Part Six: New Normal
Adrian Chase X You
WC: Approx 2k Fluff & Romance
Summary: You and Adrian spend the evening unwinding as a typical couple would, with dinner and a movie at home. Too bad nothing about you and Adrian is typical! Adrian of course is his cute self. Could this be your new normal?
A/N: I hope you enjoy. If you're wanting more spice or to read the first 5 chapters, please check out my master list
link to parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
You wave Adrian over. He looks up from the cuttingboard, green eyes bright and watering.
“These now?” He points at the onions he painstakingly chopped.
“Yes.” You smile and he hurries over, looking at you for direction. “Into the pan.”
He sweeps them into the pan and you hand him bowls of chopped tomatoes and garlic, which he dumps into the sizzling olive oil.
“Smells so good…” He grins.
“Not much different than Fennel Fields, I expect.” You brush up against him playfully.
After leaving his place, he was pretty quiet and withdrawn. He tried to call Chris a few times and muttered in frustration about how his friend was always too busy for him lately. You'd considered ordering take out after the day you'd both had, but thought cooking dinner together would be a good distraction.
“Yeah...” He frowns in thought. “I was hoping to work in the kitchen eventually.” You hand him a wooden spoon and he stirs the tomatoes around the pan and shrugs.
“Adrian, you helped save the world from a literal alien invasion…”
“I know, but have you ever tried steak pizzaiola?” He frowns.
You reach around him and lower the heat.
“Tomatoes sauteeing, pasta water is almost boiling, chicken is in the airfryer….” You tick your fingers off.
“I almost forgot.” You grab a container of salt. “Do you want to salt the water?”
“Salt the water?”
“Yes, a very important step when making pasta.”
“Says who?” He asks skeptically.
“Like, every Italian that's ever existed.” You rest your hands on your hips.
“Oh.” He seems unconvinced but adds the salt and grins over his shoulder at you.
“I feel like a chef.” His dimples pop, eyes twinkling behind his glasses.
“Let's get the basil.” You pull him to the only window in your apartment that gets the afternoon sun and you pinch a few basil leaves from the potted plant there.
Adrian shifts behind you, his hands brush your elbows.
“This is way better than crashing at Chris’ place.” He whispers, snuggling his chin into the crook of your neck, soft curls brushing your cheek as he presses a kiss behind your ear. You run through the truth of the situation in your mind again, how you would tell Adrian.
Chris is missing.
They can't find him.
I think Emilia is having a mental breakdown…
“Adrian… “ You clear your throat and he squeezes you reflexively. “I need to tell you something.”
His throat bobs against your hair and a tremor travels through his chest. He's bracing for something bad.
“Yeah?” His voice is low and quiet, his arms loosening around your waist.
You turn, searching his face. He's looking past you, at the basil plant, at the tiny shoots of new growth from where you've pruned leaves off.
You realize then you can't bear to disappoint him, not right now. Not when he's actually at ease and happy. Let Emilia be the one to tell him tomorrow.
Harcourt, even though you disagree with her on so many levels, is your superior. When the truth comes out, and this house of cards she has built to hold up the trust and unity of her team collapses, you'll be there for Adrian.
Has anyone ever really been there for him? His family? His friends? Since you've met him, his smile shines blindingly bright, but his eyes... why hasn't anyone noticed how much yearning resides in them? Or do they just care about their own bullshit more?
You pivot the conversation. “Want to watch a movie?”
“Are you kidding me?” His face lights up. “Got any slasher movies?”
-
Tucked under a blanket, you and Adrian squeeze together on the couch, empty dinner plates discarded on the coffee table. Your legs are wound together, feet sticking out. You sigh and lean into him, watching as a car of teenagers speed down a winding coastal road.
When you showed Adrian your collection of DVDs, he sat cross legged on the floor and sorted them to his liking, something you'd never thought of doing before. The top three being Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Finding Nemo. You shouldn't be surprised that Adrian's genres of choice are campy slasher films or a movie about clown fish.
“What would you do?” You ask quietly.
“What do you mean?”
“Would you call the cops?” You nod towards the screen at the arguing couples.
“Well… I wouldn't be stupid enough to hang out with an asshole like Barry.” He quirks his face, wrinkling his nose. You press your lips together, thinking Chris can sometimes be like Barry.
“Okay, but hypothetically?" You look over at him. “You hit someone in the middle of the night. Leave them, or help them?”
He pauses for a moment, considering. “I'd take him to the hospital. It was an accident, he was in the middle of the road.” He looks thoughtfully at you. “At least, leave him out in front of the E.R.”
“I… I think I'd probably leave him.” You admit.
“Oh,” he grins at you. “Cold blooded.”
You lick your lips. “He'd probably leave me if the roles were reversed.”
“You don't know that.” He eyes you thoughtfully, before turning back to the screen.
But you do know that. It's happened before. The night your parents were murdered, you were meant to die with them on the side of that highway. Someone had to have seen the car jacking and assault. And they… just kept driving by.
You've learned that people leave when it gets hard. They leave when you fuck up. They leave when they're scared. That's what you remind yourself when you look at your life and can't recognize a friend. It's… strange finally having one. You shake it off and cuddle closer to him, his hand grips your thigh.
“You okay?” His whispers against your hair.
“Yeah, just a little cold.”
“Come here.” He lifts his arm and you slide under it, into his warmth, breathing him in. He leans down and kisses your temple.
-
Before bed you watch as Adrian stalks the apartment testing every lock, every window.
“You rent this place… can never be too safe.”
“My landlord is a grandmother who lives in Florida.” You remind him.
“Yeah, well, grandma's can be evil too.” He says while inspecting the bathroom mirror. He places a fingertip against the surface, and pushes his glasses up, head leaning side to side to inspect the reflection.
“Adrian, it isn't a false mirror.” You fold your arms and smile.
“Did you take it off and look?” He asks, running his fingers along the edges of the frame.
“It’s just a regular mirror.”
“Okay, fine. But…” He strides to the window by your couch, and inches a book shelf over to pull the blinds up. “I don't trust this window lock.’ He jiggles the window, his loose curls bounce and he scowls behind his glasses. “It's loose.”
“Its practically painted shut, Adrian.”
He gestures in frustration at the window. “Someone could get in and rob you, or.. they could hurt you…” His voice cracks.
Your brows knit at the panic in his eyes. When you stride to him, his eyes get wide and he shrinks, unsure if you're irritated with him. Your heart is in your throat when you wrap your arms around him.
“What… What'd I do?” His arms encircle you, pulling you close.
“Nothing.” You bite back the tremble in your voice. “We can fix the window so you don't need to worry.”
“Oh.” He leans back, eyes searching yours and kisses you when you tilt your chin up. “Good. I can fix it.”
“Thank you.” You smile up at him.
“I’ll go to the hardware store tomorrow.” He beams a smile at you, eyes twinkling.
-
“Youre sure the couch is okay?” You ask, wearing the silkiest, sexiest pajamas you own. He's wearing flannel pants. And that's it. His loose curls are tousled and his eyes sleepy behind his glasses.
“Yeah, of course… I'm not some kind of pervert or anything.” His eyes roam the length of you.
“Adrian, I don't think you're a pervert. We can share the bed, it's not like you have to protect my honor or anything.” You tap your foot. Really, he wasn't getting the hint.
“What do you mean?” His brows knit. “Of course I do.”
“We're adults, Adrian.”
“Doesnt matter.” He leans back across the couch, legs hanging off the side.
“You're going to wake up all stiff. Besides, we're… like… I don't know. What are we? Partners? Dating?”
“We’re dating?” He grins.
“Well, who else are you seeing?” You ask, folding your arms, a smile tugging at your lips.
“Just you…” His eyes widen and he tries sitting up, muscles bunching.
“Then it's more than dating.”
“I don't know, I've never done this before!”
“We're together.” You stand next to the couch and he runs his hands up your bare legs to your waist, lips parted as he looks up at you.
“You still sure you want to sleep on the couch?” You whisper, heart beating fast as your gaze rakes over his half naked body.
“Yes. I'm closer to the door. If the Stingers find us, I'll be the first to know.”
“Okay.” You bite back a sigh. “Good night.” You lean down and press a kiss to his lips.
Obviously, if you want him in your bed, which you do, you'll have to be direct. You want him close. You want to feel his body heat and hear his steady breathing next to you. You want him to wrap you in your arms.
Fuck. It's probably best for him to stay on the couch tonight. You wet your lips and turn to head into the bedroom.
“Good night.” He whispers as you pull away.
-
You feel the bed shift in the middle of the night. Then the comforter you shook off in your sleep flutters down on you again. A hot, hard body slides in behind you. You press against him. Adrian's lips brush the crook of your neck.
“Adrian? What's wrong?” You ask groggily.
“You were… I don't know. I heard you cry out while you were sleeping.” He says into your hair.
“Oh…” You murmur. Its pretty normal for your sleep to be disrupted by anxious and intense dreams.
“I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
You hum and curl around the arm he drapes over you, sleep beginning to overcome you again. He stays until you fall asleep, this time it's a dreamless peaceful sleep.
When you wake up in the morning, he's still there, wrapped around you, face pressed into your shoulder, breaths deep and steady. Soft morning light streams in through a window casting a warm glow against his skin and hair. He groans sleepily and presses his hips against you and you grind onto him in response.
“Shit… I'm sorry.” His voice is heavy with sleep and his hands tighten around your waist.
“I must have fallen asleep.” He sighs.
“I'm happy you did.” You murmur and lean into him when he buries his face in your hair.
“You smell so good.” He whimpers, pulling you tighter against him.
“I wish we could just stay here.” You whisper. Does this really have to end? How are things going to shift when Harcourt breaks the news to Adrian that Chris is missing?
“Why can't we?” He says sleepily. “I haven't slept so good in… probably ever.”
You smile. Your hand finds his cheek and he presses a kiss to your lips when you turn toward him.
“Harcourt wants us at headquarters at ten.”
“Fuck.” He grumbles. “Sometimes I wish I was just a normal bus boy.”
“Or a chef?”
“Or a chef.” He murmurs. "I'd do normal if it was with you."
You lie there for a moment longer, savoring the feeling of being held by someone - by more than someone. Adrian. Your partner who has saved your life and you his. He's taken punches, knives, and bullets for you. You would do the same for him. You've laughed and cried together.
You hold onto the warm feeling of having his chest move against your back, arms holding you right, relaxed in one anothers presence. You realize, you could embrace a normal, beautiful, life with him. Even after running from the possibility of it for so long ... you want normal, you want everything, with him.
... to be continued...
link to parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Previous parts and more are on my master list, thank you for reading along and I hope you enjoyed 💙🧜♂️
