Howdy friends. Should I be working on the main fic? Yeah probably. Am I still working on moving next week and also working with my friends on trying to restructure everything on my fic outline as the ocs develop more? Also yes. So uh have a drabble I wrote today bc why not. Please accept my humble offerings.
The old Impala finally parked in the driveway and Iris cut the engine, leaning back in her seat for a moment. Exhaustion had been setting in since the flight back to the city, and now had driven itself deep into her bones, muscles, heart. Her thumb and index finger massaged closed eyelids, trying to bid away the strain as well as a headache coming on.
If she didn't have a job to worry about going back to in the morning, she'd happily take a week long coma after all of that absolute nonsense. Tournaments and Dueling could be fun, she knew; there was a reason everyone kept coming back to the game. She enjoyed the game.
But having multiple people fall into comas because their minds got sent to some evil dark dimension that she was 90% sure was just the actual realms of hell, her father and the other old douchebags come back to try and kill her, her family's collective trauma thrown back into and her siblings face with the reveal they had another brother that was a complete shithead that had also wanted them dead, and then her brother blowing up the last remnants of the old KaibaCorp and making the others believe he was dead for a solid 60 seconds (she had it timed, she had kept looking at her watch because she knew he wouldn't) had been enough for her to not want anymore adventures for a while.
Logically, she should have just gone home. River and Flora had gone back with her Dad while Mokuba and Seto had flown out to a different branch of their company to start work on the new and improved Kaibaland, ready to make a real amusement park and not the indoor one. Their Mama was probably worried about them. Really, she could have gone back, had a quick dinner, cleansed herself of the bullshit with a shower and some work at her alter and gone to bed before going back to work the next day.
But. She also had clothes at Alister's house and it was closer. She just wanted to be held for a while. It felt like a better idea to go stay at her boyfriend's and just relax for the night because he understood more what being low energy meant for her.
She grabbed her bag out of the passenger's seat before she climbed out of the car. It was a small walk to the door, and she took note to see most of the lights were out. Alister said he was home, but he was probably upstairs or something, since his room was at the back half of the house. There was no way he was asleep -- he slept a max of about four hours and didn't start trying to sleep until at least midnight. He was probably reading or something.
She jammed her key into the door, twisting the lock and set her purse down on the console table. She busied herself with undoing the buckles on her boots before kicking them off and setting them by her work shoes still sitting there from her last overnight stay -- something that was becoming more and more frequent, really.
(Her mother wasn't entirely wrong with her comment about the two of them practically living together since they got together.)
Iris brushed her bangs back, turning to go towards the stairs only to stop as she realized there was a faint light at the end of the hall.
...To be honest, she sometimes forgot there was a proper dining room in the house. The windowed doors to it were always closed and they never bothered using it -- most of the time they ate in the breakfast nook in the kitchen or on the couch. But there it was, this soft glow of light that instantly screamed candles, accompanied by a scent of cinnamon, apple, cidar and pear as she got closer.
"Alister?" She called out, a brow arched in confusion as she neared.
He didn't respond. She walked closer, stepping into the doorway of the dining room to find him standing there finishing off lighting one more candle and setting it back on the table. He had been dressed in a dark blue sweater that cropped right above his abs, and a nicer pair of black jeans. He had even styled his hair to show off the layers he had -- something she only ever saw first thing in the morning, before he'd style it into the more boxy cut he had.
The table was set with nicer plates they never used and wine glasses, along with table runners and napkins she hadn't seen before ever. The two plates were topped with salmon, alfredo spooned perfectly, and bacon wrapped asparagus. There was enough space on the plate for the salad he had in a separate bowl, along with garlic bread he had on a cutting board. There was a platter with mint chocolate fudge for dessert and a vase with fresh red orchids.
His gaze softened as he looked up at her, hand going to set on the back of a chair. "Hey."
"Hey," she greeted, leaning against the doorway for support. She did a final sweep over the table before she met his gaze, taking a step forward. "What's all this for?"
"Well, contrary to what my brothers will tell you, I do, in fact, have a singular romantic bone in my body," he drawled playfully, a smirk tugging at his lips. "And I figured I should use it to give my girlfriend a nice night in with an attempt at a fancy dinner after what I'm gathering was a shitshow tournament."
She tucked her hair behind her ear, coming up to stand in front of him. "Everything that could go wrong in that tournament went nine more levels of wrong we didn't know were possible."
"Yeah, I had to try and fix the camera footage your brother wanted," he agreed. "I saw part of it. The whole thing was made up of...interesting choices on his part."
"That's one way to put it."
Iris relaxed a bit as she studied him. Most of the time, they did a lot of simple cooking and just enjoying each other's presence. They always put in the effort for each other, but this...this was nice.
She wrapped her arms around him, resting her head against his chest. One arm looped around her waist while the other moved to cradle the back of her head, pulling her close to him.
It was funny. She had always felt comfortable around him. Ever since their friendship first started, it felt like she never had to put on the mask or keep a sizeable amount of distance she did with everyone. He was safe.
But the feeling of peace that washed over her, melting away the tension of the last few days, and the warmth that bloomed in her chest was the realization that once upon a time she would have laughed anyone out of the room if they told her she'd someday feel it -- or scare her deep to the core.
But now...
He pulled back slightly, her hands going to her cheeks as he kissed her softly. When they broke the kiss, their gazes met once more, a small air of comfortable silence falling over them.
His hands dropped after a moment as he reached for the chair. "Come on, let's--"
"I love you."
It fell quietly from her lips, but it was loud enough she couldn't make up some lie about it. She hadn't even meant to say it out loud, the words having played on a loop in her mind until her voice decided to just act on it.
Oh my God, what is wrong with you?! It's too early! It took you HOW LONG to start dating--
He stared at her in disbelief. She could have sworn she could see the gears turning in his mind, his cheeks faintly dusted pink.
Iris bit her lip, looking away as her arms dropped back to her side. "I...you don't have to say it back," she covered, feigning nonchalance. "I just--"
His fingers found her chin, gently guiding her to look at him again. His expression had cleared, pulling her back to him with his free hand at the small of her back. Her hands moved to his chest to steady herself at the sudden push, feeling his heartbeat quickening under her palms.
"I love you, too, Iris." His voice was soft and genuine. He wasn't just saying it to say it, even if he was probably just as nervous as her over it.
Her own cheeks flushed red, the rest of her mind practically cheering in victory. "...Ah."
He snorted, kissing her forehead. "I do," he promised her. "I just...didn't know when to tell you. So thanks for breaking that ice for me."
"Yeah, it's um...it's a little freaky to get that out there, I get that." She managed, clearing her throat.
"Terrifying, honestly."
"Even if that did seem only natural to say after we've been dating for a while now and are basically living with each other."
"And everyone in our lives thought we were dating only a week after we met."
"I'm pretty sure Rie in accounting has had our wedding planned since then, actually."
"Oh, she'll be happy then."
They watched each other for a moment before they both laughed, her head leaning against his shoulder. "Fuck, we're bad at this."
"Oh, the worst," he agreed. "I think that's why we love each other."
"One of a few reasons," she quipped. She leaned up after a moment, kissing him once more, this time with a bit more passion behind it. His hands drifted, keeping her held close to him.
They loved each other. They loved each other.
She never thought she'd see the day. Yet, now, rather than it being some world ending concept that she always imagined it was -- the idea of everything being stripped away from her and everything burning down in an inferno...it was just as natural as breathing. Being by his side made everything else feel right.
Once the kiss ended, he looked her over, debating something before he pulled the chair out for her. "Alright. Let's get some food in you," he said, softly. "After dinner, we're taking a bath and going to bed. How's that sound?"
She smiled, a genuine smile that only ever seemed to be reserved for him as she took her seat. "I can't think of anything better."