her. She turned off the light and the room was mostly dark except for the shining of the outside lights coming in the window. She went to the bed, and crawled in next to him, but without touching him. Not yet. She was on her right side, looking at him. And he was on his left side looking at her.
"Well..." he said.
"Well..." she replied.
Then they both laughed again.
Hunter said, "Okay, let's not make a big deal out of this, okay?"
"Yeah."
"We're just sleeping in the same bed, that's it. We've already done that. Twice."
"Yup." But we're here alone this time, she thought to herself. That's the difference.
Wren then said a little timidly, "Wanna spoon?"
"I would love to."
So she turned over and then scooted herself back towards him. He scooted himself closer to her, until his chest was pressed against her back, and his head was above hers but still on the edge of his pillow. His breath blew lightly on her hair, and he put his right arm over and around her waist. He pulled her even closer, as close as she could be.
She felt...loved.
She moved her top leg towards her side of the bed just a bit more, and he was able to lay his leg in between hers, so they intertwined a bit. She could feel his penis in his sweatpants, but it wasn't hard. She would try not to move her hips around too much so she didn't accidentally stir him up. She didn't want to be a tease. Even if he knew she didn't mean to be, his body might not understand.
Once they were settled, he sighed and she felt a big breath on her head. She took her right hand and reached behind her a little to touch his thigh. She rubbed it lightly, just wanting to feel him beneath her hand. His free arm was under her pillow, so she moved her left hand under there as well, and held his hand.
Even though she was nervous, she was also so happy. This was a huge step for her, and she was able to do it. Maybe her heart would stop racing at some point.
She was honestly exhausted. The worry of the day had caught up to her, and she could feel her body finally relaxing and making her sleepier. She didn't know how long before she fell asleep, but it couldn't have been more than a minute or two.
To be Continued...
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