#bekking

Summary: Natalie and Ava are on their honeymoon. (Trophy Wife AU)

WC: ~1.4k

For their honeymoon, Ava pulls out all the stops. Not that it’s unusual for her; she’s over-the-top and extravagant and eager to show off, but it’s still giving Natalie some sort of cherished, beloved feeling as she sets down her suitcase on the bed of their beachfront cabin. A real beachfront cabin, with a swath of private beach, rented for the entire month while they live outside the reach of the rest of the world and enjoy each other. There’s no one else who could, let alone would, have done this for her in her “old life.” But Ava seems to live to pamper her, and there’s no way Natalie could ever turn this down.

“You are just too good to me,” she says as she kicks off her sneakers. She can’t wait to shower, put on her suit, and enjoy the sun, sand and water with her wife to hold her from behind, kiss her neck and maybe sneak a hand down the front of her bikini bottoms.

The main pairing will be bekking, that’s for certain, although I haven’t done tons of planning yet. The basic idea is the following:

I came  up with this AU after listening to “Cell Block Tango” from Chicago over and over again while home sick and I just... yeah the ladies in that song are a lil more petty but... in their defense, he had it coming.

Natalie Manning has spent a life time being stripped of her agency by the men in her life. Her father, her boyfriends, her husband, various suitors- she eventually got fed up with the way she was treated.

After her husband passed overseas, sure she grieved, but she felt so free in a way she never had. Her life was infinitely better. And so when a man pursued her again and the red flags were raised, she got rid of him herself.

From there, she dedicated herself to helping those victimized like her. She talked to abused and afraid patients, to exhausted mothers and battered girlfriends, and offered them a way out. She gave them resources for if they just wanted to leave, or she took their pain to heart and she handled things herself.

After Ava Bekker goes through the worst year of her life at the hands of the Rhodes men, she finds herself looking into reports of other women who were rescued by an angel at her hospital. She needs to find out exactly who’s helping women just as pained and damaged as herself.

With Natalie’s help, they plan the perfect murder of Connor and Cornelius Rhodes, as well as an airtight alibi for Ava to have at the time.

Until Ava hits her breaking point and takes care of things herself.

Here’s the intro post and also I’m writing a fic about their honeymoon //

- Natalie was a doctor, specifically emergency pediatrics as we all now, but she was beginning to feel stifled after the car accident. No one believed her about things, her brain never fully recovered- it was like her life was over, in a way.

- Enter Ava Bekker, bringing in one of her maids who slipped and fell while cleaning. Carrying her in with such concern and kindness, staying at her side even though she’s just “the help” and looking after the young woman like she’s her own daughter. Needless to say, Natalie is taken with her immediately.

- Cue Ava being like “oh shit that doctor is hot I must ask her to dinner”

- It starts with dates to functions. Ava showing off Nat and to Nat, wanting everyone to see that yeah, she’s dating a hot doctor, and it’s a cross between actual attraction and a need to be the best of the best at everything.

- They wind up falling for each other, getting married, the whole shebang, but there’s a constant underlying point of how much Ava loves to spoil Natalie and show her off, know that she has the most beautiful and doting and intellectual wife of her whole social circle. Although maybe there’s occasional angst because Natalie worries she’s only here to be the “trophy wife.”

“I know it’s a little early,” Ava says mid-afternoon, as she pulls a loaf of Challah from the oven, “but I have a present for you.”

“Can’t wait until sundown?”

She shakes her head and sets the hot bread aside so she can wrap her arms around Natalie’s waist and kiss her neck. She smells like flour and honey, like home, and Ava can’t imagine being with anyone else when Natalie is the most important person in her life.

“I want you to have it for tonight.”

With Sarah and Connor’s advice, she spent about three weeks trying to pick out the perfect one, and got rush shipping so she could have it wrapped in shiny blue paper before Natalie could see. Right now, Natalie’s hair is up in a loose ponytail, a little wavy and carelessly soft, but by the time everyone comes over tonight, she’ll have wrapped it for the special occasion. She always does for temple and holidays.

“You’re distracting me.”

“You like when I distract you,” Ava counters, and kisses her neck one final time before  pulling away. “Wash your hands, I’ll be right back.”

She hurries to their room and drops to the ground, reaching under the bed until her hands close around the slippery box. Perfect. There’s no tag on it, but she knows who it’s for as she races back to Natalie. She hopes she likes it. 

“For my wife,” she says, handing the package off and kissing Natalie once more.

Slowly, like with every gift, Natalie undoes the wrapping without tearing it and opens the little gift box to reveal what’s inside. The scarf is a pale, but deep golden yellow, accompanied by a new pin in a spiral of pearls. Ava fears for a moment that Natalie doesn’t like it, but then she finds arms wrapped tightly around her and kisses peppered over her face in the sort of quick and open affection that she so rarely gets outside the bedroom, even when they’re by themselves.

The good thing about shopping at the mall is the warmth and safety from the harsh snow and heavy wind outside. The bad thing? There’s no escape the incessant ringing of the Salvation Army’s bell. Loud and obnoxious, drawing attention from everyone to donate money for an organization that funds little other than bigotry around here. It’s high pitched. Loud. Ringing. Ava already woke up with a slight tension headache- or so she thought- but it’s quickly evolving into a migraine. 

“You okay, honey?”

She nods and squeezes her eyes shut, like that will help block out the noise. Predictably, it doesn’t. Everything feels louder now, especially that fucking bell, and as much as she tries to focus only on Natalie’s hand on her back, it just isn’t enough to ground her or help her building headache. What she really needs is extra-strength tylenol and a dark, quiet room to lay down in and possibly sleep for the next fifteen hours. She’s sure the sleep deprivation from long shifts and a patient who’s been touch-and-go for days hasn’t help.

Somehow, she winds up with a chair pressing against the back of her legs, so she sits down and rests her elbows on her knees, her head in her hands until Natalie holds the spout of her hydro flask to her lips. Water should help. Ava graciously takes a few sips before pulling back and wishing that the fucking bell-ringer would just shut up and stop. Nobody likes hearing it. It’s stupid and it sucks. She might start crying, honestly, if they don’t stop. Every ring hurts worse.

Natalie strokes through her hair slowly, a centering touch that feels even better when it turns into a not-quite massage with nimble fingers digging into her temples. She sniffles slightly and leans into the touch.

“Do you just need a minute, or do you want to go home?”

Home sounds better, but they’re also doing something. They’re doing Christmas shopping for their friends and for Owen, and they’re supposed to have a romantic dinner afterward for once. Ava would love to go home, but she’s also too filled with guilt. 

Her hesitation is taken as an answer, and Natalie kisses her forehead before helping her back up to her feet. “Let’s get you to bed.”