Life is brief, painful, and full of garbage. @zoethewolfedeactivated - Tumblr Blog

Vanilla Twilight | Zoe & Colton

Colton let out a sigh as he dropped his messenger bag next to the door and shrugged off his coat. The weather outside was definitely getting chiller and rainier the more they moved into autumn and he was growing to like it. There certainly was something about curling up with tea or coffee and a book once the weather got cold. Plus now that Zoe was back in town and back in his life, the grey skies didn’t make him feel quite as desolate and alone. He was overjoyed that Zoe still wanted to be with him, but that didn’t stop him from still feeling like he had massively fucked up. And it didn’t stop him from feeling like he was walking on eggshells around her as if the slightest thing done wrong might make her decide that she was done with him. But, to him it was worth it. Anything was worth still having her in his life.

Colton rolled his shoulder, hoping to ease some of the tension out of his muscles before freezing in place. Gatsby hadn’t run to greet him, which all things considered was rather odd. Feeling the tiniest spark of anxiety, Colton moved further into his apartment in search of the dog. Since the first few days Colton had brought Gatsby home, the dog always made a habit of running to greet him acting like he thought Colton had left him forever. His feet came to a stop right outside of his living room and he looked at the room in confusion. A vast array of blankets lay draped over various pieces of furniture creating what looked somewhat like the forts he and Jess would make when they were kids. This one just seemed more elaborate.

His phone went off, both startling Colton and letting him know he’d gotten a text message. Fumbling for it, he drew it out of his pocked and squinted at the screen reading the message from Zoe.

{text}: just get in the fucking blanket fort birchfield

Colton laughed and shook his head, finally having enough clues to figure out what was going on, before he slipped off his shoes and ducked into the fort.

Zoe hummed to herself as she let herself into Colton’s apartment, grinning as Gatsby came running to see who had come to adore him. “Hi, Gats,” she cooed. “Your owner is running late, isn’t he?” she pouted. The dog whimpered in response. “You poor thing.” She sighed and straightened back up, twisting her mouth to the side as she saw the mess of twisted blankets from the previous night’s movie marathon. “Hm…”

When the door opened ten minutes later, Zoe was sitting cross-legged and scratching the belly of one very happy dog under the shelter of a blanket roof festooned with an old string of white Christmas lights she’d found in the closet when scavenging for materials to create her architectural masterpiece. She peered through a gap left between two heavy pieces of fleece, rolling her eyes impatiently as Colton continued to stare, confused, at her creation. She snatched up her phone and fired off a text, grinning as she saw his reaction to it. “Hope you don’t mind, Birchfield,” she told him as he crawled to meet her. “I’ve taken the liberty of redecorating,” she said with a devious grin.

"I can see that," Colton laughed as he situated himself next to her and surveyed the fort. He didn’t even think that he had this many blankets in his possession, but he figured Zoe must have done some digging through his closets. "Any special reason, or was it just because?" he asked. "Not that I mind in the slightest," he said tearing his gaze from the garland of lights to grin at her. His grin grew a bit wider when looking at Zoe because he had taken a liking to the way she looked under the warm glow of the lights. "I just… I don’t think I can remember the last time I did something like this," he said softly, happily. He knew the last time would have to of been with Jess. But they stopped doing things like this pretty early on because their parents hated the mess it would inevitably make in their houses. Sitting in one again with Zoe… it just, it felt nice.

Zoe smiled and shrugged as she looked down at Gatsby. “I don’t know. You seem…stressed lately.” She was thrilled to be back home with Colton, but she’d noticed he was treating her with caution lately. As if he were afraid that at any moment she was going to snap and bite his head off. She reached over to pull his hand into hers. “I thought you just needed to relax a little.”

"Yeah?" Zoe asked, grinning at his almost-childlike wonder as he examined the fort. She felt immensely pleased with herself for this snap decision. "Alex used to make ‘em for us," she said with a soft smile. He would take the few blankets they had between the two of them and form a small area in their small room where they could feel safe, if only for a little while. It was memories like that that Zoe was only just now allowing herself to recall, with the safety of time and her brother’s return.

"I… I guess I have been," Colton said almost sadly. It was still hard for him to accept that people didn’t just hold it against him when he royally messed up. Though when he came home to something like this, something that actually made it feel like home, it helped him believe she had forgiven him. That he didn’t have to feel like he needed to be as cautious. Colton took a deep breath and pressed a kiss to the back of her hand that was now intertwined in his. "Thank you," he said softly. "You’re right, I do. I think I needed this," he admitted, wondering just when she had learned to read his emotions so well.

"Oh yeah," Colton snorted. "Jess and I would get pretty ambitious with ours so our parents put a stop to it pretty quick. Especially after we tried to build one in the ‘formal’ living room and broke a vase," he explained. They had been so young that they hadn’t yet grasped the concept of how formal living rooms weren’t actually for living in. He remembered how livid his mother had been and how Jess had tried to save him by taking the blame. It hadn’t worked. To this day he still found the concept of ‘formal’ living rooms absolutely ludicrous. Colton smiled at recollection, glad that there were bright spots like that in her childhood. "That must of been nice. I bet you two had fun in ‘em," he said gently.

"Yeah, you have," Zoe confirmed quietly, drawing patterns on his hand with her thumb. His recent trend of being on edge around her all the time made her feel absolutely horrible. She wanted more than anything for their relationship to go back to the way it was before. "Well, I so often am, it really shouldn’t surprise you at this point," she said with faux seriousness. "Ooo, and check this out," she said excitedly. Placing her free hand on her still-sore ribs, she eased herself down on the pile of cushions behind them, tugging Colton down with her. The blanket directly above was a dark blue, the white lights on top of it piercing the fabric and imitating a clear, starry sky. "Cool, huh?" she grinned, again feeling quite proud of herself for the decision to do this.

Zoe turned her head toward Colton as he talked, laughing at his retold childhood antics. It was always nice to know that, traumatizing as both their childhoods had been, there had at least been a few bright moments. “Mm-hm,” she murmured, shaking her head slightly to clear it. ”Speaking of fun, Gats is enjoying this a lot more than I was expecting.” She giggled as the dog, wondering what had happened to whoever was rubbing his tummy, came over and squeezed himself between the two of them.

Colton bit his lip and tried to quell his rising sense of guilt. He hadn’t thought that he had been that bad, but maybe… maybe he was wrong yet again. From her tone and how she was drawing pattens on the back of his hand Colton could tell that his behavior was making her feel worse then she was letting him see and it made him feel terrible. “Well that’s stoppin’ here,” he reported softly, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. He’d make that statement the truth if it was the last thing he did. “Mm, it doesn’t. But I know you like hearin’ it,” he said with a smirk. With a bit of a confused expression Colton followed her lead and situated himself next to her. One look at the blanket sky caused Colton’s eyes to widen in wonder and brought the biggest grin to his face. “Cool?” he asked somewhat aghast. “Zoe, this is down right awesome,” he said enthusiastically. He’d even venture to say that it seemed magical.

At the mention of the dog, Colton laughed as he squeezed himself between them. It didn’t surprise him in the least. After all, Gatsby had gotten used to being smothered in affection. That and ever since Zoe had come back Gatsby had been sticking to her like glue. “He sure is. Hell I’m a little surprised he hasn’t knocked this whole thing down on accident yet,” Colton said laughing. “I think he’s just real glad you’re back,” he said softly, recalling the fuss Gatsby had made when Zoe had come back with him that night after the play. You would have thought that Gatsby thought she had disappeared forever with the way he had acted that night. All of his whining and tail-wagging, and how he covered every available inch of her skin in slobbery kisses. It had sure been a sight to see.

"Good," Zoe said, smiling and looking back over at Colton. "Oh, you know me so well," she grinned. Funny how that didn’t scare her nearly as much as it would’ve a few years ago. "Well, I figured since we never did go up to the roof and stargaze this summer and it’s getting way too damn cold outside, this is the next best thing,” she shrugged, adjusting the cushions behind her for a more comfortable angle. “Glad you like it.”

"Aw, did you miss me, Gats?" she asked the happily-panting dog sandwiched between them. "I missed you, too, buddy," she cooed, reaching over to scratch his ears. "Oh, um, I have news. Good news," she was quick to add, an involuntary smile forming as she turned her head to look at Colton. "I kinda…got the director position."

"Course I do," Colton said softly, sounding pleased. "We didn’t, did we?" Colton mused. There had been a lot of things they had planned to do over the summer, so it made sense that they forgot a few. "Well, there’s always next summer," he said with a slight smile. Little things like that, little future plans, never failed to bring a smile to his face. He never had many of them before Zoe. "It is the next best thing and I absolutely love it," he said. Though he was starting to prefer blanket forts to stargazing.

Colton watched the two fondly until Zoe’s next statment caught his attention.. “Good news, huh?” he said, shifting his gaze to her face. “You kinda got the position?” Colton snorted at how she was trying to downplay the news. “Zoe that’s fantastic! I knew you’d get it,” he said smugly, glad that the Board of Directors had seen what Colton knew Zoe was capable of. If anyone deserved that job it was her. “But at any rate, congratulations. I hope you know we’re goin’ to have to celebrate this,” Colton informed her beaming.

"Mm, true," Zoe sighed, wiggling her sock-clad toes and feeling more and more content by the second. "We’re gonna have to think of more stuff like this to survive the winter," she said, making a face at the thought of the upcoming season. "Good," she murmured, smiling over at the peaceful expression on Colton’s face. "I was hoping you would."

"You did not,” Zoe teased, though she couldn’t help the grin that crossed her face. She raised her eyebrows and pointed hopefully at the blanket canopy above them. “I thought we were celebrating? All right, well, if you must, nothing big. You’re already making me uneasy with the radio silence about my birthday. I know it’s too much to hope that you’ve forgotten it-you’re far too good a boyfriend to have done that,” she noted suspiciously. “Not to mention you’re close with my brother, the person who taught me everything he knew. I may not know what’shappening, but I know something is,” she declared, pointing a faux-accusatory finger at Colton. “I’m onto you, Birchfield.”

"True, but I don’t think we’ll have to worry about it all that much," Colton said nonchalantly. Winter had always been one of his favorite times of year and he was absolutely ecstatic to have someone special to share it with this year. Even if thinking about it felt a little premature. Though he had a sneaking suspicion that Zoe didn’t exactly share his enthusiasm for the winter months.

"Well maybe not," Colton allowed, ‘but I had a pretty good idea that they would. They would have been stupid not to hire you," he said with a smile. Zoe fit the job and he knew that she would excel at it. "This can be celebratin’ if you really want it to be," he laughed, knowing full well that she wasn’t big on celebrating things. "But at least let be bake you a cake or somethin’,” he bargained. At the very least he felt they needed to use this as an excuse indulge a bit. “Hell no, I haven’t forgotten,” Colton snorted. “Though, I can neither confirm nor deny that we’re plannin’ anything. Alex swore me to secrecy,” he reported rather seriously. Alex had indeed sworn Colton to keep their plans a secret, but Colton didn’t know if he’d last much longer if Zoe kept prodding him. “You might be onto me, but you’re not gonna know what’s bein’ planned until it’s actually your birthday.”

"Cake?" Zoe asked, perking up. "Well, all right. I suppose,” she said in mock resign. “‘Long as it’s double chocolate. I’ll forgive you the fuss if it’s double chocolate.” She raised her eyebrows. “Sworn to secrecy. Is that so. Well, maybe you’d be open to a little…persuading,” she said in a low voice, wiggling her eyebrows and giggling. “Seriously, though,” she continued once she’d sobered. “You guys really don’t have to go through any trouble for me. I’m just liking the fact that there are people who give a rat’s ass that my birthday is coming up in however many weeks.” Gatsby raised his head to look at her. “And a dog, too, apparently,” Zoe finished, running her fingers through his fur.

”’Course it’s gonna be double chocolate. What kinda boyfriend do you take me for?” Colton asked trying to sound somewhat offended. Though the way he was trying to hold back a smile was probably giving him away. “Yep, ‘fraid so. Maybe I would, but then I’d have to explain to Alex why and how you knew and he’d probably have to bleach his brain after that. And somethin’ tells me that none of us want that,” he drawled in response. It certainly was one conversation he never ever wanted to have with Alex. “Love, it ain’t exactly trouble if we’re happy to do it. We’re doin’ it cause we want to. Simple as that." he reassured her. It wasn’t like he and Alex were planning something ridiculously extravagant. More like they both knew all too well the pain of having terrible birthdays and they knew Zoe wasn’t a stranger to them either. They just wanted to change that and to make the day special for her. "You’re important to us. ‘Course we care about how your birthday’s in two weeks," Colton said softly.

Zoe rolled her eyes and lightly smacked Colton on the chest. “A ridiculous one. A ridiculous dork. But you’re myridiculous dork.” She brought her free hand up to her mouth as she chortled. “All right, all right-we’ll spare my brother the details of our sex life. That’d probably be best for everyone involved.”

Her grin softened to a smile as she turned to look at Colton. “Ok,” she said, pressing a kiss to the tip of his nose. “I will allow myself to be spoiled.” She couldn’t honestly say she wasn’t looking forward to whatever they had planned for her. She’d never had an honest-to-god celebration thrown just for her, and she couldn’t remember the last time her birthday was treated as anything other than just another day. ”Is it two weeks?” she thought aloud, wrinkling her forehead. “Hm. Thought it was further away than that.”

"A ridiculous dork, huh?" Colton said, eyebrow raised. He took a moment, pretending to mull it over. "I guess as long as I’m yours I can live with that,” he conceded fondly before kissing her cheek. “Damn straight it would. It’d make things pretty damn awkward between the two of you,” he snorted. The fallout of that situation wouldn’t be too bad for him or Zoe, just Alex probably didn’t need think about his sister in those kinds of situations.

"Good, cause you’re gettin’ spoiled either way," Colton said smugly. He was glad that she seemed to be warming up to the idea of celebrating her birthday, though he could definitely understand her reservations about the whole thing. After all, he remembered how against celebrating his birthday he had been. Though celebrating his birthday with Zoe had turned out better than he ever could have anticipated. "Well it’s two weeks and four days away. I rounded down," he confessed.

"Mm-hm. The dorkiest,” Zoe confirmed, smiling as she tugged on his hand and laid his arm across her stomach to trace patterns on it. She stopped when she came across a small scar on the inside of his elbow. “Is that from…” She let the sentence hang, not sure what answer-if any-she wanted to the unfinished question.

"Ooo, well aren’t you determined. Well, you know what, consider that a blanket pass from now on to spoil me anytime…Two weeks and four-wow, not like you’re excited or anything,” she teased, grinning. “Hm. Still, I thought it was further away than that. I probably would’ve forgotten if you two weren’t around,” she snorted, frowning a little as she realized what she’d said.

Colton’s smiled dissolved and turned somber when Zoe asked after the scar. He still wasn’t used to her knowing. For the longest time only his parents knew. Hell, not even Jess knew about his wayward attempt to end his life. “I… yeah, it is,” he confirmed softly, resisting the urge to reclaim his arm so that he could hide the scar from her. Now that she did know, it didn’t make sense for him to try and hide it, no matter how ashamed of it he was. Besides, who knew, maybe actually being able to talk about it would help. “Who knew that bein’ hooked up to machines could leave a scar, huh?” Colton asked, attempting to make it more of a joke than it ever could be.

"Sure am. Oh, well if it’s a blanket pass, who knows what I’ll plan. But I’ll be sure to do it just often enough to keep it special," Colton promised with a self-satisfied grin. "Maybe just a little excited," he allowed with a laugh. He was excited, but also more than a little nervous about what her reaction to her present would be. "Well, good thing we’re both around to remind you then," Colton said softly.

Zoe said nothing, brushing her fingers over the white mark and then covering it completely, as if it were gone when they couldn’t see it. “It just shows you survived,” she finally said, dancing her fingers across the scar. “I really am glad you told me, you know. Really makes me feel like you trust me. Although…it kinda makes me wish we knew each other then. Do you think I could’ve been able to…help you? You know, convince you not to…I don’t know, it’s just a thought,” she murmured, again focusing on the fingers stroking Colton’s skin.

"Smart," Zoe allowed, pulling a thoughtful face. "I like that you have a system implemented to correctly spoil your girlfriend. Very practical." she said, grinning. "Yeah, good thing," she agreed, laughing through her nose and maneuvering around the pillows and Gatsby to rest her head on his shoulder.

Colton’s chest felt uncomfortably tight as Zoe’s hand covered the scar. He had never been this vulnerable in front of anyone and yet somehow, under her touch, he still felt oddly calm. “Yeah, I suppose it does,” he said softly. The fact that she hadn’t immediately rejected him like he had been lead to believe, it made him glad it had slipped out. "I honestly… I don’t know," Colton said. "Back then I honestly believed that everyone who knew me would be better off without me. That if I wasn’t a complete disappointment, I was a burden. Plus It was the summer before junior year, the year where they really start harpin’ on everyone about college and my parents never seemed to quit tellin’ me how I needed to get into an Ivy League. They just kept addin’ and addin’ to the pressure and then finally one day… One day I just broke and I wanted it all to stop so bad,” he said feeling the need to explain. It wasn’t hard to recall that day with absolute clarity. Sitting on his bathroom floor staring at the bottle, knowing that he could make it stop. “But even then it wasn’t an easy decision,” Colton said. There had been pros and cons, thoughts of the people he would leave behind, and things he would never get to do. Though if he had known Zoe back then maybe, just maybe things could have been different.”But, I think-I think that you could’ve helped. And I don’t think I could have… It would’ve been even harder to make that decision with you in my life,” he managed to say, his voice thick with emotion. “You know, you’re the first person I’ve ever told this to who wasn’t a therapist.” he confessed after a moment of silence had passed, using his free hand to wipe his eyes. “Jess doesn’t even know,” Colton snorted, almost despite himself.

"Yeah, well, I try," Colton laughed. "But I don’t know how practical it is when I do it just cause I really like makin’ you happy," he said, his expression full of mirth. As Zoe placed her head on his shoulder, Colton moved to wrap his arm around her. His heart swelled with contentment and he was able to forget, if only for a little while, that he had ever almost ruined this.

"Yeah," Zoe said, clearing her throat and repeating the word when it came out as a whisper. She carefully returned Colton’s arm to his side and fidgeted with her fingers, locking and unlocking them together. "I get that. I, um…I had those kinds of thoughts, too. Not so much actually-actually doing it myself…but when it got really bad all I could think was, you know, maybe it wouldn’t be so terrible if-if he finally snapped and hurt me so much I couldn’t recover." She scoffed. "I mean, I’d pretty much stopped believing in God and heaven and all that by then, but if there was the slightest chance I could see my real family again, why not, right?" Letting out a long, slow breath, she closed her eyes for a moment. "Maybe things could’ve been different for both of us if we’d known each other then. I don’t know."

A small, stunned smile eventually grew to a wide grin at Colton’s words. “Do you, now,” she said carefully. “Well, I like letting you make me happy. Not that you ever have to try very hard to do it. Just say stuff like that,” she advised, still beaming.

Something inside Colton sank when Zoe let go of his arm and as she told him her own similar thoughts. On the one hand, there was something unnervingly comforting in knowing he wasn’t the only one. But on the other, he wished that she never had them and he could think of a million reasons for why not. Though that feeling was probably mutual. “Well I’m sure glad that it never happened,” he said softly, squeezing her hand.That would have been a terrible way to go, he thought with a shudder. Much, much worse than his chosen methods. Colton hummed in agreement with her statement. What a pair the two of them made. “Yeah, who knows. ‘Least we’ve got each other now,” he said glancing towards her with a small watery smile.

"I really, really do," Colton sighed, thoroughly enjoying how her smile grew. Even the smallest sleepy smile after he made her coffee in the morning warmed him to the bone. But ones like these. they were what he lived for. "Really? That’s all it takes huh?" he asked with a laugh. "That shouldn’t be any problem at all," Colton smiled

Zoe stared unseeingly at the blanket canopy before Colton’s voice shook her out of her thoughts. “Yeah. That’s true,” she agreed, flashing a smile at him. She took another breath before deciding to voice the thoughts gnawing at her mind. “Do, um, do mine bother you?” she asked, involuntarily squeezing his hand to avoid the habit of clutching at her left shoulder. “You know, the whole ‘girls aren’t supposed to have scars’ thing?”

"Mm-hm,” Zoe affirmed. “Just that and some pure, unadulterated adoration every so often. And I bet you thought I was gonna be high-maintenance,” she quipped, grinning into his neck.

Colton looked at Zoe quizzically as she phrased her question before he realized just what it was she was asking. “No, your scars don’t bother me,” he stated firmly. “I might wish that you were never in those situations and that you never got hurt, but it’s not because they bother me, Zoe. They show what you’ve been though. What you’ve survived.” he said truthfully. The first time Colton had seen just how many scars Zoe had, they made him more sad than anything. They made him want to go back in time and protect her from everything that had ever hurt her. “You’re beautiful Zoe. Some scars aren’t going to make me stop believing that,” Colton said. “The whole ‘girls aren’t supposed to have scars’ thing is complete bullshit,” he snorted. “Girls are people and people are bound to get at least a few scars in their lifetime. If they don’t, they aren’t livin’.”

"Seems fair," he laughed. "Mm… maybe just a little bit. But your entire shoe closet basically bein’ heels sure didn’t help," he teased. For the longest time at the start of their relationship the only thing he ever saw her wear on her feet were a pair of high heels. He never ever minded, but they did leave the a certain impression. Though he honestly didn’t know if the impression was one of high-maintenance or that she could kill a man and look damn good doing it.

Zoe turned her head to look at Colton as he spoke, her nose brushing against his in the close space. Her eyes scanned his face as he talked, a small, hopeful smile forming in spite of the lingering doubts. She opened her mouth but closed it again after a moment, the lopsided smile still present. “You know, sometimes I’m really, reallyglad you decided to scare the hell out of me in that bookstore,” she whispered.

"Hey, you said you like me in heels,” Zoe reminded him. “If you weren’t such a gentleman you’d admit out loud that it’s because they make my ass look fantastic. There’s a very real science behind female footwear, Birchfield,” she said seriously. “Those goddamn shoes I have to wear for-” She gasped. “No more uniform. I can wear whatever the hell I want.” She tugged on Colton’s arm excitedly. “I can look good all the time now. Don’t you dare start with that ‘you look good no matter what you wear’, it means nothing if I don’t believe it.”

"Sometimes?" he teased before his expression softened into one of tenderness. "I’m real glad I did too. Even though I wasn’t tryin’ to scare you it’s the best decision I ever made,"Colton murmured, gently tracing the side of her face before he pressed a kiss to her lips. He had been so close to passing her by, thinking that she probably didn’t want anything to do with him. He was glad that for whatever reason he hadn’t listened to those doubts.

"That’s because I do like you in heels,” Colton said before he flushed at her next statement. “Because you dolook fantastic in them and that’s the closest I’ll ever get to saying that,” he said in a slight rush. It was no secret that he agreed with her. Not after she had caught him staring multiple times. “That’s right, isn’t it?” Colton observed with a grin. He knew just how passionately Zoe hated that uniform. “You might not believe it, but I’m still gonna say it because you do look pretty no matter what you wear. Though, I guess wearin’ whatever makes you happiest is gonna be pretty nice too.” Colton murmured.

Zoe beamed at Colton’s words, humming happily as he kissed her. “Oh, weren’t you, now. Well, you have a freakishly quiet way of walking and you tapped the shoulder of a former spy reading a horror novel. It’s a good thing I didn’t flip you over my shoulder. But the heart attack was absolutely worth it,” she said.

Zoe pressed her lips together and nodded, not trusting herself not to burst out laughing at Colton’s reddened facade. “Mm-hm. You also tell me I look fine without makeup so excuse me if I don’t trust your fashion critique, Birchfield…Well, that and you no longer have to hear me complain about clothing. Plus I don’t have to pull a goddamn quick change every time you come to take me to lunch. Not to mention the fact that you’re no longer dating ‘just a waitress’.” She only barely refrained from making a snide comment about his parents and their views on her former occupation.

"Me? I have a freakishly quite way of walking? Zoe, I haven’t been able to sneak up on you in months.” Colton pointed out. “If anyone here is quiet, it you. Hell, sometimes I feel like I need to put a goddamn bell on you,” he joked. “That… Is a very good point,” he said slowly, eyes widening slightly. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind she could’ve done that and it was probably a miracle she hadn’t. “I’m real glad you didn’t do that. And I’m glad the heart attack was worth it,” Colton laughed.

"That’s because you do," Colton said with an exasperated sigh. He never lied to her about it, but he also knew that this was a battle he’d probably never win. But that also didn’t mean he wasn’t going to stop putting up a fight about it. "You got real good at those quick changes pretty fast," Colton said reflecting on how her speed and skill at it had constantly impressed him. "Nope, now I’m datin’ a theater director. And ya know, that has a pretty nice ring to it,” he said smiling.

"Well, I’m used to it now.” Colton did have a way of making as little noise as possible, as if he thought he could disappear from view if he were quiet enough. “And you’ve gotten better about it. I thought I was, too, but apparently not. Oh, you wanna put a collar on me? I didn’t know you were kinky, Birchfield,” she said, chortling in a most unladylike manner. “Ha, yeah, me, too-I doubt you would’ve asked me out if I had…Yep, absolutely worth it,” she repeated, grinning over at him.

Zoe held up her free hand in surrender. “All right, ok, you’re right,” she said, trying to quell the frustration she was sensing. “Well, now it’s a talent I don’t need anymore. Yaaaay,” she said, miming cheering. “Doesn’t it, though,” she agreed, losing herself in excited thoughts of her new position before the neglected canine between them nudged his nose beneath their pile of cushions and almost dislodged them. “Gats, Gats! All right, all right, jeez,” she grumbled, sitting up and reaching between the pile to dig out the dog’s treats and throw a few in his direction.

"That makes sense. Huh… I guess I never knew I was that quiet," Colton mused. He supposed that it did make sense. The house he grew up in felt more like a museum than a home. The spacious hallways and sitting rooms were always deathly quiet unless his parents were hosting company. It always felt like a crime to break the silence so he gained the habit of walked the halls like a ghost. “I’m probably just not as attuned to listening to everythin’ around me,” Colton said. His mouth opened and closed trying to form some sort of response as his face heated up. Abandoning all hope of forming a coherent sentence, Colton buried his face in her hair to hopefully hide how his face was getting even redder. Okay, so maybe the thought had crossed his mind once after he thought about putting a bell on her, but he had been quick to shove it back. “Hey, all Isaid was bell. You’re the one who jumped straight to a collar,” he said, futility hoping to turn this back on her. “True. I probably would’ve been too terrified of you after that,” Colton snorted before returning her grin.

Colton simply raised a skeptical eyebrow at her surrender, barely believing it, but he’d take what he could get. He just hoped that one day she’d be able to see herself as beautiful as he saw her. “Well it could still come in handy with the plays you’ll be puttin’ on,” he pointed out. Colton hummed in agreement before it morphed into a laugh at his dog’s antics and Zoe’s response. “For a dog that used to be a stray, he sure need more attention than I ever thought he would,” he laughed watching Gatsby eagerly go for the treats.

Zoe continued to laugh, making no effort to tamp down her amusement. “Ok,” she said finally, clearing her throat and stifling a giggle. “Ok. Baby, I’m sorry, but you have to admit that was pretty damn funny. Oh, come on, it was right there. You knew I couldn’t pass that up. Nevertheless, I will take responsibility for that one.” She grinned and said nothing at his last words, refraining from pointing out that he had still seemed a little terrified of her when they’d first met.

"I think he sensed the presence of something edible," Zoe scoffed, making a face at Colton as Gatsby came back over and licked the treat residue off her fingers. "Thanks, Gats," she told him, wiping her hand on the dog before reaching for the bottle of hand sanitizer on the nearby end table currently acting as a support beam. "That’s one respect where I prefer Char: hygiene."

Hesitantly, Colton withdrew his slightly-less-red face from hiding. After a moment of reflection he laughed and shook his head, a small unbidden smile forming. “Alright, I’ll give you that,” he conceded. “I should’ve known you couldn’t resist and, you’re right, it was funny,” Colton admitted, almost reluctantly. “Good, cause that one was all you,” he drawled with a smile. “If anyone in this relationship is the kinky one, my money’s on it bein’ you,” he whispered slyly in her ear.

"Mm, he probably did. That nose of his probably picked up on their existence," Colton said laughing at the face she pulled. Gatsby simply looked at Zoe, the picture of contentment, as she wiped her hand on him. "Fair. Cats are generally less slobbery than dogs," he observed as Gatsby finally got tired of his humans not showering him in affection and left their fort in search of his chew toy.

"Like that was a completely unreasonable thought!" Zoe pointed out, again laughing. "How the hell else would I wear a bell? Exactly,” she said before Colton could respond. She raised her eyebrows and turned to look at him, surprised by his uncharacteristic boldness. “Judging from how you no longer seem to find the idea horrifying, that remains to be seen. But Colton? Dearest?” She patted his cheek with her palm. “I’m not wearin’ a collar. Keep dreaming.”

Zoe watched, open-mouthed, as Gatsby turned and walked out of the fort. “You see that? Just usin’ me for treats. Unbelievable. And he’s supposed to be the more affectionate of the two. “Maybe I’ll just go snuggle with Charlotte,” she called. She glanced over at Colton. “Or your owner. Whichever makes you more jealous.”

"On a bracelet?" Colton offered sounding unsure. "To be honest I was too bust having a slight heart attack to think of where exactly the bell would be," he said. The second Zoe turned and looked at him, Colton immediately wished that he hadn’t said anything and he was sure it showed. "Yes?" he responded meekly as she patted his face. He normally wasn’t bold in these sorts of situations and now he realized why. Colton ducked his face into the cushions as it heated up once again. "Can we just pretend this conversation never happened?" he groaned, regretting ever having let the bell comment slip out in the first place.

"Don’t worry, he’ll be back and trying to sit in your lap in no time," Colton reassured her wiping away silent tears from how hard he had been laughing. He heard a slightly affronted sounding grunt from Gatsby somewhere outside of their fort. "Char would probably make him more jealous, but since she isn’t here I guess you’ll just have to settle for me," he said with a mock sigh.

Zoe bit her lip to prevent a last round of giggles, reeling it in for the sake of her poor boyfriend. She rested her chin on the back of Colton’s shoulder, tracing her initials between his shoulder blades. “Ok, I’m really done now. Promise. It was just that I hadn’t laughed in a while and some floodgates somewhere in my brain were opened. Sooorrrry,” she said in a singsong voice, chancing a smile.

"He better be," Zoe said in a slightly raised voice at Gatsby’s shadow outside of the fort. "Cause he should love me a whole damn lot by now." She pretended to scrutinize Colton, tilting her head from side to side. "Well, I suppose you’ll do," she finally said. "You won’t get any fur on my clothes. And you can talk back to me. And I don’t feel like I need to brush my teeth after you kiss me. Yeah, all right,” she said, returning to her place next to him on the pile of cushions.

Colton heaved a deep sigh into the cushions. “I’m never gonna live that one down am I?” he asked, voice muffled by the cushions. He had to admit that it was nice to hear her laugh so freely after not hearing it for so long. Especially since it had, rather easily, became one of his favorite sounds. Even still, Colton rolled over slightly and eyeing Zoe suspiciously. “You’re not really sorry, are you?” he sighed before his lips quirked upwards. He had missed this more than he ever could have imagined.

“‘Course he does. You’re his his favorite person… well after me of course,” Colton reassured her as the Gatsby shaped shadow moved towards the opening of their fort. Gatsby peeked his head into the fort, a stuffed fire hydrant in his mouth and looked from Colton to Zoe. “See, told you he’d come back,” he hummed. Colton raised an eyebrow at her scrutiny and rolled his eyes. “Glad to hear that I make the cut,” he snorted, his tone betraying his fondness.

"Hey, there’s plenty of stuff you’ll never let me live down, Birchfield. It’s only fair…No. Not really sorry,” Zoe parroted, grinning and pecking his lips as he turned back to her. She was thrilled to be back in this routine with Colton-laughing and teasing and flirting. She’d hated his treating her like she was attached to a lit fuse, and the return of normalcy was something she intended to maintain for quite a while.

"C’mon, c’mere," Zoe called, smiling triumphantly when the dog padded back over to them and settled down with his toy. "Might as well get my full attention while Charlotte’s not here, Gats. Speaking of, my brother is absolutely in love with her. It’s actually pretty cute-we may have to get him his own cat for a housewarming gift. Sorry, Gats-Uncle Alex isn’t a dog person. You’re the only exception,” she told him, pressing a kiss to the dog’s furry forehead.

"I guess that you’ve got me there. At least the list of stuff I’ll never let you forget is longer than the one you have on me," Colton smirked, before his expression softened as she pressed her lips to his. It still sometimes surprised him when she was the one who showed affection, but none-the-less, he savored it every time. "I knew you weren’t," he laughed, shaking his head slightly.

Colton sat back, happy to watch Zoe and Gatsby. He looked at Zoe, curious. It was easy to see how Alex would fall for the bundle of fluff, but t always did surprise him that he and Zoe had a penchant for cats. “Really now? I’m sure we can help him out with that. You know, for a family of wolves, you two seem particularly fond of cats,” he observed. “I think he’s happy bein’ the only exception. Less competition that way,” Colton remarked.

Zoe raised her eyebrows at Colton. “Oh, we’re keeping lists, are we? I don’t think I want to know what all is on mine. But I would hope it’s shorter than the list of reasons why you love me,” she grinned. “If it’s any consolation, you’re really cute when you blush.”

"Yeah, I think he’d really like that. I kept trying to set him up with this cute guy from Applause and he kept saying he’s not ready for a relationship yet. I think it’d be good for him to at least have a pet to come home to, you know?" She smiled and shook her head at Colton’s comment. "Alex is just about the least wolflike person on the planet. He’s more teddy bear than anything else." She hummed in agreement. "Then again, it might be more kitties using him as a trampoline."

"Don’t worry yourself there darlin’. The list of things I’m never goin’ to let you forget doesn’t come anywhereclose to matching the list of reason I love you,” Colton said, a small adoring smile gracing his lips as he looked at her. The main reason the two lists didn’t compare was that Colton hadn’t stopped finding reasons to love her. “‘Cause what a guy really wants is to be called cute,” Colton snorted. “But I guess there are worse things to be.”

"He wasn’t all that receptive to my attempts to play wingman either," Colton said even though calling them attempts was being pretty generous. "Well then, looks like the day he’s all set up in his new place we’re goin’ to have to take a trip to find a cat. Yeah, I do. Knowing there’s going to be someone, even a pet, happy to see you when you get home, it makes it easier," he mused. Back when Zoe had broken up with him for the first, and hopefully only, time having Gatsby around had been a godsend. "You got a point there. Out of the two of you, you probably take after your namesake a bit more," he said knowing full well that Zoe’s certain brand of intensity wasn’t for everyone. "He is a teddy bear isn’t he? One lucky cat is goin’ to love pouncin’ on him," Colton laughed.

"Good. Remember it and recite it every time you’re about to bring up something from the list of things you’ll never let me forget," Zoe suggested, smiling exaggeratedly and batting her lashes. She rolled her eyes. "Again with the not liking being called cute. You’re just gonna have to suck it up, sweetheart. I like callin’ you cute.”

"Oh my god, you were his wingman? That’s ador-I mean, that’s tough. And rugged. Very manly of you," Zoe said in a gruff voice before she cracked and started laughing into Colton’s shoulder. "Yeah. I just don’t want him to be lonely. Or feel like he’s the third wheel. Jessalyn, either-if he were straight I’d absolutely be pushing the two of them together…We’d just have to keep him or her a secret from Char. She probably wouldn’t take too kindly to having a cousin."

"Oh, you’d like that wouldn’t you?" Colton drawled with a smirk. "I guess it’s a good thing for me that the lists have some overlap then," he said amused at her dramatics. Colton let out a slight huff, truthfully he didn’t mind being called cute half the time, but still it wasn’t his favorite adjective. "The whole of the english language and you pick cute," he grumbled under his breath. "I suppose I can make my peace with it. But only for you," Colton allowed.

"More like I tried to be his wingman,” Colton joked. None of his attempts had been anywhere near successful bordering on slightly embarrassing. “Oh, go ahead. Call it adorable because it sure as hell wasn’t any of those things,” he said looking down at her affectionately as she laughed into his shoulder. “I don’t want them to feel those things either,” he said wistfully. “I just want them to be as happy as possible. Mm-hm, we sure would. She already puts up enough of a fuss at havin’ to share attention with Gatsby.”

"I didn’t say it had to be out loud. Just as long as you keep saying it to yourself. Wouldn’t want you to forget anything.” Zoe squinted suspiciously at Colton. “What do you mean there’s overlap? Dare I ask for an example?” She clicked her tongue at Colton’s histrionics. “That’s what I get for dating a writer…Well, I should think so. But you know I would’ve kept calling you cute even if you didn’t want me to. And you would’ve learned to love it,” she said, trying to sound ominous.

Zoe grinned at Colton’s words. “Well, still, that was very bro-ish of you. And yeah, it is pretty adorable. He never told me about that, so I guess he was trying to spare you the embarrassment,” she said, patting a hand on his chest. “Well, you know, we’d-well, you’d already had him for a while. She was insecure about her place in our lives. Plus, I don’t think I ever told you, but she was rescued from this illegal breeding operation. She’d been neglected for weeks before they found her,” she said angrily, shaking her head. Zoe’d first been drawn to the cat’s fiery temperament and seemingly inexhaustible energy, but when told of the terrible conditions under which Charlotte had been found, she knew she had to adopt the kitten. The two of them shared far too many similarities to be ignored.

"As if I could ever forget the reasons why I love you," Colton said shaking his head at how ridiculous the notion sounded. "I mean that sometimes you’re absolutely ridiculous and I love you for it. Like, even though you’ve managed to burn popcorn using the button on the microwave specifically made for that sort of thing, it just made me love you more,” he clarified pressing a kiss to her temple. “‘Fraid so,” he shrugged. “It just comes with the territory. But, if it’s any consolation dating a writer also means you tend to become their muse. Oh I would’ve now, would I? Do I even want to know how you would’ve accomplished that?” Colton dared to ask.

"Oh, yeah, totally bro-ish. I don’t know if anything could have spared me of the embarrassment, but I’ll have to thank him for tryin’. I had to learn the hard way that I make for a pretty pathetic wingman. So, I’ll just leave the matchmakin’ to you," he told her. She seemed to be better suited to helping in the field anyway. "You never tole me that," Colton said softly. It sure explained a lot of things about the little fuzzball’s behavior and he could see why Zoe had been so quick to bring her home. It seemed like the two were meant for each other. "You know, I don’t think she could’ve found an owner better suited for her."

Zoe turned a large grin in Colton’s direction. “Well, in that case, I just started a list of my own. ‘Being a giant sentimental dork’ is the first thing on it…Mm, I’m your muse, am I? I rather like the sound of that,” she said, humming in contentment. ”Oh, it’s very simple,” she said seriously, holding up a pinky. “You see this?” she asked, pointing at a spot on the finger. “That’s you. Hi, Birchfield!” she said, directing the words to the finger.

"Oh, baby, you did your best," Zoe assured, biting back a smile. She made an unsure sound. "Ih, I don’t know how much better at it I am, but I guess we’ll see. I could at least help Jess find a casual fling. Between the two of us, I think she needs to blow off a little steam." Zoe smiled at the thought of her rambunctious little cat. "I like to think so. She’s one of the best decisions I ever made."

"I say something like that and I get called a ‘sentimental dork’ in return. Hopefully it’s the list of reasons why you love me" Colton said, huffing only slightly. Colton looked at Zoe a bit skeptically as she pointed too and talked to her pinky finger. It certainly was an imaginative way of illustrating her point. "So it’s because I’m wrapped around your finger then, huh?" Colton asked before he tilted his head in realization. "Actually, I can’t fight you on that one. I definitely am."

"Either way, you’ll do better than me." Colton pointed out. "You’re probably right but, despite the fact that for a while there I was about to marry Jess, I really don’t want to think about her and a casual fling. Feels weird. She’s too much like a sister,” Colton said making a face and shuddering. It felt too much like imagining his sister having sex and that wasn’t really something he wanted to do. Ever. “She probably feels the same way about you. After all it’s pretty obvious you’re he favorite person,” he said. Right after Zoe left this time around Colton had checked on Charlotte when Alex was busy and he always found her sulking around the apartment. It was obvious how much she missed Zoe.

"Well obviously it’s on that list; that’s what we’re talking about,” Zoe said, reaching for the hand not wrapped around her to lock her fingers with his. “I like your sentimental dorkiness. It complements my sarcastic cynicism so very well.” She wasn’t willing to admit out loud that he had made her a bit of a sentimental dork herself. “Yeah, you kinda are,” she confirmed, nodding in a faux-pitying kind of way.

Zoe tensed at Colton’s mention of having almost married Jessalyn. He’d told her that the engagement hadn’t meant anything to either of them, but they had been so close to actually tying the knot. She didn’t like to think about what everything would’ve been like if they had. She forced a one-syllable laugh at Colton’s actions. “Yeah, well. I’m just saying she could use a bit of fun, that’s all.” She grinned. “Well, if we assume that she shows love through scratching-which I’m hoping is actually a valid theory-I’m definitely ahead in that department,” she snorted.

"I’d certainly hope so," Colton said with a teasing poke to her side. "Well, I’m certainly glad that you do," he said aiming for a light tone but it ended up coming out more soft and tender. He always felt a rush of pleasure and contentment when Zoe payed him any sort of compliment. "We just make a good team, it seems," he settled on fondly. "I think ‘kinda’ might be puttin’ it a bit mildly," he laughed, looking at their entertained hands.

Colton suppressed a groan when he felt Zoe stiffen. He knew that he should’ve known better than to mention anything about his and Jess’ previous engagement. It was still a slightly touchy subject at best. That and hereally didn’t want to think about what if would have been like if he and Jess would have actually gone through with it. Colton simply held Zoe a tiny bit tighter and pressed a kiss to her brow, trying to silently convey a sense of reassurance. “Nah, she probably could. Lord knows it definitely couldn’t hurt,” Colton mused, wondering just when the last time seen Jess actually smile had been. “I’d say that for Charlotte, it’s definitely a valid theory. And you’re definitely ahead,” he teased, he still hadn’t relented on the stance of Char’s right to bear arms after all.

"Team? More like partners in crime," Zoe laughingly corrected. "Ahh, the gala," she sighed. "Really,” she said, interested. “Well, for the record, it wasn’t intentional. At least, not to any level past ‘kinda’. Alex, yes. You, not really. Just happened, I guess. Maybe I have a natural talent,” she said with sarcastic pride.

Zoe closed her eyes, doing her best to suppress what she was well aware was completely irrational jealousy. She wanted to be anything but the crazy, insecure girl who forbade her boyfriend from having female friends, but she couldn’t help but still feel a little freaked that Colton and Jess had once been planning their wedding. And she still wasn’t aware of what had actually happened that caused them to call it off. She blew out a silent breath and relaxed her muscles as Colton pulled her closer, figuring he had a good reason for keeping silent about it all and that that reason didn’t include feelings for his best friend. “Well, I would hope so. I spoil that cat rotton. Including letting her keep her claws, at your insistence. And believe me, I’m starting to rethink that decision.”

"Partners in crime does have a better ring to it," Colton hummed in satisfaction. "You mean you haven’tnoticed?” he said eyeing her skeptically. “Huh, is that so? Well it’s not like you really had to try all that hard with me,” Colton laughed. It had almost come second nature to him. That and if anyone deserved to be spoiled, it was definitely Zoe.

Colton bit the inside of his lip, going back and forth on offering her answers to the questions she probably had. He was grateful that she didn’t freak out on him when he first mentioned the engagement, especially since he was still friends with Jess. But honestly, he had kind of expected her to. It wasn’t something that was easy to deal with. “You can always ask me about it if you want to, Zoe. I’ll answer any questions you have,” Colton offered softly. He had never talked about everything that happened with Jess because he was never sure where on earth to start. The entire thing had just been a mess and he still didn’t know if he’d ever made complete sense of it. “But either way, I love you. And it’s not like I didn’t have any choice in the matter. I knew what I was getting myself into and I chose to love you. I think that no matter what, in a hundred lifetimes, in any version of reality, I’d find you and I’d choose you Zoe,” he told her. After everything they had been trough lately, after how unwanted he had made her feel, it was important to him that she knew exactly how much she meant to him. “That you sure do. Char’s just a little princess” Colton laughed. “Hey, all cats deserve their claws. What if I try and teach her to use a scratching post instead of you?”

"No," Zoe said, almost as soon as Colton was done talking. "No, I don’t-it’s fine, I don’t need to know." She was afraid that asking for details about his past with Jess would prompt him to expect her to tell him more about her previous relationship with Alec, especially since she’d recently been working with him. She hadn’t done a single thing to warrant guilt, but she’d much sooner focus on Colton than him. It’d been the mere suspicion of her cheating on him with Alec that had been the cause of Colton’s hurtful silence, but she still wasn’t willing to talk about any of what had happened during that time. She listened, stunned, to Colton’s words. It still surprised her to hear the l-word directed at her, let alone all this. “Is that-” She cleared her throat to regain a little strength in her voice. “Is that from one of your new stories?” she joked weakly, not having a clue as to how she was supposed to react. “I like it…I love you, too,” she told him, proud of herself for saying it with next to no hesitation.

"She really is, isn’t she?" Zoe thought aloud, a grin forming. "Is that a serious offer? ‘Cause I have a feeling she’ll be showing you a whole lot more "love" if you try," she said, biting her lip to keep from laughing at the thought of her poor boyfriend covered in band-aids.

Colton was slightly taken aback by Zoe’s immediate answer and it left him feeling a bit more on edge then he would have thought. “Okay, if you’re sure,” he said slowly, unable to shake the feeling that there was something he was missing. It was easy to tell that the whole wedding thing was bugging her, so he just thought… Colton bit back any further comment. Sometimes it still felt like she was hiding something or that she still wasn’t fully comfortable telling him certain things. It was ridiculous. He knew that Zoe had every right to keep things to herself, that there would always be things she wasn’t going to tell him. And for as hard as it was for him, Colton was trying his best to just accept it. Even though sometimes it stung just a little. “It’s not, but it might find it’s way into one,” he laughed gently. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time that something from their relationship found it’s way into his writing. Colton’s face lit up when she said it back, treasuring the way the words sounded falling from her lips.

"All she’s missin’ is a crown and maybe a castle at this point," Colton snorted. "It might as well be," he shrugged not seeing all that much of an issue with it. "I couldn’t hurt to try and even if it doesn’t work, it’s not like I’ve got much to loose. Plus I’m thinkin’ that I might be able to use catnip to my advantage."

"I just…I don’t want to know. I don’t need to know. Certain things should just stay in the past,” Zoe said quietly. “I’m sorry for…for being weird about all this. I’m probably overreacting,” she mumbled. Like everyone tells me I always do. ”You should use it. I’d love that story,” she murmured with a smile. It grew as she saw the effect her words had on him. She resolved to get better about saying them more often and eventually without prompting, because the look on Colton’s face was one she definitely wanted to see again.

“Ooo. I have a sudden urge to go to the pet store…Char needs a birthday. They told me she was about three months when I got her, so I guess it’d be sometime in July. Did you ever think you’d be dating a crazy cat lady?” Zoe quipped, laughing. ”Yeah, not much to lose. There’s always skin grafting.”

"No, that’s… that’s fine Zoe. Whatever you want, okay?” Colton said with a small, earnest smile. “You don’t need to apologize and you’re not overreacting,” he said trying to reassure her. She could react any way that she wanted to and Colton would have accepted it. If anything she was under-reacting and the more Colton thought about it, the worse he felt about ever mentioning it. Things had finally felt normal again and then he had to go and mess it all up again. Silently, Colton berated himself for it. “You would? In that case you can count on me usin’ it,” he said grinning, already thinking of where he could use it. It didn’t take him very long to realize that it fit rather perfectly in the story he had started not too long ago.

"What so you can get her a tiara?" Colton laughed. "Yeah, July sounds about right. I can’t say that I ever did. But you know, I don’t think I could imagine it any other way now," he said. Cats had never been his favorite animal, but Char had wormed her way into his heart in no time flat. "Skin grafting? Oh, come on now. I don’t think I’ll be that bad,” he said sounding unsure.

"Ok," Zoe repeated, Colton’s smile letting her know that he really didn’t think she was overreacting. "I just don’t want you to think I’m this crazy, jealous, if-I-can’t-have-you-no-one-can psychopath. I mean, granted, I’m a bit of a psychopath, but not that particular type of psychopath," she said, laughing off her insecurity as always. "Pssh, and you say poetry’s not your thing," she said, rolling her eyes. "That was poetry, Birchfield. And it was pretty damn great."

“Yes, so I can get her a tiara. Do you think they have tiaras? I am absolutely going there tomorrow to check…Ok, see, it has less to do with you than it does with the fact that you’re gonna be trying to get her to do something she doesn’t want to do. She’s surprisingly difficult to outsmart. Trust me, I’ve tried. But I hope it doesn’t come down to that. I like your skin the way it is,” Zoe said seriously before a grin made its way across her face.

"I’d never think that about you in a million years," Colton said, shaking his head slightly as if even the thought of it was unthinkable. "I just… If it bothers you I would like to know,” he told her softly, not wanting to make her feel like she was under any obligation to tell him. It was just that he could see it was having an effect on her and he hated that she felt like she needed to keep it to herself. “It’s really not my thing, but I guess that maybe sometimes I have moments,” Colton laughed, boarding on self-depreciation. “Mind you those moments have gone up since I met you. So, I’m glad you think so,” he said unable to keep the incredibly pleased, yet some what bashful smile off his face.

"You know, I actually wouldn’t be surprised if they do. Mm… You’ve got a point there. Maybe I can just reason with her then. Convince her that if she doesn’t stop with the love attacks, she might just loose her claws," Colton mused before shaking his head. Reasoning with the cat probably wouldn’t even work if she could understand english. "Do you think it’s too much to hope that she’ll mellow with age? Oh, believe me, I like my skin the way it is too," he said before laughing.

Zoe merely nodded, unwilling to make a verbal promise that she wasn’t sure she would ever honor. She still felt that she was being a little ridiculous about this whole thing, and bothering Colton with her insecurities was the last thing she wanted to do. She’d been vulnerable in front of him enough times already. “They’re good moments. I like those moments. And that I’m apparently the cause of those moments,” she said with a happy grin. She wouldnever tire of Colton saying she was an inspiration to him.

Zoe gasped. “And take away her only means of defending herself? What cruelty!” she exclaimed, bringing a hand to her chest and looking horrified. She dropped the act to raise an unimpressed eyebrow at Colton. “That’s what I’ve been saying, dear. I don’t know how much longer I can last with her trying to rip the skin off my arms at every given opportunity. And the only scratch marks on you should be made by me,” she said with a smirk, unable to resist the comment. “Seriously, though, it’s a procedural thing-there’s practically no risk.”

Colton let out a sigh. He’d drop the issue for now and hope that she believe him. That she would actually tell him if her doubts or insecurities or whatever it was got bad enough. He knew her well enough to know that needling her about this wouldn’t help any. She had to do things in her own time and in her own way. “I like them too,” he agreed softly, before finally giving into the urge to kiss her. She was always beautiful to him, but when she was this happy it made his heart feel so light.

"I’m still hoping it doesn’t come to that," Colton said, rolling his eyes at her dramatics. "I know, but just let me try, okay? The only-jesus Zoe," he choked out, turning bright red for the millionth time that night. "There might be no risk, but Zo, if you did the same thing to a human, it’d be like cutting off each finger at the last knuckle," Colton pointed out gently. This was the real reason he had an issue with it. Once Zoe had first brought up the idea of declawing Charlotte, well he had done his homework and he hadn’t really liked what he had found. "Just, I want to try," he murmured casting his glance downwards.

Zoe’s smile slid off her face. “What?” she asked, genuinely horrified now. “Oh, god. Oh, my god. Ok, I take it back, that’s never happening. Jesus, I’ve been threatening her with that for weeks,” she said guiltily. She suddenly wished the cat were there so she could cuddle with her in a plea for forgiveness. The absolute last thing she wanted was to inflict pain and suffering on the little creature whose first few months of existence were absolute hell. “Yes, ok, absolutely, you can try anything you want…aw, Char,” she said weakly.

Colton cringed slightly, he had figured that Zoe didn’t know about that particular fact or she wouldn’t have suggested it in the first place. “Hey now, Zoe it’s fine. You haven’t done anything wrong, you just didn’t know is all,” Colton said hoping to set her mind at ease and resisting the urge to point out that Charlotte probably didn’t even know that Zoe had been threatening her, let alone with something like that. “We’ll figure something out, so don’t worry about it too much okay? Tomorrow we’ll go to the pet store so you can find the little princess a crown and other things to spoil her even more while mercilessly question the employees about ways to help,” he said quite liking the sound of his plan.

”No, I really didn’t. I’m just…still learning about all this, you know? Taking care of things. I’m still really freaked that I’m gonna fuck everything up,” Zoe admitted. She should’ve known that since she was barely capable of taking care of herself, she sure as hell couldn’t look after another living thing. “Ok. ‘Cause I really don’t wanna hurt her. She’s been through enough already. That sounds good, though. I like that plan,” she said with a small smile.

"Yeah, I know you are. But you’re actually doing pretty damn great," Colton said, running his thumb across the back of her hand currently clasped in his. Smiling at her sympathetically, he shook his head slightly. "You’re not goin’ to fuck this up. All that matters is now you know and we all know you’d never hurt her. So, don’t go thinkin’ about the ‘what if’s’ cause they don’t matter,” he told her firmly. For how feisty Char was, Zoe did have a way with her. “Then that’s the plan we’re goin’ with,” Colton hummed.

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